The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming [Hardcover]

This book, part of the Rowman & Littlefield Swimming Series, highlights 25 of the best moments in swimming history. The chronologically ordered moments included here were history-making, had a huge emotional impact, were totally thrilling, or transcended the sport in some way. The vignettes do not just list the facts, but tell the history of the moment under discussion and the sport itself. The book begins with Australian Fanny Durack's win in the 100 freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm games and concludes with 41-year-old American Dara Torres's three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In between, the book features moments such as Mark Spitz's seven gold medals at the 1972 games in Munich, forced doping by the East German women's swimmers in the 1970's and 1980's, the American boycott of the 1980 summer games in Moscow, the gold medal 100 butterfly race by Anthony Nesty of Suriname at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the U.S. men's 400 freestyle relay at the 2008 games in Beijing under the anchor leg by Jason Lezak. The book has six appendixes, a bibliography, and an index. This would be a welcome addition for a library looking for reference materials on swimming or sports; it will also appeal to a general audience.This book brings to life the most memorable Olympic swimming moments in history, ranging from the early days of the games to the present. It describes in detail the best races and rivalries as well as the best stories of the Olympic Movement.Every four years the summer Olympic Games capture the worlds attention. Over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries gather to prove they are the best in their sports. From the first competition held in 1896 to the 2012 London Olympics, the games have hosted some of swimmings greatest victories and toughest defeats. Fans have witnessed Johnny Weissmuller win back-to-back Olympic gold medals before he found fame on the big screen as Tarzan; they have seen Dara Torres defy age to win three silver medals at l#´