Montgomery, "Jim" (James P.)
Swimming
b. Jan. 24, 1955, Madison, WI
At the 1976 Olympics, Montgomery won his semi-final heat of the 100-meter freestyle in 50.39, setting a world record, and in the final he became the first swimmer to break the 50-second barrier, doing a 49.99 to win the gold medal. He won two other gold medals as a member of the 4 by 200-meter freestyle and the 4 by 100-meter medley relay teams and he also took a bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.
Swimming for the University of Indiana, Montgomery won the NCAA 200-yard freestyle in 1974 and 1976. He was the AAU outdoor 100-meter freestyle champion in 1973 and 1975 and he won the indoor 100- and 200-meter events in 1976.
Montgomery won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter freestyles at the 1973 world championships, where he also swam on three winning relay teams.