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Ann Curtis (USA) was inducted into
the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer
in 1966. The following text was included in the program for
the induction ceremony of that year. 1948, 400 -meter Olympic
Champion, multi-U.S. championships. Ann Curtis won more National
AAU swimming championships than any other woman. Her incredible
34 National gold medals included 8 relays, 7 of which she anchored.
Only Katherine Rawls won more individual golds, 30 to 26 for
Ann, but Rawls' medals included 5 in diving so Curtis won more
for swimming alone. Her medals were all won in the crawl as
compared to Rawls in all strokes, and Eleanor Holm's 21 in backstroke
and individual medley. Ann Curtis was the star freestyler of
Hall of Fame coach Charlie Sava's Crytal Plunge teams that won
9 straight AAU National Women's titles (4 Indoor and 5 Outdoor)
from 1944 through 1948. Curtis was the National Meets High Point
Trophy winner seven times, another thing that other American
girls have ever done. Cover girl Curtis was on the front of
Colliers, Newsweek, and many other magazines; She was in the
front of the 400-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyle
relay, her two gold medals in the 1948 London Olympics. Neither
our Nationals nor the Olympics had as many events for girls
in Ann Curtis' time or her times might have resulted in several
other gold medals at London -- certainly the 800 meters and
probably the 200, at least one of the 400 relays and maybe the
1500. Ann Curtis was certainly the premier freestyler of her
era. She was a middle distance swimmer and not a sprinter, yet
she won the U.S. 100-yard--100 meter crown six times and finished
second in the World to the Danish Hall of Famer Greta Andersen
in the Olympic 100 meters. Curtis won all 9 of her Nationals
in the 400 and was undefeated leading up to her Olympic 400
win. She won all her Outdoor 800-meter (half-mile) races and
all her Indoor 220's. She won the 1500 meters twice. Her teammates
Marilyn Sahner and Joan Mallory won it the rest of the time.
Ann Curtis won the Sullivan Award, given once a year to the
top amateur athlete in the U.S.A |
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