Whitfield, Beverly (1954–1996)
Whitfield, Beverly (1954–1996)
Australian swimmer . Name variations: Beverly Joy Whitfield. Born in Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia, on June 15, 1954; died in 1996.
Beverly Whitfield became a powerful swimmer who reached her peak at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where she won a gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke and a bronze in the 100 meters. She was born in 1954 in the city of Shellharbour, New South Wales. Though her family was not well off, they supported her swimming, taking her to Sydney every weekend for coaching by esteemed Australian coach Terry Gathercole. When Gathercole took a coaching position in Texas in 1969, Whitfield went along. In 1970, she entered the British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and distinguished herself by winning two individual gold medals and another for her part in the 4x200-meter medley relay. Two years later, she was in Munich. Over the course of her career, Whitfield won eight individual Australian championships, all in the 100- or 200-meter breaststroke, in addition to two Australian relay championships. She died in 1996.
Angela Woodward , M.A., Madison, Wisconsin