Mark Webster Chatfield (August 11, 1953 – December 23, 1998) was an American breaststroke swimmer and breaststroke specialist. Chatfield won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the

1971 Pan American Games * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. He represented the United States as a 19-year-old at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

in Munich, Germany. He advanced to the event final of the men's 100-meter breaststroke, finishing fourth with a time of 1:06.1. He was the 1973 U.S. national champion in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.36). He attended the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

(USC), where he swam for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...

swimming and diving team from 1972 to 1975. As a college swimmer, he was recognized as an All-American in 1972 (100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke), 1973 (100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 400-yard medley relay), 1974 (100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 400-yard medley relay), and 1975 (100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard medley relay). An accomplished Baroque and period musician, vocalist and composer, he played cello and was a countertenor. Chatfield came out of retirement in 1994 to participate in the

Gay Games The Gay Games is a worldwide sport and cultural event that promotes acceptance of sexual diversity, featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes, artists and other individuals. Founded as the Gay Olympics, it was star ...

. He recounted how "he could never disclose his sexuality for fear of losing his spot on the team." Chatfield died of lymphoma on December 23, 1998; he was 45 years old.

References

External links

L.A. Times Obituary

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatfield, Mark 1953 births 1998 deaths American male breaststroke swimmers American gay sportsmen Olympic swimmers for the United States Sportspeople from Bakersfield, California Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics USC Trojans men's swimmers Deaths from lymphoma LGBT swimmers LGBT people from California Universiade medalists in swimming FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade FISU World University Games bronze medalists for the United States Swimmers at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming 20th-century American LGBT people

See also

References

External links