Mary T. Meagher
- ️Tue Oct 27 1964
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| Full name | Mary Terstegge Meagher Plant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | T, Madam Butterfly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States |
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| Born | October 27, 1964 (age 47) Louisville, USA |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stroke(s) | Butterfly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Cal Bears | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mary Terstegge ("Mary T.") Meagher Plant (born October 27, 1964 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an Olympic champion and former World Record holding swimmer from the United States. In 1981 she bettered her own existing World Records in the 100m (57.93) and 200m butterfly (2:05.96): these marks stood as the respective World Records for 18 and 19 years, and are considered to be among the greatest sports performances ever.[1]
Early life
Meagher, began competing at an early age, setting her first world record in the butterfly at the age of 14 in 1979 at the Pan American Games. She completed her education at the Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, alongside her sister Anne Northup, who gained fame as a member of the US House Representatives. Also, Mary T. Meagher is a Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscientist.
1980 Boycott and on
Meagher was expected to compete for medals at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia. However, Meagher, along with the rest of the United States Olympic team, never got her chance due to American-led boycott of the Olympics.
However, in 1981 Meagher gave one of the most memorable performances in competitive swimming at the U.S. Swimming National Championships held in Brown Deer, Wisconsin in 1981. At the meet, Meagher set world records in both the 200 meter and 100 meter butterfly, the two primary distances at which the butterfly is contested in competitive swimming. The times for both records were considered astonishing, especially the record of 57.93 seconds that Meagher set in the 100 m—a drop of over a second. Both times would stand as the World Record for nearly two decades: American swimmer Jenny Thompson lowered the 100 m record in 1999, while Susie O'Neill of Australia set the record in the 200 m a year later. Some have argued that Meagher's records in the butterfly were among the most impressive records ever set in sport, let alone swimming, ranking among such noteworthy records as Bob Beamon's long jump world record in 1968. These two swims led "T" to being named Female World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine, which she again won in 1985. She swam collegiately for the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1987 with a BA in Social Sciences.
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California Meagher won gold medals in both the 100 m and 200 m butterfly races, along with another gold by swimming the butterfly leg of the women's medley relay. Returning to compete at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Meagher won a bronze medal in the 200 m butterfly. By the time she left competitive swimming, Meagher had won 24 US national swimming titles.
Post swimming
Meagher married former speed skater Mike Plant; they now live in Peachtree City, Georgia with their two children Maddie and Drew. Meagher is also the sister of former Kentucky Republican Representative Anne Northup. There is a swimming complex in Louisville named for Meagher, as well as a street in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
See also
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
References
- Meagher's bio from the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
| Records | ||
