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Trials the prior month. Affected by altitude, fatigue, and recent illness, Patty finished a full 30 seconds behind her former qualifying time at the 1968 Los
Angeles Trials the previous month. The American women's team was strong that year, and Debbie Meyer's time still set an Olympic record, with Americans taking three of the top five places.
254:
at the Arden Hills Swim Club in
Sacramento. To beat Patty, Meyer swam a 9:10.4, which bettered Meyer's own pending world record of 9:17.8, and smashed her formerly standing 1968 record of 9:22.9. Meyer, who also set world records in the 200 and 400-meter swims, dominated the trial's distance events.
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account, she had been struggling with illness during that time. By 1968, longer distances in practices for women training for distance events had become more common in
America, and Patty had stiff American competition. Her time of 9:51.3 was 12.7 seconds behind the time of bronze medalist Maria
224:
Her trademark competition stroke technique, known as the windmill, included rapid arm strokes with decreased kicks, around two-beats per two strokes. Unfortunately for Patty, an outstanding distance swimmer, her world record breaking events, the 800 and 1500-meter events were not part of
Olympic
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in Palo Alto. She completed the 1500-meter in 18.30.5, breaking the standing women's record by 13.5 seconds, and then set a new women's world record for the 800-meter free at the same meet with a 9:07.5. Patty was just over 5 feet at 13, and around 100 pounds, but she bettered many of the men's
279:
Though the
American women's team had trained for altitude at Colorado Springs, the Mexico City altitude affected the times of all the American women swimmers in the event. Debbie Myer finished 13 seconds behind and Pam Kruse finished 15 seconds behind her respective time in the 1968 Los Angeles
228:
Caretto dominated the 1500-meter event for a number of years, setting three world records in the 1,500-meter freestyle, one in 1964, discussed above, and then subsequent records in 1965, and 1966. An
Olympic medal may well have been her legacy, had the 1964 Olympics included the mile, 1500-meter
200:. Gambrill observed Patty swimming with the Whittier Swim Association, and was able to bring her to his own club. Gambril's Rosemead Swim Club and then City of Commerce Clubs often attended national championships and had an exceptional women's team that included 1964 Olympians
500:, Biography, (2022), Published by Swimming World, U.S. Swimming Hall of Fame, pgs. 1-32, Teaching at Rosemeade High, pg. 33, "Club Team Wins Nationals", City of Commerce Club, pg. 40, Long Beach State, pg. 45, Sharon Stouder, Patty Caretto, world record holders, pg. 144.
187:, where she competed with her High School team at least for a year after the Olympics and graduated around 1969, nearing the end of her competitive swimming career. Some of her earliest swimming experience came when she swam with the Whittier Swim Association.
229:
swim. Continuing to demonstrate strengths as a distance swimmer, while swimming for the
Commerce Swim Club, she won the AAU outdoors in the 1,500m or 1,650y freestyle in 1964 through 66, and won the AAU indoor 500-yard freestyle in 1965.
180:, 1968 Olympic competitor, and 1964 world record-holder in two distance freestyle events. She is a former world record holder in the women's 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle, having set world records in those events on eight occasions.
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Her most significant swim training occurred as a young age group swimmer with the highly competitive City of
Commerce Swimming Club, in Commerce, California, formerly Rosemead Swim Club under Hall of Fame and future Olympic Coach
232:
Patty did not qualify in the
September, 1964 Olympic trials in New York, because she failed in the 400-meter qualifier against three world record holders. The shorter distance did not suit her distance swimming strengths.
292:, where she swam for one year, under the management of her former coach Don Gambril, who began his coaching there in 1967. Patty also swam some with the Phillips 66 Swim Club under Gambril in her later competitive years.
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In the late August 1968 Olympic Trials in Los
Angeles, Patty received a 9:18.5 in the 800-meter freestyle qualifier, placing her 8.1 seconds behind first place
715:
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Though Patty's time was 4.4 seconds faster than Debbie's former standing world record set in 1968, it could not better Debbie Myer's new world record times.
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385:"Pat Brown's Fame Not So Fleeting After All : She's Named to the Swimming Hall of Fame for Her Record-Breaking Career"
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On July 30, 1964, at only 13, Patty set her first two world records at the AAU National Championships at California's
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Ramirez of Mexico, who may have benefitted from training at higher altitude during much of her swimming career.
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classmate, in 1971. She taught physical education to students with motor-skill or learning disabilities in
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Caretto at 13, July, 1964, at the AAU Championships, breaking the 800, and 1500-meter World records
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Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Swimming at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games,
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in California and married Sam Brown, her second husband. The couple had two children.
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449:, Biography, (2022), Published by Swimming World, U.S. Swimming Hall of Fame, pg. 36
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Patty Caretto (USA) – Honor Swimmer profile at International Swimming Hall of Fame
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561:"Swimming at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games: Women's 800 metres Freestyle"
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in Mexico City as a 17-year-old, Patty placed fifth in the final of the
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List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
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competition in the 1964 Olympics, to be held that summer.
