| Von Saltza, at the age of 16, won one silver and three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. She set the world record in the 400 meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials. After winning five golds at the 1959 Pan American Games, Von Saltza lived up to her advanced billing by taking three Olympic gold medals in 1960 (while being coached by future Stanford coach George Haines). Her 400-meter freestyle Olympic victory ended the long-standing Australian domination of the event, but was not unexpected. At the U.S. Trials, she became the first woman to break the five-minute barrier, swimming 4:44.5. After retiring from competitive swimming, she enrolled at Stanford, majored in Asian history and became a computer engineer for IBM. She later served on the coaching staff at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Von Saltza was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966. |
