Stephen Edward Clark (born June 17, 1943) is an American former 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.
At the
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
in Rome, Clark swam for the first-place U.S. relay teams in the preliminary heats of the
men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay and
men's 4×100-meter medley relay. Both American relay teams won gold medals, but Clark was ineligible for a medal under the Olympic swimming rules in effect in 1960 because he did not compete in the event finals.
He won his first international gold medal at the
1963 Pan American Games
The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Host city selection
For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...
in São Paulo, Brazil, winning the
men's 100-metre freestyle in a time of 54.7 seconds, and narrowly edging American swimmer Steven Jackman (54.8 seconds).
When Tokyo, Japan hosted the
1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
, Clark won three gold medals as a member of the winning U.S. relay teams in the
4×100-meter freestyle,
4×200-meter freestyle, and
4×100-meter medley events.
Clark attended Los Altos (California) High School and
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, where he swam for coach Philip Moriarty's
Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving
Since its inception in 1898, the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving program has produced numerous champion athletes. Many Yale swimmers have gone on to earn All-American honors and even break world records. The team has won 4 NCAA championships, 3 ...
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) and
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
competition. As a senior, he was the Yale swim team captain; he graduated from Yale with his bachelor's degree in 1964. In 2005, he donated one of his three Olympic gold medals to his alma mater.
[Yale Athletic Communications,]
Clark '64 Donates Olympic Medal to Bulldogs
" Yale University Athletic Department (May 26, 2005). Archived August 14, 2007; retrieved May 31, 2015.
Clark 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 ...
as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1966.
See also
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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 ...
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List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
This article lists the individuals who have won at least four gold medals at the Olympic Games or at least three gold medals in individual events.
List of most Olympic gold medals over career
This is a partial list of multiple Olympic gold medalis ...
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List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
This is a list of athletes who have won multiple gold medals at a single Olympic Games. List of most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games
This is a list of most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games. Medals won in the 1906 Intercalated Ga ...
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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 ...
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List of Yale University people
Yalies are persons affiliated with Yale University, commonly including alumni, current and former faculty members, students, and others. Here follows a list of notable Yalies.
Alumni
For a list of notable alumni of Yale Law School, see List ...
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World record progression 100 metres freestyle
The first world record in the 100 metres freestyle in long course (50 metres) swimming was recognised by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in 1905. In the short course (25 metres) swimming events, the world's governing body ...
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World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres freestyle relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive swimming event. The 4×100 metres freestyle relay is a relay event in which ...
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World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres medley relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive swimming event. The 4×100 metres medley relay is a medley race in which each o ...
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World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Steve
1943 births
Living people
American male freestyle swimmers
World record setters in swimming
Harvard Law School alumni
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Sportspeople from Oakland, California
Swimmers at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 1963 Pan American Games
Swimmers at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Yale Bulldogs men's swimmers
Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games