Ed Townsend (swimmer)

Ed Townsend
Personal information
Full nameRobert Edward Townsend, Jr.
Nickname"Ed"
National teamUnited States
Born (1943-09-13) September 13, 1943 (age 81)
Santa Clara, California
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubSanta Clara Swim Club
College teamYale University
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing the United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 São Paulo 4x200 m freestyle relay

Robert Edward Townsend, Jr. (born September 13, 1943) is an American former competition swimmer, Pan American Games gold medalist, and former world record-holder.

Townsend won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1963 Pan American Games. He participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he swam for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay.[1] Under the 1964 Olympic swimming rules, he was ineligible for a medal, however, because he did not swim in the relay final.

Townsend attended Yale University, where he was a standout swimmer for coach Phil Moriarty's Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving team from 1963 to 1965. He won an NCAA national championship in the 400-yard individual medley (1963), and three more as a member of winning Yale teams in the 400-yard freestyle relay (1963, 1964, 1965).[2]

  1. ^ Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Ed Townsend. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  2. ^ IvyLeagueSports.com, History of the Ivy league, NCAA Championships (1957–Present) Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 25, 2012.