Kim Marie Peyton (January 26, 1957 – December 13, 1986), also known by her married nameKim McDonald, was an American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist at the1976 Summer Olympics. She was inducted into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, three years after her death at age 29 from abrain tumor.
Peyton set three national swimming records when she was only 9 and 10 years old.[1]
She swam for theDavid Douglas High School Swim Club inPortland, Oregon, where she held numerous Oregon Class 4A swim records including 200-yard medley relay (1974, 1975, 1976); 200-yard freestyle (1972, 1974, 1975); 50-yard freestyle (1971); 100-yard freestyle (1972, 1974); 500-yard freestyle (1975); 200-yard freestyle relay (1971, 1972); 400-yard freestyle relay (1974, 1975); 400-yard freestyle (1971).[2]
Peyton broke her own Oregon 17–18 girls 400-meter freestyle record on August 1, 1974. Her record time of 4:20.35 held through July 26, 1997, when Lauren Thies set a new record of 4:15.97.[3]
She participated in twoPan American Games: in1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, and the1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City. In 1971, she won a gold medal in the 200m freestyle; in 1975, she won four gold medals: in the 100m freestyle,[4] the 200m freestyle, the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, and the 4 × 100 m medley relay.[5] She was chosen as United States' flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 1975 games held atAztec Stadium.[6]
Peyton attendedStanford University, where she swam for theStanford Cardinal swimming and diving team under Hall of Fame Head CoachJames Gaughran. With strategic recruiting, Stanford included a second OlympianJo Harshbarger, who was one of the earliest women to receive an athletic scholarship for swimming. A freestyle distance swimmer like Peyton, Harshbarger competed in the 800-meter freestyle in the 1972 Munich Olympics.[8]
In March 1978, while swimming for Stanford, Peyton helped the team move from seventh to fourth place at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women's (AIAW) National Championships in Durham, North Carolina with a second place in the 200 freestyle and a seventh in the 50 freestyle.[9]
Peyton-McDonald was honored in 1975 with theBill HaywardJohnny Carpenter Prep athlete of the year award as the Outstanding Amateur Athlete in Oregon.[11] In 1989, she was inducted posthumously into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame.[1][12] Stanford established The Kim Peyton McDonald Memorial Scholarship in her honor.[13]
Peyton-McDonald died on December 13, 1986, at the age of 29 as a result of an inoperablebrain tumor that she first disclosed to the public in 1979.[14]
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