Barbara Clark took up swimming at the age of eleven and, in just over two years, was good enough to compete at the Canadian trials for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Although she was not selected for her nation’s delegation to the Games, she continued to swim and broke national and Commonwealth records in the 50 metre freestyle and 100 metre butterfly events over the next four years. By the time of the 1976 Olympic trails she was good enough to make the team and subsequently won a bronze medal in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay, alongside Gail Amundrud, Debbie Clarke, Anne Jardin, and Becky Smith. She was also eliminated in the semifinals of the 100 metre freestyle event. She retired from active competition after the Games, but had a brief career as a masters-level swimmer, winning seven gold medals and breaking nearly as many records at the national level. As of 2010 she works as a sixth-grade teacher in Leduc, Alberta and helped carry the Olympic torch on its way to that year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Canada