Do you get memory about the champion swimmer from Suriname - Anthony Nesty?
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Anthony Nesty bears Suriname's flag in front of his delegation during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
(Photo source: USA Today's website)
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Let's introduce about Anthony Nesty's story!
Anthony Nesty is a former competition swimmer from Suriname who was an Olympic gold medalist in the 100-metre butterfly event in 1988.
Nesty was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1967, the youngest of five children in his family. Nesty's family migrated to Suriname when he was nine months old, and he started swimming at the age of 5. Nesty trained and competed in Suriname and the Caribbean through the beginning of his teenage years. After placing the 21th in the 100-metre butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Nesty entered the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, a renowned program for training and preparation of elite, world-class swimmers. While training under Bolles coach Gregg Troy, Nesty broke the prep school 100-yard butterfly record held by Pablo Morales. Breaking Morales's record was the beginning of numerous other successes for Nesty. In 1987, he won the gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly and the bronze medal in the 200-metre Butterfly at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. These victories established the foundation that would lead to his success at the Seoul 1988 Olympics.
International swimming career
Nesty returned to international competition at the 1987 Pan-American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA winning a gold medal in the 100m butterfly and a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly.At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, Nesty edged American favorite Matt Biondi by one one-hundredth of a second to win the 100m butterfly; he finished the event in 53.00 seconds and USA former swimmer Matt Biondi in 53.01. Nesty is the only Olympic medal winner from Suriname and after winning his Olympic gold medal, he was unbeaten in the 100m butterfly event for three years. Nesty was the second black athlete to win an Olympic medal in swimming following Enith Brigitha at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and only the second South American swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal after Alberto Zorrilla in the 1928 games. Nesty's victory in Seoul was a momentous social and political event for Afro-Caribbeans. The Suriname government commemorated his gold-medal performance on a stamp and on gold and silver coins. A 25-guilders bank note portraying the illustration of a butterfly swimmer was printed in his honor. Surinam Airways named one of its planes after Nesty, and the indoor stadium in Paramaribo was renamed for him. Nesty won gold medals in the 100-metre butterfly at the Goodwill Games in 1990 and the FINA World Championships in 1991. At the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, he again won a gold medal in 100m butterfly and a silver in the 200m butterfly. He attempted to defend his 1988 Olympic gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, but finished with a third-place bronze.
College career
After winning his gold medal in Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, Anthony Nesty received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he enjoyed a successful NCAA swimming career with the Florida Gators swimming and diving team under coach Randy Reese and coach Skip Foster from 1989 to 1992. During his four years competing for the Gators, he won three consecutive NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly (1990–1992), one in the 200-yard butterfly (1990), and one as a member of the school's 400-yard medley relay team (1991), and received sixteen All-American honors. Nesty also won eleven Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles—five in individual races and six as a member of Gators relay teams.
Nesty graduated from the University of Florida with his bachelor's degree in 1994.
Life after competition swimming
Nesty was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1998, and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002. Currently, he is the associate head coach for the Florida Gators men's swimming team.(USA)
Editor: Male Swimmers ans Athletes World's website
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