Catharine Ball Condon (born September 30, 1951), née Catharine Northcutt Ball, is an American former 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 ...

, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three events. At the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. 4×100-meter medley relay team. Ball is a former

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

holder in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events, and is remembered as a teenage star who was the dominant female

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...

swimmer of her generation.

Early years

Ball was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, in 1951. As a teenager, she swam for the J.E.T.S. swim team in

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) competition, the Florida Yacht Club, and attended Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville.Florida Sports Hall of Fame, Inductees
Catie Ball (2010)
Retrieved November 7, 2014.Gene Frenette,
Where are they now? Olympic swimmer Catie Ball-Condon
" ''The Florida Times-Union'' (July 22, 2011). Retrieved November 7, 2014. In August 1966, she set a new American record of 2:44.8 in the 200-meter breaststroke at the AAU national championships, shattering the previous mark by almost three seconds. In December 1966, she tied the world record of 1:15.7 in the 100-meter breaststroke at the international swim meet at the Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Associated Press,
Catie Ball Equals World Swim Mark; Her 1:15.7 Ties Record in Breast-Stroke Event
" ''The New York Times'', p. S38 (December 29, 1966). Retrieved November 7, 2014. While swimming for the Lee High School Generals swim team, she won the 1967 Florida 2A state high school championships in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke events, setting Florida state records in both.Jamie Secola,
Hall of Fame induction cements Ball-Condon's swimming legacy
" ''Pensacola News-Journal'' (July 4, 2010). Retrieved November 7, 2014.
FHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving 2014–15 Championship Records
', Florida High School Athletic Association, Tallahassee, Florida, pp. 13 & 15 (2014). Retrieved November 7, 2014. Her Florida record in the 100-yard breaststroke stood for eleven years.

International swimming career

Ball set a new world record in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Santa Clara invitational swim meet in July 1967.Associated Press,
4 Swim Records Topple On The Coast
" ''The New York Times'', p. 41 (July 10, 1967). Retrieved November 7, 2014. At the

1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...

in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ball won two individual gold medals in the women's 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events, and a third in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay in which she swam the breaststroke leg for the winning U.S. team of

Kendis Moore Kendis Marion Moore (born November 23, 1948), also known by her married name Kendis Drake, is an American former competition swimmer, 1968 Mexico City Olympian, Pan American Games medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 1967 Pan Americ ...

, Ball,

Ellie Daniel Eleanor Suzanne Daniel (born June 11, 1950), is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Early age group swimming In her earlier years, Daniel trained with Hall of Fame Coach Mary F ...

and Wendy Fordyce.Associated Press,
Spitz and Catie Ball Shatter World Swim Records at Pan-American Games
" ''The New York Times'', p. S36 (August 1, 1967). Retrieved November 7, 2014.Murray Rose,
American Swimmers Garner 28 Titles
" ''The Evening News'', p. 4D (August 2, 1967). Retrieved November 7, 2014. In the process, she set new world records in all three events. During 1967, she set world records in all four (two metric, two non-metric) individual breaststroke events as a 15-year-old.

1968 Mexico City Olympics

Ball was the reigning world record holder in all four breaststroke distances and bettered her own world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials in August 1968.United Press International,
Catie Ball Clips World Swim Mark
" ''The New York Times'', p. 50 (August 27, 1968). Retrieved November 7, 2014. Despite having to overcome

mononucleosis Infectious mononucleosis (IM, mono), also known as glandular fever, is an infection usually caused by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). Most people are infected by the virus as children, when the disease produces few or no symptoms. In young adu ...

and missing several scheduled meets in early 1968,Associated Press,
U.S.–Yugoslavia in Cage Finals
" ''The Evening Independent'', p. 2C (October 23, 1968). Retrieved November 7, 2014. Ball was the favorite to win three gold medals at the 1968 Olympics. She arrived at the

in Mexico City, however, with a case of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. She won her only Olympic medal, a gold, as a member of the winning U.S. 4×100-meter medley relay team,databaseOlympics.com, Athletes
Catie Ball
. Retrieved November 7, 2014. alongside

Kaye Hall Kaye Marie Hall (born May 15, 1951), later known by her married name Kaye Greff, is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. Hall was born in Tacoma, Washington,Sports-Refe ...

(backstroke),

(butterfly) and Susan Pedersen (freestyle). In the 100-meter breaststroke final, Ball led close to the finish but physical exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she finished fifth. She was too ill to swim in the subsequent preliminary heats of the 200-meter breaststroke and was scratched from the event.

College coaching career

After the Olympics, Ball received a special scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville, Florida, but effectively dropped out of competition swimming because there were no women's college swim teams at the time and because of her desire to lead a more "normal" life. As a senior at the University of Florida, she was hired by athletic director

Ray Graves Samuel Ray Graves (December 31, 1918 – April 10, 2015) was an American professional football player and college football coach. He was a native of Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he was the starting center and ...

to be the first head coach of the newly organized women's

Florida Gators swimming and diving The Florida Gators swimming and diving program represents the University of Florida in the aquatics sports of swimming and diving. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Coll ...

team in

Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was a college athletics organization in the United States, founded in 1971 to govern women's college competitions in the country and to administer national championships (see AIAW Cham ...

(AIAW) competition during the 1972–73 school year. In their first year of intercollegiate competition, Ball's Lady Gators swimmers were undefeated in dual meets and placed second at the AIAW national championship during her single-season tenure. Ball graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in education in 1973.

Life after swimming

Ball currently resides in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. In the time since retiring from competition swimming at the age of 17, she has been a college swim coach,

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

teacher, junior swim coach, housewife and

interior decorator Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a creative flair, an interior ...

. Ball and her business partner have operated a successful interior decorating business, "Beside the Point," for the past decade. She and her husband Tom Condon have three children and two grandchildren. She was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

in 1976, and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

World records

Women's 100-meter breaststroke Women's 200-meter breaststroke Women's 4×100-meter medley relay Note: All record times and locations are sourced to USA Swimming's list of world records.USASwimming
Women's Records
. Retrieved November 7, 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Catie 1951 births Living people American female breaststroke swimmers Florida Gators swimming coaches American swimming coaches World record setters in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Jacksonville, Florida Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics University of Florida alumni Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Swimmers from Florida Riverside High School (Florida) alumni Swimmers at the 1967 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming 20th-century American sportswomen