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Preceded by Andrea Pollack |
Women's 100 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) April 11, 1980 – August 23, 1999 |
Succeeded by Jenny Thompson |
| Preceded by Andrea Pollack |
Women's 200 metre butterfly world record holder (long course) July 7, 1979 – May 17, 2000 |
Succeeded by Susie O'Neill |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Petra Schneider |
World Swimmer of the Year 1981 |
Succeeded by Petra Schneider |
| Preceded by Kristin Otto |
World Swimmer of the Year 1985 |
Succeeded by Kristin Otto |
| Preceded by Tracy Caulkins |
World American Swimmer of the Year 1985 |
Succeeded by Betsy Mitchell |
| Preceded by Lisa L. Ice Jon L. Louis Cheryl Miller John C. Moffet Dub W. Myers Megan L. Neyer |
Todays Top VI Award Class of 1988 Regina K. Cavanaugh Charles D. Cecil Keith J. Jackson Gordon C. Lockbaum Mary T. Meagher David Robinson |
Succeeded by Dylann Duncan Suzanne T. McConnell Betsy Mitchell Anthony P. Phillips Thomas K. Schlesinger Mark M. Stepnoski |
| v · d · e1980 USA Olympic Swimming Team | ||
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| Men's Team |
Steve Barnicoat • Bill Barrett • Craig Beardsley • Mike Bottom • Mike Bruner • Rick Carey • Chris Cavanaugh • Jeff Float • Billy Forrester • Rowdy Gaines • Brian Goodell • Matt Gribble • John Hencken • Bob Jackson • Kris Kirchner • David Larson • Steve Lundquist • Glenn Mills • John Moffet • Ron Neugent • William Paulus • Peter Rocca • Brian Roney • John Simons • Dave Sims • Dave Thornton • Jesse Vassallo |
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| Women's Team |
Terri Baxter • Lisa Buese • Linda Burton • Kim Carlisle • Tracy Caulkins • Stephanie Elkins • Nancy Hogshead • Linda Jezek • Libby Kinkead • Karin LaBerge • Kim Linehan • Marybeth Linzmeier • Mary T. Meagher • Joan Pennington • Susan Rapp • Jill Sterkel • Susie Thayer • Sue Walsh • Sippy Woodhead |
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| Coaches |
Paul Bergen • Don Gambril • George Haines • Denny Pursley • Randy Reese • Mark Schubert |
| v · d · e1984 USA Olympic Swimming Team | ||
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| Men's Team |
Matt Biondi • Rick Carey • Chris Cavanaugh • George DiCarlo • Jeff Float • Geoffrey Gaberino • Rowdy Gaines • Matt Gribble • Bruce Hayes • Mike Heath • Tom Jager • Patrick Kennedy • Jeff Kostoff • David Larson • Robin Leamy • Steve Lundquist • John Moffet • Pablo Morales • John Mykkanen • Mike O'Brien • Rich Saeger • Rich Schroeder • Jesse Vassallo • Dave Wilson |
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| Women's Team |
Theresa Andrews • Tracy Caulkins • Tiffany Cohen • Sue Heon • Nancy Hogshead • Jenna Johnson • Kim Linehan • Mary T. Meagher • Betsy Mitchell • Susan Rapp • Kim Rhodenbaugh • Michele Richardson • Carrie Steinseifer • Jill Sterkel • Dara Torres • Tori Trees • Mary Wayte • Amy White • Sippy Woodhead |
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| Coaches |
Ron Ballatore • Ray Bussard • Don Gambril • George Haines • Charlie Hodgson • Doug Ingram • Frank Keefe • Skip Kenney • Richard Quick • Randy Reese • Mark Schubert |
| v · d · e1988 USA Olympic Swimming Team | ||
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| Men's Team |
Mike Barrowman • David Berkoff • Steve Bigelow • Matt Biondi • Matt Cetlinski • Troy Dalbey • Mark Dean • Doug Gjertsen • Chris Jacobs • Tom Jager • Shaun Jordan • Dan Jorgensen • Lars Jorgensen • Jeff Kostoff • Brett Lang • Jay Mortenson • Craig Oppel • Rich Schroeder • Kirk Stackle • Bill Stapleton • Melvin Stewart • Dan Veatch • Daniel Watters • Dave Wharton |
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| Women's Team |
