Rick Carey

Richard John Carey, known as Rick Carey, is an American former competition swimmer who specialised in the backstroke. Born on 13 March 1963, he was picked for the 1980 Olympic team but missed the Moscow Games when the United States boycotted them. He trained under Eddie Reese at the University of Texas at Austin, became national champion in the 100 and 200 metre backstroke in 1981 and won world titles in 1982. In 1983 he broke the world records in both backstroke events, took Pan American Games gold in Caracas and was named Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he won three gold medals, in the two backstroke events and the medley relay. He broke nine world records in all, five of them individually, retired in 1986 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in 1993.