Jenny Kemp

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For the Australian playwright, see Jenny Kemp (playwright).
Jenny Kemp
Kemp in 1972
Personal information
Full nameJennifer Jo Kemp
Nickname"Jenny"
National teamUnited States
Born (1955-05-28) May 28, 1955 (age 69)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.[1]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBackstroke, freestyle
ClubCincinnati Marlins
College teamUniversity of Cincinnati
Medal record
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich 4×100 m freestyle
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 1975 Mexico City 100 m backstroke

Jennifer Jo Kemp (born May 28, 1955) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.

Kemp was born on May 28, 1955 in Cincinnati to Cliff and Betty Kemp, into a family of five siblings. Her father worked for Cincinnati's Proctor and Gamble during Jenny's Olympic competition. Kemp attended Regina High School in Norwood and did much of her training with the Pepsi Marlins where she began training around 1964 at the age of 9.[2] After her Olympic medal, she attended and swim for the University of Cincinnati. Prior to her Olympic Competition, Kemp was coached by Paul Bergen, from 1968-1972 while swimming for the Pepsi Marlins.[3][4][5][6][7]

She placed third in the 200-yard freestyle at the AAU Championships in Dallas in early April 1972, with at time of 1:53.58.[8] She placed second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.64 seconds. She placed third in the 100 and fourth in the 200-yard backstroke.[9]

1972 Olympic gold

As only a 17-year old High School Junior, Kemp attended the Olympic trials outside Chicago, and though an unknown, qualified for the American team after setting an American record of 58.63 in the 100-meter freestyle. Her swim was only .13 seconds off the Women's World Record for the event.[10][11]

At the 1972 Olympics she won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, setting a world record of 3:55.9. Swimming in second position, Jenny swam a 58.99, slightly faster than two of the other relay swimmers. The anchor leg for the relay was swum by Shirley Babashoff who had only a slight lead at the beginning of her 100-meter swim against the last East German swimmer Kornelia Ender. Ender took the lead, but in a close race, Babashoff passed Ender near the end of the race, edging her out by only .36 seconds. Kemp completed the race with a time of 58.18. The close win was particularly gratifying for American spectators in the large Olympic crowd.[5] Kemp reached the semifinals of the individual 100-meter freestyle event,[12] where she finished in ninth place with a time of 59.93.[5][7]

Kemp initially specialized in the backstroke before changing to freestyle in 1971. Next year she won the 100 m AAU title.[1][5]

Continuing to compete after the Olympics, in the Midwest Swimming and Diving Championships in Chicago on March 1, 1974, Kemp took a first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:16.7, and a first in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 25.5 seconds.[13]

In addition to her Olympic gold medal, Jenny was a 1975 Ciudad de México Pan American Games bronze medalist in the 100-meter backstroke.[5]

Honors

Kemp was inducted into the University of Cincinnati James P. Kelly Athletics Hall Of Fame in 2009.[14]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jenny Kemp.
  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jenny Kemp". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-11-13.
  2. ^ Herzog, Mary, "Cincinnatians Shooting for Medals", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, 25 August 1972, pg. 23
  3. ^ "Skip Kenney, International Swimming Hall of Fame". International Swimming Hall of Fame.
  4. ^ Harmon, Pat, "Ann Bradshaw Represents the Marlins", The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio, 21 July 1976, pg. 43
  5. ^ a b c d e "Olympedia Biography, Jennifer Kemp". olympedia.org. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. ^ Harlon, Pat, "The Olympic Push is On", The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1 March 1976, pg. 25
  7. ^ a b "Big Day Due When Jenny Kemp", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, 31 August 1972, pg. 1
  8. ^ "Scoreboard, Swimming, AAU Championships", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, 7 April 1972, pg. 61
  9. ^ "Jenny Kemp Newest Marlins Wizz", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, 11 April 1972, pg. 41
  10. ^ "Bach, John, University of Cincinnati Magazine, Bearcat Wins Swimming Gold at '72 Games". magazine.uc.edu. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acces-date= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Jenny Kemp in Near Record Win", The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio, 3 August 1972, pg. 24
  12. ^ 1972 Olympics – München, Germany – Swimming Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine – databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on May 1, 2008)
  13. ^ "Jenny Kemp Wins Two Firsts", The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2 March 1974, pg. 27.
  14. ^ "University of Cincinati Athletics Hall of Fame". Retrieved 24 September 2024.


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