Patty Caretto

Patty Caretto was purely a distance swimmer. The 1968 Olympics were the first in which women swam the 800 metres but even that was too short for her. Swimming for the Commerce Swim Club, she won the AAU outdoors in the 1,500m/1,650y freestyle in 1964-66, and won the AAU indoor 500 yard freestyle in 1965. Caretto set three world records in the 1,500 metre freestyle, one each in 1964, 1965, and 1966, setting the first one when she was only 13-years-old. Second at the US Olympic Trials in the 1968 800 metres to Debbie Meyer, Caretto came in fifth in Mexico City. She retired soon after, while still a high school student. She later became a school teacher, teaching physical education to learning disabled children. Caretto was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987.