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Babashoff, Shirley
- Two-time Olympian (1972, 1976)
- 1972 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle relay, silver medalist in the 100m and 200m freestyle
- 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle relay, silver medalist in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle and 400m medley relay
- Two-time World champion in the 200m and 400m freestyle (1973, 1975)
- Was one of two women to win five medals in swimming during one Olympic Games (1976)
- Finished second in the 200m freestyle behind teammate but beat out the favorite Australia’s Shane Gould … before the 1972 Olympics the U.S. women’s team made T-shirts that said “All That Glitters Is Not Gould” to show they weren’t in awe of Gould
- Spoke out about East German swimmers using steroids in 1976 and was called ‘Surly Shirley’ by the press because she was narrowly defeated by Petra Thumer of East Germany
- Won five additional World championship medals (1973, 1975) and 27 National titles (100m, 200m, 400m freestyle; 11 relays) and set 11 world records in eight different events and 29 American records in 27 different events
- Is said that her greatest meet was the 1976 Olympic Trials where she won all freestyle events and the 400 I.M., while setting three American records in the prelims, three more in the finals and a world record in the 800 freestyle finals
- Awarded the Olympic Order in 2005, established in 1974 to honor individuals who have "illustrated the Olympic ideals through actions, have achieved remarkable merit in the sporting world or have rendered outstanding services to the Olympic cause."
- Considered a female version of Mark Spitz
- Named 1974 “USA Sportswoman of the Year” and Swimming World magazine's “American Swimmer of the Year” for 1976
- Retired as the all-time leader among U.S. women, which is a record she had for 24 years until Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson finally surpassed her career total in 2000
- Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987
- Coached swimming for 10 years, but leads an inconspicuous life – “It gets real awkward,” Babashoff said. “You just want to be normal, and you can't. You just want to do what you love, and you can't. Everyone knows you, and it sets you apart. It's very iso
- Has a son named Adam
On being awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee: "It fills in a part of the hole," Babashoff said to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
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Born: 1/31/1957
Hometown: Whittier, Calif.
Resides: Fountain Valley, Calif.
Sport: Swimming
Event: Freestyle
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