Chester Andrew Jastremski (January 12, 1941 – May 3, 2014) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic medalist and world record-holder. Jastremski attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he swam for Doc Counsilman's Indiana Hoosiers swimming and diving team. He and Counsilman invented the "whip kick" to replace the frog kick, previously used in the

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 ...

. The whip kick minimized drag and accentuated Jastremski's very powerful shoulders and upper arms. Over the years, the original whip kick (done from the knee to feet) morphed into the breaststroke kick that uses the entire leg. He was featured on the January 29, 1962 cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''. At the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

in Tokyo, Jastremski represented the United States. He won the bronze medal in the men's 200-meter breaststroke, finishing with a third-place time of 2:29.6. He again qualified for the U.S. team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and swam for the winning American team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter medley relay. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977, and the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Jastremski received his medical degree from Indiana University in 1968, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic medical team. He served as a family practice physician for 35 years before

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

led him to retire. He practiced medicine in Bloomington, Indiana, and frequently visited the Indiana University swim team throughout the years. In 2007, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He died on May 3, 2014, aged 73, in Bloomington, after battling cancer, arthritis, and Parkinson's disease. College swimming: Jastremski dies at 73
''South Bend Tribune'' (May 6, 2014). Retrieved May 10, 2014.

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www.toledoblade.com

''Sports Illustrated''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jastremski, Chet 1941 births 2014 deaths American male breaststroke swimmers American male medley swimmers American people of Polish descent Physicians from Indiana World record setters in swimming Indiana Hoosiers men's swimmers Indiana University School of Medicine alumni Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio Swimmers at the 1963 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen

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