Chet Jastremski

Chester Andrew Jastremski (January 12, 1941 – May 3, 2014) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic medalist and world record-holder.

Chet Jastremski
Jastremski in 1963
Personal information
Full nameChester Andrew Jastremski
Nickname(s)"Chet"
National teamUnited States
Born(1941-01-12)January 12, 1941
Toledo, Ohio
DiedMay 3, 2014(2014-05-03) (aged 73)
Bloomington, Indiana
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight176 lb (80 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke, individual medley
ClubBloomington Swim Club
College teamIndiana University
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo 200 m breaststroke
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 São Paulo200 m breaststroke

Jastremski attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he swam for Doc Counsilman's Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team. He and Counsilman invented the "whip kick" to replace the frog kick, previously used in the breaststroke. The whip kick minimized drag and accentuated Jastremski's very powerful shoulders and upper arms. Over the years, the original whip kick (done from the knee to feet) morphed into the breaststroke kick that uses the entire leg. He was featured on the January 29, 1962 cover of Sports Illustrated.

At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Jastremski represented the United States. He won the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, finishing with a third-place time of 2:29.6. He again qualified for the U.S. team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and swam for the winning American team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter medley relay. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977, and the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[1]

Jastremski received his medical degree from Indiana University in 1968, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic medical team. He served as a family practice physician for 35 years before rheumatoid arthritis led him to retire. He practiced medicine in Bloomington, Indiana, and frequently visited the Indiana University swim team throughout the years.

In 2007, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He died on May 3, 2014, aged 73, in Bloomington, after battling cancer, arthritis, and Parkinson's disease.[2]

See also

References
  1. Profile Archived October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, polishsportshof.com; accessed May 10, 2014.
  2. College swimming: Jastremski dies at 73, South Bend Tribune (May 6, 2014). Retrieved May 10, 2014.
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