Rick DeMont

Richard James DeMont (born April 21, 1956) is an American former competition swimmer, world champion, and former world record-holder in multiple events. Despite placing first in the 400-meter freestyle at the 1972 Summer Olympics, DeMont is remembered for the controversy subsequently arising from his disqualification and being stripped of the 400-meter gold medal after testing positive for a prohibited substance present in his prescription asthma medication. After retiring from his swimming career, where he won gold and silver medals at the World Aquatics and Pan American Championships, DeMont had an accomplished career as a swim team coach with the University of Arizona for thirty years from 1987 to 2017. DeMont was born in San Francisco, California on April 21, 1956, the oldest of four children to Dr. Willard and Betty DeMont. The family moved to in Mill Valley, California until DeMont was six, when they moved to suburban San Rafael, California, where he attended Terra Linda High School, graduating in 1973. Around the age of seven, he began swimming with two time Olympic medalist Ann Curtis (Cuneo)'s Ann Curtis swim team in Terra Linda, where at ten, he set the AAU National record for the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:09.5. As would his three younger siblings, DeMont later competed and worked out with the outstanding swimming program at the Marin Aquatic Club where he was trained by Art Octavio, and Galen Hopkins, and by 1971 with Hall of Fame Coach Don Swartz. Swartz became head coach of the newly formed Marin Aquatic Club in 1971 when Galen Hopkins retired due to a back injury. Swartz's Marin Aquatic Club had many All-Americans from local High Schools and consistently placed in the top 10 at AAU National Championships. Around his senior year at Terra Linda High in 1973, after setting two distance freestyle world records and winning gold and silver medals at the World Aquatic Championships, he was named World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World magazine.