Beth Barr • Tami Bruce • Janet Evans • Leigh Ann Fetter • Erika Hansen • Andrea Hayes • Whitney Hedgepeth • Janel Jorgensen • Mitzi Kremer • Susan Lipscomb • Tracey McFarlane • Mary T. Meagher • Betsy Mitchell • Trina Radke • Susan Rapp • Jill Sterkel • Dara Torres • Laura Walker • Mary Wayte • Paige Zemina |
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| Coaches |
Steve Bultman • Dick Hannula (manager) • Mitch Ivey • Frank Keefe • Skip Kenney • Richard Quick • Eddie Reese • Randy Reese • Mark Schubert |
| v · d · eOlympic Champions in Women's 100 m Butterfly |
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1956: Shelley Mann • 1960: Carolyn Schuler • 1964: Sharon Stouder • 1968: Lyn McClements • 1972: Mayumi Aoki • 1976: Kornelia Ender • 1980: Caren Metschuck • 1984: Mary T. Meagher • 1988: Kristin Otto • 1992: Hong Qian • 1996: Amy Van Dyken • 2000: Inge de Bruijn • 2004: Petria Thomas • 2008: Libby Trickett |
| v · d · eOlympic Champions in Women's 200 m Butterfly |
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1968: Ada Kok • 1972: Karen Moe • 1976: Andrea Pollack • 1980: Ines Geißler • 1984: Mary T. Meagher • 1988: Kathleen Nord • 1992: Summer Sanders • 1996: Susie O'Neill • 2000: Misty Hyman • 2004: Otylia Jędrzejczak • 2008: Liu Zige |
| v · d · eOlympic Champions in Women's 4×100 m Medley Relay |
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1960: USA (Burke, Kempner, Schuler, von Saltza) • 1964: USA (Ferguson, Goyette, Stouder, Ellis) • 1968: USA (Hall, Ball, Daniel, Pedersen) • 1972: USA (Belote, Carr, Deardurff, Neilson) • 1976: East Germany (Richter, Anke, Ender, Pollack) • 1980: East Germany (Reinisch, Geweniger, Pollack, Metschuck) • 1984: USA (Andrews, Caulkins, Meagher, Hogshead) • 1988: East Germany (Otto, Hörner, Weigang, Meißner) • 1992: USA (Loveless, Nall, Ahmann-Leighton, Thompson) • 1996: USA (Botsford, Beard, Martino, Van Dyken) • 2000: USA (Bedford, Quann, Thompson, Torres) • 2004: Australia (Rooney, Jones, Thomas, Henry) • 2008: Australia (Seebohm, Jones, Schipper, Trickett) |
| v · d · eWorld Long Course Champions in Women's 100 m Butterfly |
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1973: Kornelia Ender (GDR) • 1975: Kornelia Ender (GDR) • 1978: Mary-Joan Pennington (USA) • 1982: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1986: Kornelia Gressler (GDR) • 1991: Hong Qian (CHN) • 1994: Liu Limin (CHN) • 1998: Jenny Thompson (USA) • 2001: Petria Thomas (AUS) • 2003: Jenny Thompson (USA) • 2005: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) • 2007: Libby Lenton (AUS) • 2009: Sarah Sjöström (SWE) • 2011: Dana Vollmer (USA) |
| v · d · eWorld Long Course Champions in Women's 200 m Butterfly |
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1973: Rosemarie Kother (GDR) • 1975: Rosemarie Kother (GDR) • 1978: Tracy Caulkins (USA) • 1982: Ines Geißler (GDR) • 1986: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1991: Summer Sanders (USA) • 1994: Limin Liu (CHN) • 1998: Susan O'Neill (AUS) • 2001: Petria Thomas (AUS) • 2003: Otylia Jędrzejczak (POL) • 2005: Otylia Jędrzejczak (Pol) • 2007: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) • 2009: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) • 2011: Jiao Liuyang (CHN) |
| v · d · eSummer Universiade Champions in Women's 100 m Butterfly |
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1959 – 1961: Valentina Pozdnyak (URS) • 1963 – 1965: Márta Egerváry (HUN) • 1967: Martha Randall (USA) • 1970: Lynn Colella (USA) and Mirjana Segrt (YUG) • 1973: Irene Arden (USA) • 1977: Sue Hinderaker (USA) • 1979: Elizabeth Rapp (USA) • 1981: Jill Sterkel (USA) • 1983: Susan Woodhouse (USA) • 1985: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1987: Ilaria Tocchini (ITA) • 1991: Wang Xiaohong (CHN) • 1993: Yoko Kando (JPN) • 1995: Liu Limin (CHN) • 1997: Martina Moravcová (SVK) • 1999: Tomoko Hagiwara (JPN) • 2001: Irina Bespalova (RUS) • 2003: Demerae Christianson (USA) • 2005: Otylia Jędrzejczak (POL) • 2007: MacKenzie Downing (CAN) • 2009: Hannah Wilson (HKG) 2011: Lu Ying (CHN) |
