Katrina Diane Radke Gerry (born December 17, 1970) is a former competitive swimmer who represented the United States at the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
in
Seoul, South Korea
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...
.
Early life and career
Radke was born December 17, 1970. She was raised in
Morris, Minnesota
Morris is a city in and the county seat of Stevens County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,105 at the 2020 census.
Morris is surrounded by some of the nation's richest agricultural land, and agribusiness is important to the loca ...
. At the age of 13, she and her family moved to Emmaus, Pennsylvania. By the time she was 14, she landed a spot on the U.S. National Swim Team and was its youngest member.
Radke won gold medals at the
Seoul Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
, recording a time of 2:11.55. During this time, she was also a member of the swim team at her high school,
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the Gree ...
(GA), in
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Fort Washington is a census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.
History
Prior to the Revolutionary War
the Fort Washington area was settle ...
.
College years
Upon graduating from Germantown Academy in 1989, she enrolled at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, where she broke school records while swimming for their
varsity team
In most English-speaking countries, varsity is an abbreviation of the word ''university''. In the United States and Canada, the term is mostly used in relation to sports teams.
Varsity in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, varsity team ...
. During her time in college, she also continued swimming for Team USA, winning two more gold medals along the way, while becoming a national champion swimmer in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1990 U.S. Long-Course Championships, where she competed alongside such swimmers as
Janet Evans
Janet Beth Evans (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Ol ...
and Summer Sanders. Radke also was a co-captain on Team USA. She graduated Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Ethics, and then earned a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at
Southern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply Southern) is a public university in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it was founded in 1893 and is ...
.
Health issues
While still in high school, Radke contracted
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 ...
. Despite this, she continued to compete in swim meets even at the highest level. In 1991, she learned that she had chronic fatigue syndrome, which forced her to sit out the 1992 Olympic trials. Soon, her condition got so bad, that she found herself bedridden and had to use handicapped parking spaces when driving. In 1993, she retired from competitive swimming due to her ongoing bout with CFIDS. After 12 years of battling the disease, she finally felt well enough to attempt a comeback in Olympic swimming. She participated in the 2004 Olympic trials, thus enabling her to re-enter the world rankings after more than a decade of retirement.
In 2012, Radke authored and released a book on her life story and struggles with CFIDS, entitled ''Be ''Your'' Best Without the Stress''.
''Survivor''
On August 30, 2017, it was announced that Radke was one of 18 competitors on '' Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers'', the 35th season of the US version of '' Survivor''. She was part of the Levu (Heroes) tribe and was the first person voted out of the game.
Personal life
Radke is married to former Stanford University and Olympic swim coach Ross Gerry. They reside in
Excelsior, Minnesota
Excelsior is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Excelsior's historic commercial district along Water Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town has many Victorian-era houses. On Lake Minnetonka's ...
Foothill College
Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 79 Associate degree programs, 1 Bachelor's degree p ...
in
Los Altos Hills, California
Los Altos Hills (; ''Los Altos'', Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census. The town is known for its affluence and expensive residential rea ...
Twin Cities
Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...
, called WeCoach4U. In addition, she is a contributing writer to ''Swim Swam'' magazine; and in 2016, she was elected president of the newly-formed
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
chapter of the United States Olympians and Paralympians Association.
Bibliography
*''Be Your Best Without the Stress''; Motivational Press, Inc. (2012),
See also
*
List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
This page lists notable alumni and students of the University of California, Berkeley. Alumni who also served as faculty are listed in bold font, with degree and year.
Notable faculty members are in the article List of University of California, Be ...