William Albert Yorzyk Jr. (May 29, 1933 – September 2, 2020) 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 one-time world record-holder. Yorzyk represented the United States at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes
Bill Yorzyk
Retrieved March 21, 2013. He was the first swimmer to win the gold medal in the new 200-meter butterfly event, finishing with a time of 2:19.3 in the final. Yorzyk continued to swim competitively while he attended medical school at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. Yorzyk served as a physician in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Medical Corps and was commissioned a captain. He won the U.S. AAU indoor championship in the 220-yard butterfly in 1958. He was awarded the university's Bickle Prize as its outstanding student-athlete in 1958 and 1959. Yorzyk 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 1971. William Yorzyk died on 2 September 2020, aged 87.Passages: William ‘Bill' Yorzyk, 1956 Olympic Champion in 200 Butterfly
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorzyk, William 1933 births 2020 deaths American male butterfly swimmers American male freestyle swimmers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Northampton, Massachusetts Swimmers from Massachusetts Springfield Pride men's swimmers University of Toronto alumni Physicians from Massachusetts American anesthesiologists Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Air Force Medical Corps officers Swimmers at the 1955 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games 20th-century American people

See also

References