Jerry Heidenreich

Jerome Alan Heidenreich (February 4, 1950 – April 18, 2002) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. He competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, where he received gold medals in the 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay.[2] He received a silver medal in 100-meter freestyle, and a bronze medal in 100-meter butterfly.

Jerry Heidenreich
Heidenreich (right) and Mark Spitz at the 1972 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameJerome Alan Heidenreich
Nickname(s)"Jerry", "The Poet"
National teamUnited States
Born(1950-02-04)February 4, 1950
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.[1]
DiedApril 18, 2002(2002-04-18) (aged 52)
Paris, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight161 lb (73 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly, freestyle
College teamSouthern Methodist University

He set six world records during his swimming career, all as a relay team member.

Heidenreich was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1992.[3]

He became a swimming coach in the 1980s. He was married three times.[4]

In July 2001, Heidenreich had a mild stroke which left him with a degree of paralysis on his left side. On April 18, 2002 he took his own life with an overdose of prescription medicine at his home in Paris, Texas.[5][4]

See also

References

  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jerry Heidenreich". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15.
  2. "1972 Olympics – München, Germany – Swimming" Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback MachinedatabaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on May 1, 2008)
  3. International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honorees, Jerry Heidenreich (USA). Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  4. Harvey, Randy (3 September 2002) Spitz Cast Shadow Over Heidenreich . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 August 2002
  5. Keller, Julia (17 May 2002) The descent of an Olympic champion. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 August 2020


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