Sandra Neilson
Encyclopedia
Sandra Neilson-Bell (born March 20, 1956 in Burbank, California
) is a former freestyle
swimmer from the United States
, who won three golden medals as a 16-year old at the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, West Germany
. One of those golden medals came in the 100m Freestyle, where Neilson defeated favorites Shane Gould
from Australia
and her USA teammate Shirley Babashoff
.
In 1986 she was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame
.
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
) is a former freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who won three golden medals as a 16-year old at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics were held in Munich, West Germany, 29 events in swimming were contested. There was a total of 532 participants from 52 countries competing....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. One of those golden medals came in the 100m Freestyle, where Neilson defeated favorites Shane Gould
Shane Gould
Shane Elizabeth Gould, MBE is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.-Biography:...
from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and her USA teammate Shirley Babashoff
Shirley Babashoff
Shirley Frances Babashoff is a former swimmer from the United States, who set six world records and earned a total of eight individual Olympic medals in her career...
.
In 1986 she was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around...
.