Tracy Caulkins Biography - Began Swimming, Won First National Titles, Best Year As A Swimmer, Chronology, Olympic Boycott Affected Caulkins - CONTACT INFORMATION

Tracy Caulkins - Began Swimming

When Caulkins was eight years old, she began swimming at the Seven Hills Swim and Tennis Club, where her older siblings, Amy and Tim, already swam. Originally Caulkins would only swim the backstroke because she did not like getting her face wet. She eventually learned the other strokes, and though she hated the cold water and did not want to practice at first, in a short amount of time she became …

Tracy Caulkins - Won First National Titles

When Caulkins was 13 years old, she competed in the Olympic Trials for the 1976 Summer Olympics. She did not qualify, but within a year, she would have several titles under her belt and an international reputation. In 1977, she won her first national titles in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Championships in the 100- and 200-meter short course breaststroke, and the 200- and 400-meter lon…

Tracy Caulkins - Best Year As A Swimmer

Although she was only in her late teens, Caulkins was a dominant force in swimming in the late 1970s. The year 1978 was arguably her best as a swimmer. She won the Sullivan Award for best amateur athlete because of the number of championships she had won and records she had set. Caulkins won world championships in the 200-meter butterfly, 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, and won a silver med…

Tracy Caulkins - Chronology

Tracy Caulkins - Olympic Boycott Affected Caulkins

By the 1980 Summer Olympics, which were held in Moscow, U.S.S.R., Caulkins expected to dominate because she easily made the U.S. team. But the United States decided to boycott the games because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Though denied a chance at Olympic gold, Caulkins still swam at the National Outdoor Championships, winning four gold medals and one silver, and was name…

Tracy Caulkins - Began College Career

In 1981, Caulkins entered the University of Florida, where she majored in communications and trained harder in anticipation of the Summer Olympics in 1984. She won 12 NCAA Championships between 1982 and 1984. In 1982 and 1984, she won the Honda Broderick Cup, given to the nation's outstanding female college athlete. In 1982, 1983, and 1984, she also won the Broderick Award, given to the bes…

Tracy Caulkins - Awards And Accomplishments

Tracy Caulkins - Finally Won Olympic Gold

Spurred on by those who still counted her out of Olympic contention, Caulkins reacquired her aggressiveness in training and in races. She did well at the Olympics, where she was captain of the swim team. At the Olympic Trials, she set an American record in the 200-meter individual medley. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she won the 200-meter medley (setting an Olympic record with a time …

Tracy Caulkins - Where Is She Now?

Tracy Caulkins - Further Information

Hickok, Ralph. A Who's Who of Sports Champions: Their Stories and Records. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. Johnson, Anne Janette. Great Women in Sports. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. Layden, Joe. Women in Sports: The Complete Book on the World's Greatest Female Athletes. Santa Monica, CA: General Publishing Group, 1997. Porter, David L., editor. Biographical Dictionary of…