Karen Muir

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Karen Muir
Kimberley, Cape Province, Union of South Africa
Died1 April 2013(2013-04-01) (aged 60)
Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke

Karen Muir (16 September 1952 – 1 April 2013)

swimmer. Born and raised in Kimberley, she attended the Diamantveld High School, where she matriculated in 1970.[3]

Biography

On 10 August 1965, aged twelve years, Muir became the youngest person to break a sporting world record in any discipline when she swam the 110 yards

ASA National Junior Championships in Blackpool, England.[4][5][6]

Over the following five years Muir would go on to set fifteen world records in the backstroke at

sporting boycott of South Africa during her active career, she was never able to participate in an Olympic Games.[8]

Muir was elected to the

African continent.[8] Since 2000 she worked as a family physician in Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada.[1][9] During 2009, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On 19 January 2012, it was reported that the cancer had spread.[10]

Muir died of breast cancer at the age of 60 in Mossel Bay, South Africa on 1 April 2013.[1][2]

Kimberley's Olympic-sized swimming pool was named the Karen Muir Swimming Pool in honour of the young swimmer, who was nicknamed locally as the "Tepid Torpedo".[3] When Muir revisited the city in 2009 she donated her Springbok blazer to the Diamantveld High School.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Botha, André (2 April 2013). "Karen Muir sterf". Rapport (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b Edmonds, Scott (2 April 2013). "Vanderhoof doctor, former South Africa swimming sensation Karen Muir dies of cancer". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d "Tributes pour in for Karen Muir", Diamond Fields Advertiser, 3 April 2013, p 4
  4. ^ History[permanent dead link], Swimming South Africa
  5. ^ "South Africa Swimmer, 12, Wins Third Title in Britain", The New York Times, 14 August 1965
  6. St. Petersburg Times
    , 15 August 1965
  7. ^ "Swimming in South Africa" Archived 8 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, SouthAfrica.net
  8. ^ a b c Karen Muir (RSA) – 1980 Honor Swimmer Archived 7 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine, International Swimming Hall of Fame
  9. ^ Clarke, Ted. "Doc makes splash at Citizen Iceman". Prince George Citizen. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
  10. ^ André Botha (17 January 2012). "Karen Muir veg nou om haar lewe" Archived 26 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. volksblad.com (in Afrikaans)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karen_Muir&oldid=1218108001"