Melissa Belote

Belote c. 1972
Personal information
Full name	Melissa Louise Belote
National team	United States
Born	(1956-10-16)October 16, 1956 (age 69) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	132 lb (60 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke
Club	Solotar Swim Club; Springfield Swim and Racquet Club
College team	Arizona State University
Coach	Ramona Plummer ASU
Medal record Women's swimming Representingthe United States Olympic Games 1972 Munich 100 m backstroke 1972 Munich 200 m backstroke 1972 Munich 4x100 m medley relay World Championships 1973 Belgrade 200 m backstroke 1973 Belgrade 100 m backstroke 1973 Belgrade 4x100 m medley relay

Melissa Louise Belote (born October 16, 1956), also known by her current married nameMelissa Belote Ripley, is an American former competitionswimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. She represented the United States at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.^[1]

Belote was born inWashington, D.C. She grew up inSpringfield, Virginia, was a member of the Springfield Swim and Racquet Club, and attendedRobert E. Lee High School inFairfax County, Virginia.^[2]

At 15 years old, she won three gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics inMunich,Germany. In thewomen's 100-meter backstroke, Belote defeated her American teammate and world-record holderSusie Atwood. In thewomen's 200-meter backstroke, Belote set a new world record of 2:19.19. She won a third gold medal by swimming the lead-off backstroke leg for the winning U.S. team in thewomen's 4×100-meter medley relay. She and her teammatesCathy Carr (breaststroke),Deena Deardurff (butterfly), andSandy Neilson (freestyle) set a new world record of 4:20.75 in the relay final.^[1]

She attendedArizona State University, where she swam for theArizona State Sun Devils swimming and diving team inAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) competition under Head women's coachMona Plummer.^[3] Belote received theHonda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of the year in 1976–77.^[4][5]

She retired from the sport in 1979, and was inducted in theInternational Swimming Hall of Fame in 1983.^[6] She was also inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.^[7]

She has coached swimming and diving atMcClintock High School inTempe, Arizona, and for the Rio Salado Swim Team.

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of Arizona State University alumni
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 200 metres backstroke
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay

Media related toMelissa Belote at Wikimedia Commons

• Melissa Belote atWorld Aquatics
• Melissa Belote at SwimRankings.net
• Melissa Belote at theInternational Swimming Hall of Fame
• Melissa Belote atOlympics.com
• Melissa Belote atOlympedia

• 1956 births
• Living people
• American female backstroke swimmers
• Arizona State Sun Devils women's swimmers
• World record setters in swimming
• Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
• Swimmers from Washington, D.C.
• Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
• Swimmers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
• World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
• 20th-century American sportswomen

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