Debbie Meyer: Olympic Swimmer
Debbie Meyer is one of the greatest athletes in California history. She was the first woman to win three Olympic gold medals in a single Olympiad, accomplishing that amazing feat in the 1968 Games in Mexico City. At that time, at age 16, she was among the most famous people in the world. By the end of her career, she had set 15 individual world records and was a member of 5 world-record holding relay teams.
She trained under the stern auspices of legendary Olympic swim coach Sherm Chavoor at Sacramento’s Arden Hills Swim and Tennis club. Her teammates there included many champion swimmers including Mark Spitz and Mike Burton.
As a teenager she was known for her quick wit and humor. In an era before Title IX brought some measure of equality to women in sports, she became a role model for female athletes in America and across the world.
In this two-part interview she describes the era in which she rose to fame, the historic 1968 Olympic games, and the complex nature of her relationship with coach Sherm Chavoor.
Meyer was interviewed by California journalist Bill George, author of the book “Victory in the Pool” about the Arden Hills team that won twenty Olympic gold medals. He interviewed Meyer in Sacramento on July 28, 2024. Open California’s oral history interviews are made possible by a grant from the California State Library.