Tracy Anne Stockwell, OAM, (born January 11, 1963), née Tracy Anne Caulkins, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
Caulkins was noted for her versatility and ability in all four major competitive swimming strokes: the butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle.
Her versatility brought Caulkins many titles and awards, and as a result she is considered one of the greatest swimmers of all time.
[11] Three months later, she won four gold medals and two silvers at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
[12] Following her gold-medal performance at the 1978 World Championship, Caulkins was expected to win multiple medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR,[4][13] and qualified to compete in five individual events at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and likely would have been selected as a member of one of the relay teams as well.
Caulkins's dream of Olympic gold was deferred by war and politics, so she quietly looked ahead to 1984.
[22] With thirty-nine national championships to date, Caulkins surpassed the legendary Johnny Weissmuller's record total of thirty-six.
[23] At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, held later the same month, she likewise won her two signature events in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley, but did not approach her own personal bests.
[17] In an international invitational meet of 26 nations held in Austin, Texas, in January 1984, she defeated her East German rivals in both individual medley events.
On July 29, she won her first gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley, beating Australian Suzie Landells by over nine seconds.
[27] And later that same day, she won her third gold medal by swimming the breaststroke leg as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 400-meter medley relay, together with teammates Theresa Andrews (backstroke), Mary T. Meagher (butterfly), and Nancy Hogshead (freestyle).
[25][32] In the aftermath of the 1984 Olympics, the 21-year-old Caulkins decided to forgo her senior year of NCAA eligibility at the University of Florida to focus on completing her degree requirements, and announced her retirement from competition swimming.