| v · d · eSummer Universiade Champions in Women's 200 m Butterfly |
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1979: Elizabeth Rapp (USA) • 1981: Kim Carlisle (USA) • 1983: Susan Woodhouse (USA) • 1985: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1987: Elli Roussaki (GRE) • 1991: Wang Xiaohong (CHN) • 1993: Yoko Kando (JPN) • 1995: Tomoko Kunimitsu (JPN) • 1997: Anna Uryniuk (POL) • 1999: María Peláez (ESP) • 2001: Yuko Nakanishi (JPN) • 2003: Yana Klochkova (UKR) • 2005: Otylia Jędrzejczak (POL) • 2007: Audrey Lacroix (CAN) • 2009: Annika Mehlhorn (GER) 2011: Jessica Dickons (GBR) |
| v · d · eSummer Universiade Champions in Women's 4×200 m Freestyle Relay |
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1983: Soviet Union: Unknown • 1985: USA: (Zemina, Shupe, O'Leary, Meagher) • 1987: USA: (O'Leary, Meyers, Kriegsman, Kremer) • 1991: Soviet Union: Unknown • 1993: Canada: Unknown • 1995: USA: (Haag, Jacob, Taormina, Anderson) • 1997: USA: (Thies, Black, Jesperson, Haag) • 1999: USA: (Owen, Black, Kilian, Zimbone) • 2001: USA: (Tolar, Komisarz, Williams, Black) • 2003: PR China: (Xu Yanwei, Qi Hui, Chen Hua, Pang Jiaying) • 2005: USA: (Medina, Hill, Chandler, Retrum) • 2007: USA: (Dwelley, Reilly, Smith, Sandeno) • 2009: USA: (Scroggy, Ohlgren, Nauta, Heiss) 2011: USA: (Bispo, Nauta, Dwelley, Romano) |
| v · d · eSummer Universiade Champions in Women's 4×100 m Medley Relay |
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1959: Italy: Unknown · 1961: Soviet Union: Unknown · 1963: Hungary: Unknown · 1965: Hungary: Unknown · 1967: USA: (Moore, Goyette, Randall, Gustavson) · 1970: USA: (Hall, Kurtz, Colella, McCuen) · 1973: USA: (Tullis, Arr, Arden, Tuttle) · 1977: USA: (McCully, Tasnady, Harrell, Hinderaker) · 1979: USA: (Breedy, Hegel, Rapp, Caulkins) · 1981: USA: (Carlisle, Waters, Sterkel, Major) · 1983: Soviet Union: Unknown · 1985: USA: (Donahue, Smith, Meagher, Johnson) · 1987: USA: (O'Brien, Rhodenbaugh, Eyles, Berzins) · 1991: USA: (Bedford, Hedman, Morgan, Stoudt) · 1993: USA: (Humphrey, Heisick, Depold, Perroni) · 1995: USA: (Heydanek, King Bednar, Campbell, Edwards) · 1997: Japan: Unknown · 1999: Japan: (Inada, Nakashima, Hagiwara, Imoto) 2001: PR China: Unknown · 2003: PR China: (Zhan, Luo, Xu, Pang) · 2005: USA: (McGregory, Jendrick, Christianson, Correia) · 2007: Japan: (Terakawa, Tamura, Kato, Urabe) · 2009: USA: (Rogers, Freeman, Sims, Kennedy) 2011: PR China: (Gao, Sun, Lu, Tang) · |
| v · d · ePan American Champions in Women's 200 m Butterfly |
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1967: Claudia Kolb | 1971: Lynn Colella | 1975: Camille Wright | 1979 – 1983: Mary T. Meagher | 1987: Kara McGrath | 1991: Susan Gottlieb | 1995: Trina Jackson | 1999: Jessica Deglau | 2003: Audrey Lacroix | 2007: Kathleen Hersey | 2011: Kim Vandenberg |
| v · d · ePan Pacific Champions in Women's 100 m Butterfly |
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1985: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1987: Qian Hong (CHN) • 1989: Qian Hong (CHN) • 1991: Susie O'Neill (AUS) • 1993: Jenny Thompson (USA) • 1995: Susie O'Neill (AUS) • 1997: Jenny Thompson (USA) • 1999: Jenny Thompson (USA) • 2002: Natalie Coughlin (USA) • 2006: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) • 2010: Dana Vollmer (USA) |
| v · d · ePan Pacific Champions in Women's 200 m Butterfly |
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1985: Mary T. Meagher (USA) • 1987: Kelley Davies (USA) • 1989: Rie Shito (JPN) • 1991: Summer Sanders (USA) • 1993: Rie Shito (JPN) • 1995: Susie O'Neill (AUS) • 1997: Susie O'Neill (AUS) • 1999: Susie O'Neill (AUS) • 2002: Petria Thomas (AUS) • 2006: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) • 2010: Jessicah Schipper (AUS) |