May 23, 2012

Potawatomi synchronized swimmer in Olympics

Thorpe's legacy: Native American's Olympic dream

By Paul GittingsA century after her childhood inspiration Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the Stockholm Olympics, synchronized swimmer Mary Killman will be competing in her first Games in London this year.

Like the legendary athlete, Killman comes from a part Native American background in Oklahoma, and is a registered member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN).

Thorpe, who grew up in the Sac and Fox Nation, was spoken of in hushed tones by her elders.

"I'm very proud of my background," Killman told CNN. Her tribe are proud of her as well, regularly highlighting her achievements in their publications.
Comment:  For more on Olympic Native athletes, see Best in the World at NMAI and First Nations Snowboard Team.

1 comment:

Rob said...

For more on the subject, see:

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/07/american_indian_synchronized_swimmer_takes_one_of_only_two_spots_at_olympics.html

American Indian Synchronized Swimmer Takes Spot at Olympics

Synchronized swimming fans will have their eyes focused on Mary Killman and her partner Mariya Koroleva at the Olympics games in London this summer because they are the only two U.S. synchronized swimmers to qualify. Killman, 21, is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and she’s known to occasionally place the letters CPN on her swimsuits to honor her heritage.

Killman and Koroleva will be competing in the duets category and will be the only two U.S. representatives in the sport at the London Games. Team USA did not qualify for the team portion of synchronized swimming.