Peter Rocca
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Peter Drake Rocca | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Oakland, California | July 27, 1957||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 176 lb (80 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Backstroke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Concord Swim Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | University of California, Berkeley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach | Nort ThorntonJr. (U. California) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Peter Drake Rocca(born July 27, 1957) is an American former competitionswimmer,Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder.
Rocca broke onto the international swimming scene winning two gold medals in the men's backstroke events (100-meter backstroke, 4×100-meter medley relay) at the1975 Pan American Gamesin Mexico City. Peter participated at the1976 Summer Olympicsin Montreal, Quebec, where he claimed two silver medals in the men's backstroke events (100 and 200-meter), and a gold medal swimming in the preliminaries of the men's 4 x 100 Medley relay. Rocca continued to swim after the Montreal Olympics—two years later he won the silver medal in the men's 100-meter backstroke event at the1978 World Aquatics Championshipsin Berlin, Germany. He represented the United States again at the1979 Pan American Gamesin San Juan, Puerto Rico, winning the 200-meter backstroke. In 1980, Rocca qualified for the Olympic team in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events and was elected team captain, only to have his culminating performances dashed by the United States-led boycott of the1980 Summer Olympicsin Moscow.
Rocca attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley,competing for theCalifornia Golden Bearsswimming and diving team under Hall of Fame CoachNort Thornton.[1],and was a member of theKappa Delta RhoFraternity.[2]He was one of the top backstrokers in the world from 1975 through 1980, and competed in the eras ofRoland MatthesandJohn Naber,finishing second to Naber in both backstroke events at the 1976 Olympics and beating Mathes in the 100-meter. In college competition, Rocca led a resurgence of the Golden Bears men's swim program, captaining and winning individual and the team titles his senior year in 1979. Additionally, he won seven USS titles; five individual and two relays.
At the age of 27, and after three years out of the water, Rocca made an Olympic comeback effort in 1984. At the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials, he fell short of qualifying for the 1984 U.S. team, finishing fourth in the 200-meter and third in the 100-meter backstroke races.
See also
[edit]- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
References
[edit]- ^"Nort Thornton (USA): 1995 Honor Coach".International Swimming Hall of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon February 4, 2021.
- ^"Olympic Medalists"(PDF).Quill & Scroll.National Fraternity ofKappa Delta Rho.November 1983. p. 3.Retrieved2024-07-25.
- Peter RoccaatOlympics at Sports-Reference.com(archived)
- 1957 births
- Living people
- American male backstroke swimmers
- California Golden Bears men's swimmers
- World record setters in swimming
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming
- Sportspeople from Oakland, California
- Swimmers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
- Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Swimmers at the 1975 Pan American Games
- Swimmers at the 1979 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- 20th-century American sportspeople
- 21st-century American sportspeople