Donald Alexander Goss (born 2 October 1968), nicknamed Sandy Goss, is a 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 ...

from Canada. Goss was a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

and

backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...

specialist who was an Olympic silver medalist.

Early years

Goss was born in

Amherst, Nova Scotia Amherst ( ) is a town in northwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin (Canada), Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, and south of the Northumberland Strait. The town sits on a height of land a ...

in 1968.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports
Sandy Goss
Retrieved July 12, 2010. At the age of 8, Goss' family moved to Toronto and he began swimming for the North York Aquatic Club. Swimming Canada Inducts Goss, Kerr into Circle of Excellence
," ''Swimming World'' (27 November 2006). Retrieved 11 April 2012. At age 11, he was a member of the Canadian tour team that traveled to Germany and won two silver medals. At 17, Goss set a new short-course world record in the 200-metres backstroke at the Canadian Nationals.

College career

Goss received an athletic 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, where he swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) competition under coach Randy Reese from 1987 to 1990.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2011–12 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 61, 62, 64, 67, 78, 79 (2011). Retrieved 12 April 2012. Goss, together with Duffy Dillon, Paul Robinson and

Troy Dalbey Troy Lane Dalbey (born September 19, 1968) is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Dalbey attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he swam for coach Randy R ...

, won the NCAA national championship in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay in 1987. He also won three

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) individual championships in the 100-metre backstroke (1987) and the 200-metre backstroke (1987, 1988), as well as seven SEC championships as a member of winning Gators relay teams. Goss received twenty-three

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors during his four-year American college swimming career. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

in 1991.

International career

Goss represented Canada at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

in Los Angeles, California. In 1984, he won a silver medal with the Canadian team by swimming the freestyle anchor leg in the men's 4x100-metre medley relay. Goss was also a member of Canada's fifth-place team in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay, and seventh-place team in the men's 4x100-metre freestyle relay. Individually, he placed seventh in the 100-metre backstroke. Four years later, he again swam for Canada in four events 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 ...

in Seoul, South Korea. He again earned a silver medal by swimming the freestyle leg for Canada's second-place team in the 4x100-metre medley relay. He was also a member of the Canadian eighth-place team in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay, and ninth-place team in the men's 4x100-metre freestyle relay. In individual competition, he advanced to the semifinals of the 100-metre freestyle, and finished with the tenth best time overall. He was a double gold medalist at the

1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbe ...

in Edinburgh, Scotland, winning championships in the 200-metre backstroke and 4x100-metre medley relay, and also won silver medals as a member of the second-place Canadian teams in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay and 4x200-metre freestyle relay.

Life after swimming

Goss and

Jane Kerr Jane Louise Kerr Thompson (born May 12, 1968), née Jane Louise Kerr, is a former competition swimmer from Canada. Kerr was a butterfly and freestyle specialist who was an Olympic bronze medallist. Early years Kerr was born in Mississauga, ...

were inducted into the Swimming Canada Circle of Excellence Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in Toronto with his wife Judy, with whom he has two children, including competitive swimmer Kennedy Goss, who was named to Canada's Olympic team in 2016 and won a bronze medal in the women's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay. As of 2006, he was working as a stock broker for Research Capital in Toronto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goss, Sandy 1968 births Living people Canadian male backstroke swimmers Canadian male freestyle swimmers Florida Gators men's swimmers Canadian expatriate swimmers in the United States Olympic silver medalists for Canada Olympic swimmers for Canada People from Amherst, Nova Scotia Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games gold medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Swimmers from Nova Scotia

Early years

College career

International career

Life after swimming

See also

References