First-ever Olympic swimming tie occurs from April 15-21

Nancy Hogshead, born on April 17, 1962, achieved a historic feat at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles by being part of the first-ever tie in Olympic swimming. During the women’s 100-meter freestyle event, Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer, both representing the United States, raced side by side and crossed the finish line together in 55.92 seconds. The use of electronic timing technology was crucial in determining the outcome of the race and distinguishing the two athletes.

As a result of their tie, both Hogshead and Steinseifer were awarded a gold medal for the event, making it the first time in Olympic history that two athletes shared a gold medal. Dutch swimmer Anne Marie Verstappen received the bronze medal in the race. Due to the Olympics’ scoring rules, when athletes tie, they each receive a medal, which meant that in this case there were two gold medalists and no silver medal was awarded.

Since the 1984 Olympics, there have only been two other instances of gold medal ties in Olympic swimming, both in sprint freestyle events. In 2000 at the Sydney Games, Gary Hall Jr. and Anthony Ervin of the United States tied for gold in the 50m freestyle event. Similarly, at the Rio 2016 Olympics, American swimmer Simone Manuel and Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak shared the gold medal in the 100m freestyle event. These instances of ties highlight the excitement and unpredictability of Olympic swimming competitions.