Set 18 world records and voted “Most Outstanding Woman Athlete in the World” by the Associated Press in 1964,  Donna De Varona is Olympic gold medalist in both the 400-meter individual medley and as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay team.

Donna De Varona performance in the individual medley set a new Olympic record and the 400-meter relay team set a new world record.  Over the course of her illustrious career, Donna De Varona has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice, as well as the covers of both Look and Life magazines.. At age 17, she was named to the broadcast team of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, making her the youngest and one of the first female sports broadcasters.

Donna De Varona has won an Emmy and two Gracies for her television work, which has included coverage of 17 Summer Olympics and her induction into the Museum of Television and Radio’s “She Made It” class honoring outstanding women in broadcasting. She was also inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and awarded the Olympic Order, the highest honor presented by the International Olympic Committee. She is also a member of the Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2003, the NCAA awarded her the Theodore Roosevelt Award for her life’s accomplishments. Sports Illustrated named Donna De Varona as one of the top 100 athletes of all time in 1999.