Moe, Karen (1952–)

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Moe, Karen (1952–)

American swimmer. Name variations: Karen Thornton. Born Jan 22, 1952, in Del Monoe, the Philippines; grew up in Orinda, CA; attended UCLA; m. Mike Thornton.

Set world record in 200-meter butterfly (1970); at Munich Olympics (1972), was the 1st American woman to win a gold medal for the 200-meter butterfly; placed 4th at Montreal Olympics for 200-meter butterfly and retired (1976); won 18 US national championships; became head coach at University of California.

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