William Yorzyk
 Yorzyk in 1956 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Albert Yorzyk Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | "Bill" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 29, 1933 Northampton, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 163 lb (74 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Butterfly, freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | New Haven Swim Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Springfield College | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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William Albert Yorzyk Jr. (May 29, 1933 - September 2, 2020) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and onetime world record-holder.[1]
Yorzyk represented the United States at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.[2] He was the first swimmer to win the gold medal in the new 200-meter butterfly event, finishing with a time of 2:19.3 in the final.[2][3]
Yorzyk continued to swim competitively while he attended medical school at the University of Toronto. He won the U.S. AAU indoor championship in the 220-yard butterfly in 1958. He was awarded the university's Bickle Prize as its outstanding student-athlete in 1958 and 1959.[4]
Yorzyk was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1971.[4]
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- List of Springfield University alumni
References
- ^ https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/passages-william-bill-yorzyk-1956-olympic-champion-in-200-butterfly/
- ^ a b Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Bill Yorzyk. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games, [Men's 200 metres Butterfly Final. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ a b International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honorees, William Yorzyk (USA). Retrieved April 5, 2015.
| Men's Team |  | |
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| Women's Team | ||
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- 1933 births
- 2020 deaths
- American male butterfly swimmers
- American male freestyle swimmers
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Olympic swimmers of the United States
- People from Northampton, Massachusetts
- Springfield Pride men's swimmers
- Swimmers at the 1955 Pan American Games
- Swimmers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Pan American Games medalists in swimming