About this item

During Shirley Babashoff's extraordinary swimming career, she set 37 national records and six world records. Prior to the 1990s, she was the most successful U.S. female Olympian and, in her prime, was widely considered to be the greatest female swimmer on the planet.Heading into the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, Babashoff was pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated; hopes were high that she would become the "female Mark Spitz" - the American swimmer who returns home with a collection of gold medals.All of that changed once Babashoff questioned the shocking masculinity of the East German women swimmers. It was clear to her that the East Germans were doping, and so she spoke out. However, for voicing her opinion against those who cheated, Babashoff was punished.