Robert Danforth Skelton (June 25, 1903 – June 25, 1977) was an American competition
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Biography
Skelton was born in
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...
. He attended
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in Evanston, Illinois, where he swam for the
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...
swimming and diving team in
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA) competition.
Skelton competed at the
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
in Paris, where he won a gold medal in the
men's 200-meter breaststroke event. Skelton finished in 2:56.6, decisively defeating Belgian swimmer
Joseph De Combe (2:59.2), and fellow American
Bill Kirschbaum (3:01.0). He was the first American to set a world record for the 200-meter breaststroke.
Skelton died in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
in 1977; he was 74 years old.
See also
*
List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests a ...
*
List of Northwestern University alumni
This list of Northwestern University alumni includes notable graduates and non-graduate former students of Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois.
Academia
* Madeleine Wing Adler (B.A. 1962), president, West Chester Universi ...
*
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
This is the complete list of men's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Men's events 50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
200 metre ...
*
World record progression 200 metres breaststroke
The first world record in the men's 200 metres breaststroke in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1908 and the first world record in the women's 200 metres breaststroke ...
References
Sources
*
Robert Skelton (USA)– Honor Pioneer Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame
1903 births
1977 deaths
People from Wilmette, Illinois
American male breaststroke swimmers
World record setters in swimming
Northwestern Wildcats men's swimmers
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Swimmers at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics
20th-century American people
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