| Keena Rothhammer | |
| Fullname: | Keena Ruth Rothhammer |
| National Team: | United States |
| Strokes: | Freestyle |
| Club: | Santa Clara Swim Club |
| Birth Date: | February 26, 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Height: | 5feet |
| Weight: | 146lb |
Keena Ruth Rothhammer (born February 26, 1957) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events.
Rothhammer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is Jewish.[1]
As a teenager, she grew up in Santa Clara, California,[2] and trained with the Santa Clara Swim Club in Santa Clara under the coach George Haines, who was noted for leading U.S. Olympic swimmers during the 1960s and 1970s.
As a 15-year-old, Rothhammer represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. She won the gold medal in the women's 800-meter freestyle and set a new world record in the event twice, on successive days. She also won the bronze medal in the women's 200-meter freestyle at the 1972 Olympics. At the 1973 World Aquatics Championships, she won the 200-meter freestyle and finished second in the 400-meter freestyle.[3] The same year, she was named North American Athlete of the Year.
She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1991.[4]