The history of competitive water sports in southern Africa

Karen Muir - swimming wonder child

The youngest world record holder any time in any sport was South Africa's Karen Muir who knocked seven-tenths of a second off Linda Ludgrove's 110 yd. backstroke world record in England at the A.S.A. National Jr. Championships on the 10th of August, 1965.

Karen's age was 12 years, 10 months, 25 days.  Between 1965 and 1969 she was world queen of the backstroke and her 100 meter world record was not broken until 1973, yet ironically the 15-times world record holder was never in an Olympic final due to the Olympic boycott of her native South Africa.  Although isolated in her training thousands of miles from most of her competition, Karen went on the road adding national championships in the United States and  Great Britain to her 15 South African titles. 

Coincidentally South Africa's only Olympic gold medalist in swimming was also a lady backstroker, Joan Harrison, who won her Olympic title the year Karen was born (1952).  At the beginning of her career Karen shared backstroke world records with Ann Fairlie, another South African who was not allowed in the Olympics.  Karen Muir DeGraad and her husband are now doctors practicing in Canada

World records: 15 (100m, 200m 110yd, 220yd backstroke) from 1965 to 1969; The youngest competitor to break a world record (110yd backstroke, Aug. 10, 1965 at age 12); South African national titles: 22 (freestyle, backstroke, individual medley); South African records: 15; U.S. National titles: 3 (100m, 200m backstroke).

AAU Titles : 200 Backstroke 1966 - 2:26,4, 1968 - 2:24,3. In the 100 she won the title in 1968 with a time of 1:06,9. In the previous years Kathy Ferguson won in 1963 and 1964, Kiki Caron in 1965 and Ann Fairlie in 1967.