Sandy Neilson
Shirley Babashoff and Neilson (right)
at 1972 Olympics |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sandra Lynn Neilson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | "Sandy" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
March 20, 1956 Burbank, California |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 139 lb (63 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | El Monte Aquatic Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of California, Santa Barbara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sandra Lynn Neilson (born March 20, 1956), also known by her married name Sandy Bell, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder.
Neilson won her only Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship in 1971 in the 100-yard freestyle. While a student at El Monte High School, Neilson set CIF Southern Section records in 1972 for both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events. She later attended University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was a member of the UCSB Gauchos swim team and a three-time All-American. In 1977, she won both the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle national championships.
Despite being ranked as the third-best American sprinter, Neilson participated in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany at the age of 16. In the 100-meter freestyle, Neilson defeated heavy favorites Shane Gould from Australia and her American teammate Shirley Babashoff in an Olympic record time of 58.59 seconds. The victory landed her a spot on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay with Babashoff as well as the 4×100-meter medley relay. Both of Neilson's relay teams won gold medals in world record times.
In a twist of fate, during the Munich massacre which took place after the day after the swimming events were completed, both Gould and Babashoff were huddled with Neilson in her Olympic Village while the massacre was taking place. Neilson recalled, "When we found out about the terrorists, I called my parents and told them I loved them. I thought I might never see them again."
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