Tracy Caulkins
Tracy Ann Caulkins (born
January 11,
1963) is a former three time
gold medal winning swimmer from the
United States.
Caulkins is perhaps best remembered for her adeptness at all four major competitive swimming strokes; the
butterfly,
breaststroke,
backstroke, and
freestyle. Caulkins competed at various levels in all four strokes and also in the
individual medley, which combines all four strokes over the course of a single race, and won national titles in all five races. This versatility brought Caulkins many titles and awards, and as a result she is considered one of the greatest swimmers of all-time. By the time she retired from swimming, Caulkins had set five
world records and an incredible 63 American records (more than any other American swimmer, male or female).
Born in
Winona,
Minnesota, Caulkins swam for the
Nashville Aquatic Club, and is considered one the greatest athletes to ever be from or live in
Tennessee. Caulkins would go on to compete at the collegiate level for the
University of Florida.
In
1978, Caulkins won the prestigious
Sullivan Award given by the
Amateur Athletic Union, and was the youngest ever winner of the award at the age of 15. In perhaps her most impressive performance, Tracy won five gold medals and a
silver medal in
Berlin,
Germany at the
world championships. Like many other American
athletes, she was expected to put in a great performance at the
1980 Summer Olympics in
Moscow,
Russia (which was then the
communist controlled
Soviet Union). However, following the Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan,
President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would not be sending an Olympic team to Moscow in protest to the invasion (see
1980 Olympic boycott). Caulkins was consequently not able to compete at the 1980 Olympics.
Fortunately, Caulkins was able to maintain her competitive level through the next four years. At the
1984 Summer Olympics in
Los Angeles,
California, Caulkins won individual golds in the 200m individual medley and the 400m individual medley. She also won a
relay gold by swimming the breaststroke on the women's 400m medley relay. Caulkins retired from the sport after the games and was inducted into the
International Swimming Hall of Fame in
1990.
Caulkins married
Mark Stockwell, a swimmer from
Australia. At last report, Caulkins lived in the
Brisbane area with her husband and children. Caulkins is involved with a series of
physiotherapy clinics in Tennessee that bear her name.
Caulkins' ultimate legacy may be that of the best all-around swimmer in American history. While her career did not have the longevity of
Jenny Thompson or the Olympic medal talleys of
Mark Spitz and
Michael Phelps, Caulkins stands high in the pantheon of American swimming greats.
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Tracy Caulkins Physiotherapy Centers
