Kathleen Nord

Kathleen Nord (later Schwartz, 26 December 1965 – 24 February 2022) was a butterfly and medley swimmer from East Germany. She won the gold medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 1988 Summer Olympics and finished fifth in the 400 m individual medley.[1] Between 1982 and 1989 she won six gold, two silver and three bronze medals in individual medley and butterfly events at European and world championships.[2] She missed the 1984 Summer Olympics due to their boycott by East Germany and competed at the Friendship Games instead, winning a silver medal in the 400 m individual medley.

Kathleen Nord

Nord in 1987
Personal information
Born	(1965-12-26)26 December 1965 Magdeburg, East Germany
Died	24 February 2022(2022-02-24) (aged 56) Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Club	SC Magdeburg
Medal record Representing  East Germany Olympic Games 1988 Seoul 200 m butterfly World Championships 1986 Madrid 400 m medley 1982 Guayaquil 400 m medley 1986 Madrid 200 m medley European Championships 1983 Rome 400 m medley 1985 Sofia 200 m medley 1985 Sofia 400 m medley 1987 Strasbourg 200 m butterfly 1989 Bonn 200 m butterfly 1983 Rome 200 m medley 1987 Strasbourg 400 m medley 1989 Bonn 100 m butterfly

She started swimming aged six, had her first international competition at age 13, her first medal at world championships at 16, and retired at 25 in 1990, though she briefly resumed competing in 1995–1996 in the United States.[3]

In the early 1990s she studied law at a university, but when the courses were halted in 1992 as a result of the unification of East and West Germany she went to the Palm Beach Community College in Florida.[4] Nord died on 24 February 2022, at the age of 56.[5]