Coralie O’Connor grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts but her career really improved when she attended Purdue University and swam for the Lafayette Swim Club. She failed to get out of the heats in the backstroke at the 1952 Olympics, but her best year was 1955. That year she won the AAU indoors 100 yard backstroke, and swam at the Pan American Games where she won a gold medal in the 4x100 metre medley relay and a silver medal in the 100 backstroke. O’Connor later taught physical education in the Worcester Public Schools for many years, and coached the boys’ swim team at Worcester Academy for five years in the 1970s. She is a member of the Worcester Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
United States