Mary T. Meagher

College

University of California, Berkeley

Hall of Fame

⭐ International Swimming Hall of Fame

Mary Terstegge Meagher was born on October 27, 1964, in Louisville, Kentucky, and became one of the most dominant specialty swimmers in the history of the sport, earning the nickname "Madame Butterfly" for her mastery of the butterfly stroke. In 1981 — at age 16 — she set world records in both the 100-meter butterfly (57.93 seconds) and the 200-meter butterfly (2:05.96) that were so far ahead of the competition that neither record was broken for 18 years, the longest-standing world records in competitive swimming history. The 1980 U.S. Olympic boycott of the Moscow Games denied her what would have been near-certain gold medals at her peak. She persevered to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she won three gold medals: the 100-meter butterfly, the 200-meter butterfly, and as part of the 4×100-meter medley relay team. She swam collegiately at the University of California, Berkeley. She was named the world's top female swimmer multiple times and remains one of the most technically perfect butterfly swimmers the sport has ever produced. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1993. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.