Hall of Fame

Shirley Babashoff

Swimming

Munich 1972 Olympic Games, Montreal 1976 Olympic Games

Born:
January 31, 1957
Birthplace:
Whittier, California
Hometown:
Fountain Valley, California
College:
UCLA

hall of fame

Shirley Babashoff

Swimming

Munich 1972 Olympic Games, Montreal 1976 Olympic Games

Born:
January 31, 1957
Birthplace:
Whittier, California
Hometown:
Fountain Valley, California
College:
UCLA
Shirley Babashoff won three Olympic gold medals and six silver medals, but might be better known for her willingness to speak out against suspected doping by East German swimmers.
SHARE

Swimmer Shirley Babashoff was just 15 years old when she qualified for her first Olympic Games, bringing home two gold medals in relays and two silver medals in individual races from the Munich 1972 Olympic Games.

Four years later, having swept the freestyle events at the U.S. Olympic Trials – setting six national records and one world record in the process – Babashoff was on the verge of becoming a superstar. But when she left the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games with just one relay gold and four silver medals, Babashoff became better known for outspoken reaction.

Each time Babashoff took silver, an East German claimed gold. There were whispers that the East Germans were aided by doping – later confirmed after the Berlin Wall fell – but Babashoff stood out because she was unabashed in her public comments. She later published an autobiography: Making Waves: My Journey to Winning Olympic Gold and Defeating the East German Doping Program.

“People criticized me for my poor sportsmanship. What was I going to say to the East Germans? ‘Congratulations! You took the most steroids!’?” Babashoff said in an interview 40 years later. “People looked at me like I was the worst person in the world for saying the East German women looked like men. I said what I felt. Apparently, it didn’t go over very well.”

After the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, Babashoff swam at UCLA for one year before retiring from competitive swimming. Her resume is a lengthy one: three gold medals in relay events, five silver medals in individual events and one more in a relay. All told, Babashoff set 11 world records and 39 American records and is recognized as one of the world’s best freestyle swimmers of all-time.

In 2005, the International Olympic Committee presented Babashoff with the Olympic Order, the highest award of the Olympic Movement, which is given to individuals who have made particularly distinguished contributions to The Olympics.



MEDAL RESULTS
1972 Munich 4x100m Freestyle Relay Gold
1972 Munich 4x100m Medley Relay Gold
1972 Munich 200m Freestyle Silver
1972 Munich 100m Freestyle Silver
1976 Montreal 4x100m Freestyle Relay Gold
1976 Montreal 4x100m Medley Relay Silver
1976 Montreal 200m Freestyle Silver
1976 Montreal 400m Freestyle Silver
1976 Montreal 800m Freestyle Silver

TICKETS NOW

ON SALE

DISCOUNTS FOR MILITARY, FIRST RESPONDERS, SENIORS, GROUPS AND MORE!​
RELATED GALLERY
connect with us
NEXT UP
One of the best swimmers who has ever competed for Team USA, Natalie Coughlin won 12 medals over the course of three Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012).
David Kiley competed at five Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball, track and field, and alpine skiing. He won a total of 13 Paralympic medals.
Michelle Kwan sits as the most decorated figure skater – male or female – in the United States, having won 43 championships.
Swimmer Trischa Zorn-Hudson is the most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games, having won 55 medals, including 41 gold medals, over seven Paralympics.
Skip to content