The Most Influential Open Water Swimming Personalities from 1950 to 2020

Who are among the most influential open water personalities in recent history? Who are considered impactful legends, unsung heroes, humble heroines, and overlooked historic figures in the sport? Everyone has their favorite personalities and icons in the sport of open water swimming.

Any list of The Most Influential Personalities of Open Water Swimming is, by necessity, subjective. But it is certainly fun and reminiscent to discuss and debate among open water swimmers, historians, and fans. Below are our choices for The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World between 1950 and 2020.

This list does not focus on swimmers as athletes, but rather coaches, escort pilots, administrators, event directors, referees, handlers, seconds, crew members, observers, authors, documentary filmmakers, database creators, promoters, and historians. It says something that most of these individuals volunteered hundreds or thousands of hours to support swimmers, relays, and races around the world.

This selection of The Most Influential Personalities of Open Water Swimming is based on four criteria:

1. Promoters – individual who market the sport as writers, filmmakers, or public relations experts
2. Organizers – individuals who serve to set up and organize events, camps, or championships
3. Administrators – or individuals who set up structures and entities to organize series, governing bodies, or function as referees, seconds or observers
4. Coaches – individuals who teach and provide guidance to swimmers and serve as mentors to other members of the community

This list does not include swimmers who are listed here (at The Best Open Water Swimmers from 1950 to 2020):

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1950’s

• Sir William Edmund Butlin, Great Britain
• Martin Bédard, Canada
• John Slater, Great Britain
• Trevor Smith, Great Britain
• James Toomey, USA
• Major General Ahmed Zorkani, Egypt
• Sam Rockett, Great Britain
• Captain Leonard Hutchinson, Great Britain
• Right Honourable Captain William J. Long, OBE, Great Britain
• Thomas Watch, Great Britain [shown in upper photo]
• Gus Ryder, CM, Canada

Sir Billy Butlin is shown above awarding Greta Andersen with a perpetual trophy from the Billy Butlin Cross Channel International Swims across the English Channel. Photo courtesy of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1960’s

• Commander Gerald Forsberg, OBE, Great Britain
• William Forrest “Buck” Dawson, USA
• George Duthie, Canada
• Bryan Finlay, PhD, Canada
• Joe Grossman, USA
• Jim Moran, USA
• Ray Scott, Great Britain
• Conrad Wennerberg, USA
• Audrey Scott, Great Britain
• Jerry Nason, USA
• Philip Rising, Great Britain

A memorial to Commander Charles Gerald Forsberg in Morecambe, England is shown above.

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1970’s

• Coach Don Watson, USA
• Jim Cotton, USA
• Peter Bales, South Africa [shown above]
• Reg Brickell Sr., Great Britain
• Mickey Pittman, USA
• Roger Parsons, Great Britain
• Francis ‘Frank’ Richards, Great Britain
• Michael Read MBE, Great Britain
• Susanne Guesdon, Australia
• Billy Wallace, Ireland
• Ray Scott & Audrey Scott, Great Britain

Peter Bales, chairman and founding member of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association, is shown above piloting Carina Bruwer in South Africa.

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1980’s

• Drury Gallagher, USA
• Carl Walker, Great Britain
• Vicko Šoljan, Yugoslavia
• Monier Sabre, Egypt
• Lynn Blouin, Canada
• David Clark, USA
• Dr. Tim Johnson, DPS, PE, USA
• Val Parsons, Great Britain
• Sri Chinmoy, India
• Penny Lee Dean, PhD, USA
• Lynne Cox, USA

Vicko Šoljan is shown above receiving the Order of Croatian Trefoil from Croatian President Stjepan Mesić in 2009.

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 1990’s

• Ronnie Man Chiu Wong, BBS, JP, Hong Kong
• James Whelan, USA
• John Whitehead, Australia
• Lello Barbuto, Italy
• Maurice Ferguson, Great Britain
• Christopher Guesdon, Australia
• Dale Petranech, USA
• Dr. Jaroslav Novák, Czech Republic
• Berry Rickards, Australia
• Chris Guesdon, Australia
• Marty Veen, Netherlands
• Morty Berger, USA

Ronnie Wong is shown above after serving as the chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee for the 2009-2013, 2013-2017 and 2017-2021 terms. 

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 2000’s

• Sid Cassidy, USA
• Luciano Cotena, Russia
• Jim Anderson, USA
• Ricardo Continentino Ratto, Brazil
• Dennis Miller, Fiji
• Wayne Riddin, South Africa
• Philip Rush, New Zealand
• Richard Broer, Netherlands
• Ethel ‘Sunny’ Lowry, MBE, Great Britain
• Rafael Gutiérrez Mesa, Spain
• Simon Murie, Great Britain
• Freda Streeter, MBE, Great Britain
• Michael Oram, Great Britain

Luciano Cotena is shown above as the President of the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli, one of the longest running professional marathon swimming competitions in the world which began in 1954.

With the inclusion of the 10 km marathon swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, there was a global explosion of all niches of open water swimming so the number of influence makers in the sport similarly expanded.

The Most Influential Personalities in the Open Water Swimming World during the 2010’s

Communicators & Information Collaborators

• Lewis Pugh, South Africa
• Evan Morrison, USA
• Elaine Howley, USA
• Julian Critchlow, Great Britain
• Lucas Rivet, Argentina
• Bruckner Chase, USA

Event Organizers

• Ram Barkai, South Africa
• Colin Hill, Great Britain
• Laura Gutiérrez Díaz, Spain
• Professor Morrie Chiang, Taiwan
• Henri Kaarma, Estonia
• Pedro Rego Monteiro, Brazil
• Phil White, USA
• Kent Nicholas, USA
• Rondi Davies, Australia & David Barra, USA
• Tom Linthicum, USA
• Simon Murie. Great Britain
• Liz Fry, USA

Administrators

• Beth Yudovin, USA
• Mariia Yrjö-Koskinen, Finland
• Ned Denison, Ireland
• Forrest Nelson, USA
• Nick Adams, Great Britain
• Stéphane Lecat, France
• Guy Cohen & Eyal Schachner, Israel
• Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira, Brazil
• Rob Kent, Canada
• Morrie Chiang, Taiwan

Educators & Coaches

• Vladimir Mravec, Slovakia/Australia
• Pádraig Mallon, Ireland
• Shu Pu, Hong Kong
• Nora Toledano Cadena, Mexico
• Sally Minty Gravett, MBE, Great Britain
• Susan Simmons, Canada

Lewis Pugh, OIG is shown above, serving as the United Nations Patron of the Oceans.

Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, notes, “Many of these individuals are honorees of the IMSHOF.”

To suggest additional names to this list, please submit names and information to Steven Munatones at headcoach@openwatersource.om

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