Ronald Francis Gora (July 10, 1933 – March 11, 2014) was an American competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

and

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

champion. Gora was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended

Lane Tech High School In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

in Chicago. He remains tied with

Tom Jager Thomas Michael Jager (born October 6, 1964) is an American former competition swimmer. He is five-time Olympic gold medalist in relay events, a two-time World Championship individual gold medalist for the 50-meter freestyle, and a former world ...

and Brian Alden for the second most individual high school state championships won by a male in Illinois. Gora won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay event at the

1951 Pan American Games The 1951 Pan American Games (the I Pan American Games) were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles, United States, where official ...

in Buenos Aires, Argentina, alongside

Dick Cleveland Richard Fitch Cleveland (September 21, 1929 – July 27, 2002) was an American competition swimmer, three-time Pan American Games champion, and former world record-holder in the 100 meters and 100 yard events. Cleveland enrolled at Ohio State Un ...

Burwell Jones Burwell Otis Jones (March 23, 1933 – February 6, 2021) was an American former competition swimmer and Pan American Games champion. Career At the 1951 Pan American Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he won the bronze medal in the men's 100 ...

and

Bill Heusner William Wilder Heusner, Jr. (June 28, 1927 – August 9, 2002) was an American competition swimmer and Pan American Games champion. Heusner represented the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. He competed in the prelimi ...

. Individually, he also received a Pan American Games silver medal for his second-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle. Gora again represented the United States at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

in Helsinki, Finland, where he finished eighth in the final of the men's 100-meter freestyle with a time of 58.8 seconds. He attended the University of Michigan, and swam for the

Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving The Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving program has both a men's and women's team. The University of Michigan swimming program is one of the most highly respected college swimming programs in the country. The men's and women's teams, which ha ...

team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1952 to 1954. He was a member of Michigan's NCAA national championship teams in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1953 and 1954.MGoBlue.com, Men's Swimming & Diving
Michigan Men's Swimming and Diving All-Time NCAA Champions
Retrieved February 18, 2013.HickokSports.com, Sports History
NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Champions
. Retrieved February 18, 2013. Gora had four sisters. On November 16, 1963, he married Maria Käppeler, they had one daughter and two sons. Gora had 2 daughters and 2 son's from a previous marriage.

References

1933 births 2014 deaths American male freestyle swimmers Michigan Wolverines men's swimmers Olympic swimmers of the United States Swimmers from Chicago Swimmers at the 1951 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games 20th-century American people 21st-century American people {{US-swimming-bio-stub

See also

References