Jimmy McLane Collection

The Olympic stage was but a foregone conclusion for Jimmy McLane (1930?2020), a 13-year-old swimming prodigy whose victory in the four-mile swim at the national AAU outdoor long-distance championships attracted the attention of Robert Kiphuth, the legendary coach of the Yale swimming team?McLane''s unprecedented win was adapted in the May 1951 comic book Sport Thrills, issue No. 13. With Kiphuth?s help and deep contact pool, McLane soon enrolled at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the home base for many of the nation?s finest young swimmers.

The youngster made an immediate impact, setting a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle in his very first Andover meet. By the time he graduated, McLane, or ?Fishy,? as he was called by his teammates, set and broke his own national records in the 200-yard freestyle, the 220-yard freestyle, and the 440-yard freestyle. Between his upper and senior years at Andover, McLane earned a spot on the USA national team that competed in London at the 1948 Summer Olympics, winning silver in the 400-meter freestyle and gold in both the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay and the 1500-meter freestyle.

His success in the water continued with Kiphuth at Yale University, where he helped the Bulldogs swimming and diving team win two National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. In 1952, McLane returned to Olympic competition at the Helsinki Games as the captain of Team USA. He placed fourth in the 1500-meter race and took home his final gold medal when he anchored the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay. He retired from swimming after winning three gold medals at the 1955 Pan American Games and, in 1970, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.