Ronald Gora
 Gora in 1953 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Francis Gora | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | "Ron," "Ronnie" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 10, 1933 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | March 11, 2014 (aged 80) Durand, Michigan, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Maria Käppeler (1963) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Michigan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ronald Francis Gora (July 10, 1933 – March 11, 2014) was an American competition swimmer who competed in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and was a Pan American Games champion.[2]
Gora was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 10, 1933, and attended Lane Tech High School.[1] He remains tied with Tom Jager and Brian Alden for the second most individual high school state championships won by a male in Illinois.[2]
University of Michigan
[edit]He attended the University of Michigan, and swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1952 to 1954. He was a member of Michigan's NCAA national championship teams in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1953 and 1954.[3][4]
Gora won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay event at the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, alongside Dick Cleveland, Burwell Jones and Bill Heusner. Individually, he also received a Pan American Games silver medal for his second-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle.
1952 Helsinki Olympics
[edit]Gora again represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where he finished eighth in the final of the men's 100-meter freestyle with a time of 58.8 seconds.[3][5]
Family
[edit]Gora had four sisters. On November 16, 1963, he married Maria Käppeler, they had one daughter and two sons. Gora had 2 daughters and 2 son's from a previous marriage.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Ronald Gora. Sports-Reference.com
- 1 2 "Olympedia Biography, Ronald Gora". Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- 1 2 MGoBlue.com, Men's Swimming & Diving, Michigan Men's Swimming and Diving All-Time NCAA Champions. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ↑ HickokSports.com, Sports History, NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Champions Archived 2002-02-23 at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ↑ HickokSports.com, Sports History, NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Champions Archived 2002-02-23 at the Library of Congress Web Archives. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
- ↑ Ronald Gora's obituary. legacy.suntimes.com
| Men's Team |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Women's Team | ||
- 1933 births
- 2014 deaths
- American male freestyle swimmers
- Michigan Wolverines men's swimmers
- Swimmers from Chicago
- Swimmers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Olympic swimmers for the United States
- Swimmers at the 1951 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- 21st-century American sportsmen