US Backstroke King: John Naber Olympics Legacy Explored

Swimming is one such sport that has a wall of fame enshrined with innumerable medals plastered on its walls. Swimmers from different walks of life have become mainstays in the annals of history. This sport inculcates some of the best swimmers with some of the most unbelievable records in their career. One such wonderful legend was the original backstroke phenom, John Naber. He has had an exceptional career and swimming enthusiasts model themselves after him. 

The Olympics year 2024 has commenced. With the Olympics, the first thing that comes to every budding swimmers’ mind is the outstanding performance of Naber at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. His records were nothing but stupendous and the legendary element was instilled in him ever since he started swimming. A sneak peek down his legacy and legendary career is sort of fitting.

The mind-blowing performances of John Naber 

John Naber is one of the most prominent swimmers in the swimming community. He has proved his prowess during his career by waving America’s flag high in the Olympic Games. It was a huge matter of honor for all Americans to witness a stupendous performance delivered by Naber. The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games is one of the brightest highlights of his career. 

Taking the perfect advantage of his six feet six inch height in the pool, he had multiple medals there. In the 1976 Olympics, he dominated every swimmer and delivered a sensational performance. According to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, he clinched two golds by clocking world record times in both 100m and 200m backstroke events. With this, John Naber added two more golds to his list by assisting the American 4x100m medley relay and 4×200 freestyle relay teams to stand atop the podium in world record times.

Along with this, he also nabbed the second position in the 200m freestyle. He retired in 1977 and now is a motivational speaker and television commentator and strongly supports the Olympic movement. He has had an extremely exciting career from the get go but found it prudent to branch out.

The wonderful trajectory of the original backstroke king 

John Naber, initially, laid his eyes on basketball, but his tall stature didn’t support him there. He took to swimming akin to a fish to water. This was a cue to get into the pool and he beautifully did it. He in his high school quickly got accustomed to the ways of the water, however, he couldn’t perform in one season as he broke his collarbone but one year later in the 1973 AAU indoor championships, Naber broke the American record in the 200 backstroke. 

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Naber, upon his swimming, expressed, “I was born to swim. I have big hands, long limbs, and flexible joints”. When he was at the University of Southern California, he took the Trojans to attain four consecutive NCAA titles from 1974 to 1977. He is one of the most exemplary swimmers in the community, and with the commencement of the Olympics year, the name of this legend will spring forth into our minds. 

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