Clara Lamore (July 2, 1926 – April 2, 2021), also known by her married name Clara Lamore Walker, 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 ...

who represented the United States at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. LaMore competed in the preliminary heats of the women's 200-meter breaststroke and recorded a time of 3:23.6. Lamore won the AAU breaststroke titles over 200 m (outdoor, 1945), 100 yd (indoor, 1947), and 220 yd (indoor, 1948). She semi-retired from swimming after the 1948 Olympics, worked for New England Telephone, then would become a nun, in The Sisters of the Cenacle. In 1964, Lamore was one of the first two women to graduate from

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

. She later became a teacher and guidance counselor at Western Hills Middle School in Cranston, Rhode Island. By 1980 she developed chronic back pain and resumed swimming upon advice from a doctor. She became the most decorated master swimmer of all time, setting more than 180 world and 465 American records. She was selected the Outstanding Masters Swimmer in her age group for eight consecutive years and 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 ...

in 1995. Lamore was born into a U.S. postman's family. She learned to swim in 1941, and during her early career was trained by her mother Irene. She married the Naval officer Donald Walker, and for seven years lived with him in Europe until his sudden death in 1970. LaMore died in April 2021 at the age of 94.Former Olympic swimmer from RI dies at age 94
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* 1926 births 2021 deaths American female breaststroke swimmers Olympic swimmers for the United States Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics 21st-century American women {{US-swimming-bio-stub

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