Donna de Varona
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Donna Elizabeth de Varona (born April 26, 1947 in San Diego, California) is a former American swimmer.
De Varona was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics, while at the following Olympics, she won gold medals in the 400 meter individual medley and as a member of the 400 meter freestyle relay. In her career, she set 18 different swimming records, as she retired shortly after the 1964 Olympics.
In 1965, de Varona signed a contract with ABC, which made her the first female sportscaster in television history. Also, as an advocate of Title IX, she helped to establish the Women's Sports Foundation, where she served as their first president from 1976 to 1984.
De Varona, who is a 1986 graduate of UCLA, is the sister of actress Joanna Kerns.
| Olympic champions in women's 400 m individual medley |
|---|
| 1964: Donna de Varona | 1968: Claudia Kolb | 1972: Gail Neall | 1976: Ulrike Tauber | 1980: Petra Schneider | 1984: Tracy Caulkins | 1988: Janet Evans | 1992: Krisztina Egerszegi | 1996: Michelle Smith | 2000: Yana Klochkova | 2004: Yana Klochkova |
| Preceded by: Eunice Kennedy Shriver |
Theodore Roosevelt Award (NCAA) 2003 |
Succeeded by: Alan Page |
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Categories: 1947 births | Living people | Olympic swimmers of the United States | Theodore Roosevelt Award recipients | People from San Diego | American sports announcers | Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics | Swimmers at the 1964 Summer Olympics | ABC Sports | Irish-American sportspeople | Mexican American sportspeople | United States swimming biography stubs