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172:(born January 4, 1951), also known by her married name
250:, a California-based swim athlete who was coached by
588:
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480:"Sharon Stouder, August Athlete in Helm's Vote",
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484:, Arcadia, California, pg. 15, 20 September 1964
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335:World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
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594:"1968 Olympics, 800-Meter freestyle, Results"
550:, Oakland, California, 29 August 1968, pg. 40
330:World record progression 800 metres freestyle
513:, Berkeley, California, 3 August 1964, pg. 6
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263:Later in October, after travelling to the
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1128:Olympic swimmers for the United States
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221:times in the 1500 event at Nationals.
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546:"River Rats Lead Fastest U.S. Team",
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191:Rosemead, City of Commerce Swim clubs
1138:Swimmers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
527:"Patty Caretto, Olympedia Biography"
452:
315:as an "Honor Swimmer" in May, 1987.
306:Garden Grove Unified School District
176:, is an American former competition
657:July 30, 1964 – September 28, 1964
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418:International Swimming Hall of Fame
313:International Swimming Hall of Fame
13:
1118:American female freestyle swimmers
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509:"AAU Meet, Ten World Marks Fall",
358:Women's 800 metres Freestyle Final
14:
1159:
1143:20th-century American sportswomen
680:world record-holder (long course)
653:world record-holder (long course)
611:
498:Don Gambril: A Coach With a Heart
447:Don Gambril: A Coach With a Heart
241:
102:5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
1123:World record setters in swimming
295:
258:
540:
360:. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
732:1968 USA Olympic swimming team
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383:Norwood, Robyn (May 8, 1987).
311:Caretto was inducted into the
1:
684:July 30, 1964 – July 9, 1967
678:Women's 1,500-meter freestyle
340:
460:"Olympedia Bio, Sandy Nitta"
288:Around 1969, Patty attended
208:, and Jeanne Halleck Craig.
7:
1148:Whittier High School alumni
651:Women's 800-meter freestyle
318:
269:women's 800-meter freestyle
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1133:Swimmers from Los Angeles
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290:Long Beach State College
284:Long Beach State College
110:123 lb (56 kg)
170:Patricia Sarena Caretto
147:Phillips 66, Long Beach
47:Patricia Serena Caretto
904:
903:
410:"Patty Caretto (USA)"
1046:(women's head coach)
511:The Berkeley Gazette
424:on September 5, 2015
302:Cal State Long Beach
300:Caretto married her
185:Whittier High School
39:Personal information
462:. www.olympedia.org
23:
1064:(men's head coach)
905:
623:2015-04-02 at the
212:1964 World Records
62:National team
19:
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1068:Bill Lippman, Jr.
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687:Succeeded by
660:Succeeded by
390:Los Angeles Times
273:Los Angeles Times
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1086:Kenneth Treadway
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571:on 17 April 2020
567:. Archived from
565:Sports Reference
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218:Foothill College
149:City of Commerce
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16:American swimmer
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174:Patricia Brown
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21:Patty Caretto
993:Debbie Meyer
988:Kendis Moore
978:Claudia Kolb
943:Diane Giebel
938:Ellie Daniel
932:
928:Jane Barkman
918:Susie Atwood
911:Women's Team
881:Michael Wall
856:Doug Russell
831:Ronnie Mills
821:Don McKenzie
781:Jack Horsley
697:
690:Debbie Meyer
676:
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598:. Retrieved
573:. Retrieved
569:the original
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531:. Retrieved
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428:September 7,
426:. Retrieved
422:the original
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265:'68 Olympics
262:
248:Debbie Meyer
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1108:1951 births
1082:(assistant)
1080:Edwin Olson
1076:(assistant)
1074:Olive Mucha
1058:(assistant)
1056:Don Gambril
1052:(assistant)
1018:Lynn Vidali
963:Toni Hewitt
866:Andy Strenk
836:John Nelson
816:Philip Long
766:John Ferris
761:Mike Burton
596:. Olympedia
575:14 November
529:. Olympedia
206:Sandy Nitta
198:Don Gambril
158:Don Gambril
87:Los Angeles
1102:Categories
1003:Susan Pitt
973:Suzy Jones
923:Catie Ball
876:Ross Wales
871:Mark Spitz
851:Carl Robie
826:Ken Merten
786:Mitch Ivey
751:Brent Berk
739:Men's Team
600:2023-09-27
533:2023-09-27
466:3 November
341:References
91:California
76:1951-01-04
1088:(manager)
1070:(manager)
1050:Frank Elm
983:Pam Kruse
958:Jan Henne
953:Kaye Hall
886:Ken Walsh
796:Brian Job
771:Gary Hall
414:ISHOF.org
138:Freestyle
891:Zac Zorn
636:Records
621:Archived
319:See also
124:Swimming
53:Nickname
178:swimmer
134:Strokes
57:"Patty"
107:Weight
99:Height
93:, U.S.
1037:Staff
154:Coach
120:Sport
115:Sport
577:2016
468:2023
430:2015
144:Club
70:Born
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74:(
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