Cynthia Lee Woodhead (born February 7, 1964), commonly known by her family nickname "Sippy", is an American former competition swimmer, world champion, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. She won three gold medals at the 1978 World Championships, when she was only 14 years old, and set seven world records during her career.

Career

Woodhead received gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter freestyle, and medley relay, and two silver medals at the 1978 World Championships in Berlin when she was only 14 years old. At the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she received five gold medals. She won the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter freestyle, as well as being part of the winning U.S. teams in the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relays. Woodhead had qualified for six events at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

in Moscow, and was regarded to be among the favorites in the four individual distances, as she was ranked world number one in 100-, 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle. Due to the American boycott of the Moscow Olympics however, she did not get the chance to participate. This was a great disappointment for her, and she has said that the boycott may have triggered her later health problems.Sharon Robb: Cynthia "Sippy" Woodhead
– ''USA Swimming – Heroes of the Past'' (Retrieved September 11, 2008) In late 1981 and 1982, she suffered from several health problems—

mononucleosis Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adult ...

, a broken leg, and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Woodhead competed at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

in Los Angeles, where she received a silver medal in 200-meter freestyle, finishing behind compatriot

Mary Wayte Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

.1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles, United States – Swimming"
– ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on September 10, 2008) She broke the long course 50-meter freestyle world record, April 10, 1980, but the record was further improved by Jill Sterkel the same day. She also broke the long course 200-meter freestyle world record, three times, in 1978 and 1979, her last result remained a world record until 1984. She was also a member of the U.S. team that held the 4×100-meter freestyle relay world record from 1978 to 1980.

Awards

In 1979, Woodhead was named ''

Swimming World ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

''s World Swimmer of the Year and was named USOC Sports Woman of the Year. In 1994, she was inducted into 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 and serving as the central point for the stu ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodhead, Cynthia 1964 births Living people American female freestyle swimmers World record setters in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Sportspeople from Riverside, California Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1983 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics USC Trojans women's swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games

Career

Awards

See also

References

External links