| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's rowing | ||
| Competitor for the United States | ||
| Gold | Los Angeles 1984 | Women's eights |
Kathryn Elliott "Kathy" Keeler (born November 3, 1956 in Galveston, Texas) is a former American competitive rower and Olympic gold medalist. She was a member of the American women's eights team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, "the only women's crew in U.S. history to win an Olympic gold medal" until 2008.[1][2][3][4]
Keeler was a member of the U.S. national rowing team in 1982 and the women's four that won a silver medal at the World Rowing Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland that year. She qualified for the U.S. Olympic rowing squad in 1980 and, overall, was a member of four U.S. national rowing teams.[5]
Subsequent to her competitive rowing career, Keeler was a member of the U.S. national rowing team as a coach on six occasions (in 1987, 89, 91, 93, 94, 95). As U.S. Olympic Team coach in 1996, she directed the U.S. women's double to a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.[6][7] She also was a college coach at Smith College, among other institutions.[8]
She is currently married to Harry Parker. They have a young daughter named Abigail Parker and currently reside in Winchester, MA.
Keeler is a 1978 graduate of Wesleyan University.