Early Life
editAngelina Myers Martino, now known as Angel Sims, is a former American competitive swimmer, a three-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder. Martino was born in Angel Meyers on April 25, 1967. Both her parents were avid swimmers who, although, when they moved themselves to a small town, Americus Georgia, they were dismayed to find there was no public pool so they decided to find one themselves.
Martino spent much of her youth and her time in the water. She began swimming competitively and was highly encouraged by her family. During her high school career, she was a cheerleader, and her cheerleading coach complained about the time she spent swimming rather than cheerleading. Martino thought about the idea of giving up swimming but her parents convinced her to quit cheerleading instead.
Furman University
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Angel Martino had a very successful swimming career. Angel was a 9 time All-American and a 4-year letter winner at Furman University. In 1986 Angel Martino was the Division 2 Swimmer of the year. In that same year, she was an All-American in 4 different swimming events. Those events include 50 free, 100fly, 200 individual medley, and 100 free. The next year she was chosen as a Division I All-American in just two different events. Angel was chosen to be an All-American in 200 flies,100 free, and the 200 individual medleys, In 1986 Angel won 4 individual championships and she also set 3 NCAA records. Unfortunately Furman did not win the national championship that year. They ended up coming in fourth place as a team. In 1986 and 1987 Angel Martino won the Furman Female Athlete of the year award because of her being an All-American in 6 different events and helping them compete that the national championship. Also in 1886 Angel became the first American woman to swim 100-meter freestyle in under 55 seconds. In 1987 Angel lead them to compete in the national championship the first year after switching to competing in division one. Angel Martino got the national championship for the 200 individual medleys. After Furman, she competed in the Olympics for the United States of America. In 1988 Angel Martino tested positive for steroids at the U.S Trials. She was suspended from that Olympics and was not able to compete.
Martino Tests Positive For Steroids
editIn 1988 Angel Martino tested positive for steroids during the Olympic trials and received a suspension of 16 months by U.S. Swimming. U.S. Swimming is the governing body for the sport of swimming nationally that makes these decisions. In August of that year, Martino received a call in her hotel room while training in Colorado. Probenecid, a medicine that can hide the usage of steroids, was discovered in her blood as a result of the tests. That year, it was the sole masking substance on the International Olympic Committee's banned list. Although she tested positive for this, she claimed that she had never used the drug.
1992 and 1996 Olympics:
editIn the 1992 and the 1996 Olympics Angel Martino won 6 total medals. Of her 6 metals, 3 of them were golf metals and the other 3 were bronze medals. In 1992 she won 2 medals. One of those metals was gold and the other one was bronze. Her bronze medal is 50 meters Freestyle. Her gold medal was in the 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay. Also in the 1992 Olympics Angel Martino set the world record for the 100-meter backstroke. Angel Martino was the oldest member of the United States swim team in the Olympics in the 1996 Olympics. She won 4 medals and placed 4th. She won 2 golds in the 4x100 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay and the 4x100 Medley Relay. The 2 bronze medals that she won were in the 100 meters Freestyle and the 100 Meters Butterfly. Angel Martino placed fourth in the 50 meters Freestyle.
Achievements
editSwimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Women's 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay: First Place
Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Women's 50-meter freestyle: Second Place
Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100-meter medley relay: First Place
Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 100-meter freestyle: Second Place
Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 100-meter butterfly: First Place
Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay: First Place
Hall Of Fame
editIn 1997, Angel Martino was inducted into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame.
In 2001, Angel Martino was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
References:
edithttps://olympics.com/en/athletes/angel-martino
https://furmanpaladins.com/honors/furman-athletics-hall-of-fame/angel-myers-martino/106
https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/martino-angel-1967