Cathy Ferguson


Cathy Jean Ferguson is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. She competed at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where she received the gold medal for winning the women's 100-meter backstroke, and another gold as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay.
Cathy Ferguson was one of six world record holders in the 100m backstroke final at the 1964 Olympics. She proved to be the best of this distinguished field by taking the gold medal with a new record of 1:07.7. Having set a world record over 200m the previous month, she thus became the record holder at both backstroke distances. She also set two world records in the medley relay the second of these coming at the Tokyo Olympics where she was a member of the winning U.S. team. Ferguson was a student at Burbank High School in Burbank, California, when she became an Olympic champion.
Ferguson was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1978.