| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Drake Rocca |
| National team | United States |
| Born | (1957-07-27)July 27, 1957 (age 67) Oakland, California |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 176 lb (80 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Backstroke |
| Club | Concord Swim Club |
| College team | University of California, Berkeley |
| Coach | Nort Thornton Jr. (U. California) |
Medal record | |
Peter Drake Rocca (born July 27, 1957) is an American former competitionswimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder.
Rocca broke onto the international swimming scene winning two gold medals in the men's backstroke events (100-meter backstroke, 4×100-meter medley relay) at the1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City. Peter participated at the1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he claimed two silver medals in the men's backstroke events (100 and 200-meter), and a gold medal swimming in the preliminaries of the men's 4 x 100 Medley relay. Rocca continued to swim after the Montreal Olympics—two years later he won the silver medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke event at the1978 World Aquatics Championships in Berlin, Germany. He represented the United States again at the1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, winning the 200-meter backstroke. In 1980, Rocca qualified for the Olympic team in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events and was elected team captain, only to have his culminating performances dashed by the United States-led boycott of the1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Rocca attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley, competing for theCalifornia Golden Bears swimming and diving team under Hall of Fame CoachNort Thornton.,[1] and was a member of theKappa Delta Rho fraternity.[2] He was one of the top backstrokers in the world from 1975 through 1980, and competed in the eras ofRoland Matthes andJohn Naber, finishing second to Naber in both backstroke events at the 1976 Olympics and beating Mathes in the 100-meter. In college competition, Rocca led a resurgence of the Golden Bears men's swim program, captaining and winning individual and the team titles his senior year in 1979. Additionally, he won seven USS titles; five individual and two relays.
At the age of 27, and after three years out of the water, Rocca made an Olympic comeback effort in 1984. At the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials, he fell short of qualifying for the 1984 U.S. team, finishing fourth in the 200-meter and third in the 100-meter backstroke races.
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