Richard William Roth (born September 26, 1947) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.
High school swimming
Roth swam for Menlo-Atherton High School where he won eight Southern Pacific Athletic League High School Conference titles as a swimmer, was Student Body President, and played baseball for one year.[1]
He swam under Coach Robert K. Gaughran, a former Swim team captain and Water Polo player at College of the Pacific, and the younger brother of Roth's Hall of Fame Stanford Swim Coach Jim Gaughran.[2] Roth set his first age group record in swimming at 12. In addition to High School practices, he swam for Hall of Fame Coach George Haines, at the Santa Clara Swim Club.[1]
1964 Olympic Gold
In October, he swam in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where he won the gold medal for his first-place finish in the men's 400-meter individual medley, setting a new world record of 4:45.4 in the event final. Shortly before the individual medley final, Roth suffered an appendicitis, but refused an immediate operation. He insisted the surgeons delay to allow him to swim in the final, and won the gold medal as a result.[3] Roth came from behind in the last 50 meters, exciting the Tokyo crowd, and finishing only a few feet ahead of the second place finisher.[1]
Roth suffered from severe tendinitis in his arms and shoulders in March 1965, likely brought on by the demanding mechanics of the individual medley. He was unable to defend his American records in the 200 and 400 Individual Medley events at the AAU Nationals the following month in New Haven, Connecticut.[4]
International competition
Fully recovered from his previous tendonitis, Roth won two golds in the 1965 Summer Universiade in August in Budapest, Hungary, one in the 400-meter individual medley, and one in the 4x 200-meter freestyle relay.[5]
College swimming
While swimming for Stanford University, he was a two-time individual NCAA champion, winning the 200- and 400-yard individual medley. Roth's Stanford Coach Jim Gaughran had also been a Medley swimmer at Stanford, and his knowledge of diverse stroke mechanics may have helped him mentor Roth.[3][6][7]
Swimming in three NCAA championships, Dick won the 200, and 400-yd individual medley events and was a member of a winning relay team. He held American records in four Individual Medley distances at one time including the 200-yd, 400-yd, 200-meter, and 400-meter events, and was a member of five American record winning relay teams. Between 1963-67, Roth was considered by many coaches to be America's top performing Individual Medley swimmer.[7]
Teammate, G. Buckingham, '68
One of Roth's Stanford teammates was future 200-meter Olympic silver medalist Greg Buckingham, with whom he swam a winning 800-meter freestyle relay in NCAA and AAU record time at the Stanford Relays in January 1967. Both Roth and Buckingham were swimming standouts at Menlo-Atherton High School, and both won Olympic medals in the individual medley.[8]
Dick did not swim all four years at Stanford and retired from his competitive swimming career at 19. He graduated in 1969.[9][10]
Honors
As a highlight to his career, Dick was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987, and had formerly been inducted into the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame.[7][9] In 1965, Roth received the World Swimmer of the Year Award from Swimming World,[3] and the "Athlete of the Year" award from his hometown paper, the Peninsula Times-Tribune.[1]
^ abcdO'Connor, Dick, "Dick Roth of Menlo-Atherton, Time's Athlete of the Year", The Peninsula Times Tribune, Gamage, Walt, "Roth Provides Thrills With Olympic Victory", Palo Alto, California, 11 June 1965, pg. 27
^"Sequoia Swimming Star to Wed Patricia Moore", Redwood City Tribune, Redwood City, California, 7 June 1957, pg. 6
