Nancy Merki
Encyclopedia
Nancy Merki is a former competitive freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

 swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...

 from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Despite contracting polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...

 at a young age, she went on to set numerous amateur swimming records in her career, most in her early teens, and went on to compete in the 400 meter freestyle at the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...

 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Early life and career

Merki grew up in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

. At a young age, she contracted poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...

. With discovery of the polio vaccine
Polio vaccine
Two polio vaccines are used throughout the world to combat poliomyelitis . The first was developed by Jonas Salk and first tested in 1952. Announced to the world by Salk on April 12, 1955, it consists of an injected dose of inactivated poliovirus. An oral vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin...

 years away, she took up swimming as exercise to reduce the effects of the disease at the age of eight. Trained by long-time swim coach Jack Cody
Jack Cody
Jack Cody was an American swimming coach in Oregon. He coached at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon for more than 30 years, winning 3 national championships and producing 15 Olympic swimmers.-Early career:...

, Merki excelled at the sport, and at the age of 13 entered the swimming scene at the AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 championships in 1939, setting American records in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle events. Merki, who along with Multnomah Athletic Club
Multnomah Athletic Club
The Multnomah Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in Portland, Oregon, United States.Founded in 1891, the club has expanded greatly from its beginnings. It now fills two buildings totaling , making it the largest indoor athletic club in the world...

 teammates Brenda Helser
Brenda Helser
Brenda Helser de Morelos is a former competitive freestyle swimmer from the United States who won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England....

, Suzanne Zimmerman
Suzanne Zimmerman
Suzanne Winona Zimmerman is a former competitive backstroke swimmer from the United States who won a silver medal in the 100 meter backstroke at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England....

, Geneva Klaus, Joyce Macrae, and Mary Anne Hansen, were known as "Cody's Kids" after their coach, figured to be a force at the 1940 Summer Olympics
1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...

 until the games were canceled by the events of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Merki continued to compete in AAU meets through the 1940s, setting numerous records, including shattering the 1500 meter freestyle record by 17 seconds at the 1941 AAU championships. Merki and her MAC teammates won 3 national championships from 1939 to 1949, and Merki herself set 19 individual records. In 1941, at the age of 15, she finished sixth in balloting for the James E. Sullivan Award
James E. Sullivan Award
The James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...

, presented to the nation's top amateur athlete.

Olympics

Although the war prevented Merki from competing in the Olympics at the peak of her career, she made the United States 1948 Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...

 team and reached the finals of the 400 meter freestyle
Swimming at the 1948 Summer Olympics
At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, 11 swimming events were contested, six for men and five for women. All swimming events took place at the Empire Pool. There was a total of 249 participants from 34 countries competing.-Medal table:-Men's events:...

, though she finished in last place. In a moment that electrified the crowd, after Merki's qualifying heat, Danish swimmer Greta Andersen
Greta Andersen
Greta Andersen is a Danish swimmer and Olympic champion, later settled in Long Beach, California. She competed at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, where she received a gold medal in 100 m freestyle, and a silver medal in 4 × 100 m freestyle relay.-Channel swimmer:Greta Andersen set the women's...

 collapsed from exhaustion in the pool, and Merki and Hungarian swimmer Elemér Szathmáry
Elemér Szathmáry
Elemér Szathmáry was a Hungarian swimmer and Olympic medalist, born in Budapest. He participated in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, winning a silver medal in 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay.-References:...

 jumped in to pull her to safety.

Personal life

Shortly before the 1948 games, Merki married Whitlock Lees Jr. of Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...

. The couple moved to Asheville, where he died; Merki Lees later married Hal Cory, who also died. Still a resident of Asheville, she is currently married to Walter Boland and has three children.

In 1955, Merki's early life and struggle to defeat polio with the help of coach Cody was dramatized in an episode of the television anthology series Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America
Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...

entitled "A Time for Courage." The show starred Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...

 as Merki and Hugh Beaumont
Hugh Beaumont (actor)
Eugene Hugh Beaumont was an American actor and television director. He was also licensed to preach by the Methodist church...

 as Jack Cody.

In 1980, she was an inaugural member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...

.

External links

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