Nelson W. Diebel (born November 9, 1970) 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.
Nelson Diebel III was born on November 9, 1970 in Hinsdale, Illinois, to Nelson W. Diebel Jr.,
a History professor at nearby
Moraine Valley Community College
Moraine Valley Community College is a public community college in Palos Hills, Illinois. The college operates satellite centers in Blue Island and Tinley Park, Illinois. Established in 1967, it is adjacent to the Palos Forest Preserves.
...
, and Marge Diebel, a stockbroker. Nelson grew up in
Western Springs, a suburb of Chicago. Several accounts link Nelson's youthful rebellious behavior to his parents' divorce around 1982 when he was 12.
Nelson attended McClure Junior High, already showing a certain rebellious nature. He began high school at
Lyons Township High School
Lyons Township High School (often referred to as LTHS or simply LT) is a public high school in Western Springs, Illinois (South Campus), and La Grange, Illinois (North Campus).
Lyons Township is a coeducational high school and serves grades 9� ...
in
Western Springs, where Nelson noted he may have been in a few fights. After a case of pneumonia led him to miss 11 weeks of his Freshman year at Lyons Township, his mother Marge arranged for him to attend the
Kent School
Kent School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Founded in 1906, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It educates around 520 boys and girls in grades 9–12.
Kent was one of the first schools ...
, a private boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. Six weeks later he was expelled for fighting. Some of his high school years included poor grades, late nights, issues with drinking and marijuana, and a few car accidents.
Peddie School
Diebel's mother, who hoped for the best but was well aware of Nelson's behavioral issues, arranged for him to attend the
Peddie School
The Peddie School is a non-denominational, coeducational college preparatory school located on a campus in Hightstown, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA that serves boarding and day students in the ninth through twelfth grades, as well as po ...
in
Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nestled within the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region, Hightstown is an historic, commercial, and cultural hub of Cent ...
beginning in December, 1986, where the 16-year old would swim under talented first year Head Coach Chris Martin. Martin told Diebel he could use him on the swim team but he would have to do exactly what he was told, and if he was looking to fight, he could fight the rather large, strong, and imposing 6 foot 4 inch, 225 pound, Martin. Martin coached the Peddie School from 1986-1992, and in a few years succeeded in restoring the school's place as a national leader in swimming among private schools. He would coach at the University of Florida in 1992. Diebel and Martin eventually reached an understanding.
Only six months after arriving at Peddie, Diebel won a national championship, and a year later made it to the finals of the 1988 Olympic trials in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. He performed well, but did not make the U.S. team. Six weeks after the trials, he slipped while diving from the Peddie stands into the pool, and landed on a balcony, breaking both wrists. He required hours of surgery, and several pins, but managed to recover.
[
As a Junior at Peddie, Nelson won the first of his four Eastern Championships, beginning with the 100-yard breaststroke. One month later, he won the first of his four national championships by taking first in the 200-yard breaststroke in open competition in Nashville, Tennessee. A repetitive stress injury in his High School Senior year due to poor technique left him the option of surgery, or toughing it out for the rigorous training required for the Olympic trials. Diebel chose the later.][
As a Peddie senior, Nelson won three Eastern titles, setting the National High School record in the 100 yard breaststroke. At the Senior level, he was indoor champion in the 200 breast for the second year, and added the 100 title to his victories.]
In pre-Olympic international competition, Diebel won silver medals in the 200 breaststroke at the 1989 Pan Pacifics and the 1991 Pan American Games.[ Training hard for the Olympics, in March 1992, he swam a 54.48 for the 100-meter freestyle, setting the American record, but adding stress to his body.][
While preparing for the 1992 trials during his Freshman year at Princeton, Diebel did less well absent the motivating force that his former coach Chris Martin had provided. He did not perform well at the 1991 Pan American games in Cuba. He began to suffer from chronic tendinitis in the rotator cuff and biceps tendon of his right shoulder, requiring him to reduce the intensity of training required to prepare for the Olympic trials.][
]
1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medals
In the 1992 Olympic trials, Diebel finished fourth in his specialty, the 200-meter breaststroke. But he set a new American record in the 100-meter breaststroke of 1:01.49, easily qualifying him for the Olympics.["Barcelona Bound", ''The Central New Jersey Home News'', New Brunswick, New Jersey, 5 July 1992, pg. 37]
Diebel won two gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
in Barcelona, Spain. First, he won the men's 100-meter breaststroke, setting a new Olympic record of 1:01.50 in the event final. It was made more memorable as it was the first American gold medal of the Barcelona games. Only third after the first 50-meters, Diebel took the lead in the final 50 with Hungary's Norbert Rozsa, who held the world record, taking second.[
Afterward, he swam the breaststroke leg for the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay, together with fellow Americans Jeff Rouse (backstroke), ]Pablo Morales
Pedro Pablo Morales Jr. (born December 5, 1964) is an American former competitive swimmer. He set world records in the 100-meter butterfly in 1984 and 1986. He was the 100-meter butterfly gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic Games, as well as wi ...
(butterfly) and Jon Olsen
Jon C. Olsen (born April 25, 1969) is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Olsen was a successful relay swimmer for the U.S. national team in the late 1980s and 1990s. He has won a t ...
(freestyle). In the event final, the four Americans matched the world record of 3:36.93 set by the U.S. team at the 1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
.[
]
Princeton University
He enrolled in Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, ten miles from the Peddie School, where he trained and competed for the Princeton Tigers
The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in me ...
swim team under coach C. Rob Orr, a former All American and then Assistant Coach at the University of Southern California. Orr coached Princeton Swimming from 1979-2019, establishing an exceptional record of wins in dual meets."Bio"
After his Freshman year at Princeton, and his Olympic medals, Diebel retired from swimming, to focus on the outstanding academics at Princeton. He had chosen Princeton for the quality of their academic program, and because Coach Orr allowed him the flexibility of training for the more competitive meets required of an elite Olympic candidate. Diebel would major in History at Princeton.[
After Princeton, he worked as a featured coach and speaker at varied training clinics, and then as a motivational speaker. He later settled in Delaware, and worked in the income tax preparation business. He recently started coaching, and noted that he truly enjoyed mentoring young swimmers as a coach.][
]
See also
* List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
* List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
This is the complete list of men's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Men's events
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
200 m ...
* List of Princeton University Olympians
This is a list of Princeton University alumni who competed in the Olympic Games. In this list, the term athletics refers to track and field.
Summer Olympians
# Robert Garrett, class of 1897, men's athletics, 1896 Athens Olympics, 1900 Paris O ...
* List of Princeton University people
This list of Princeton University people include notable alumni (graduates and attendees) or faculty members (professors of various ranks, researchers, and visiting lecturers or professors) affiliated with Princeton University. People who have ...
* World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres medley relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive swimming event. The 4×100 metres medley relay is a medley race in which each ...
References
External links
*
Olympedia Biography, Nelson Diebel
Nelson Diebel in Chicago Tribune, Rebel With a Cause, Olympic Gold
IVY@50, Nelson Diebel
Ross, Andy, Sept. 2020, Swimming World Magazine, Chris Martin's Influence Relaunched Peddie School to Powerhouse Status
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diebel, Nelson
1970 births
Living people
American male breaststroke swimmers
American swimming coaches
World record setters in swimming
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Peddie School alumni
Princeton Tigers men's swimmers
Swimmers from Chicago
Swimmers at the 1991 Pan American Games
Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming
20th-century American sportsmen