Debbie Meyer (born August 14, 1952Annapolis, Maryland) won the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle swimming events in the 1968Summer Olympics in Mexico City, at 16 years old becoming the first swimmer and first female to win three individual gold medals. Her winning times were 2:10.5 for 200m, 4:31.8 for 400m and 9:24.0 for 800m, all of them new Olympic records. A sufferer from asthma, she also broke twenty world records, which landed her in the Olympic Hall of Fame, broke 24 United States records and won 19 Amateur Athletic Union championships.
DebbieMeyer (USA) was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in 1977.
DebbieMeyer between the ages of 14 and 18 was the world's greatest female swimmer.
Just for comparison and a little argument in the battle of the sexes, Debbie's 4:24.5 in the 400m would have beaten Murray Rose in the 1956 Olympics and her 17:19.9 in the 1500m would have been 39 seconds faster than his 1500m time.
Meyer won AAU national titles in the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle from 1967 through 1970 and she was the 400-meter individual medley champion in 1969.
Indoors, she won the 1,650-yd freestyle five years in a row, from 1967 through 1971 and was the 200-yard champion in 1968, the 500-yard champion in 1968, 1970, and 1971, and the 400-yard individual medley winner in 1970.
Meyer had hoped to compete in the 1972Olympics, but recurring bursitis in her left shoulder forced her retirement after the 1971 season.
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