View source for Karen Josephson

{{short description|American synchronized swimmer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| full_name      = Karen Julia Josephson
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1964|1|10|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Bristol, Connecticut]], U.S.
| country        = {{USA}}
| sport          = [[Synchronised swimming|Synchronized swimming]]
| coach          = {{nowrap|Dr. Mary Jo Ruggieri (OSU)}}<br>[[Gail Emery]] (Olympics)
| club           = [[Ohio State Buckeyes]]
| collegeteam    = [[Ohio State University]]
| height         = 162 cm
| weight         = 55 kg
| headercolor    = #abdfee
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCompetition | [[Synchronized swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold  | [[Synchronized swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Synchronized swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's duet|Duet]] }}
{{MedalSilver  | [[Synchronized swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Synchronized swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's duet|Duet]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Synchronised swimming at the World Aquatics Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Synchronised swimming at the 1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]] | Duet }}
{{MedalGold | 1991 Perth | Team }}
{{MedalSilver | [[Synchronised swimming at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]] | Duet }}
{{MedalSilver | 1986 Madrid | Team }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Synchronized swimming at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[Synchronized swimming at the 1987 Pan American Games|1987 Indianapolis]] | Duet }}
{{MedalGold | 1987 Indianapolis | Team }}
}}

'''Karen Julia Josephson''' (born January 10, 1964) is a former American [[synchronised swimming|synchronized swimmer]] who competed for Ohio State University and was a 1988 Olympic silver medalist and a 1992 Olympic gold medalist.<ref name=Olympedia/>

She won one gold and one silver medal in duet, and one gold and one silver team medal at the [[World Aquatics Championships]]. She won gold medals in both duet and team at the [[Pan American Games]].

== Ohio State University ==
Josephson attended and competed in synchronized swimming for the [[Ohio State University]] from 1982-1985 under Head Coach Dr. Mary Jo Ruggieri.<ref name=OSUcoaches>{{cite web|access-date=March 6, 2025 |title=Synchronized Swimming All-Time National Championships, OSU |url=https://kb.osu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/7c5308d5-3e62-414d-a149-8fa51d106ff8/content |website=kb.osu.edu}}</ref>  She helped lead OSU to three national championships, and was the 1985 United States Synchronized Swimming Inter-collegiate Athlete of the year.  An outstanding student, she was an All Big-10 Academic selection in 1984, as well as an OSU Scholar Athlete for four years.  She graduated OSU with a degree in biochemistry in 1985.  Both she and her sister attended medical school but dropped out after two semesters.<ref name=OSUHOF>{{cite web|url=https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/honors/hall-of-fame-inductees/karen-josephson/226|title=Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Honor, Karen Josephson|website=ohiostatebuckeyes.com|access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>

==Olympic medals==
Josephson partnered with her twin sister [[Sarah Josephson]] to win a silver medal in the [[Synchronized swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's duet|women's duet]] at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in [[Seoul]] and then a gold medal in the [[Synchronized swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's duet|same event]] with her sister at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]] where she was managed by U.S. Synchronized Swimming Team Hall of Fame Head Coach [[Gail Emery]].<ref name="sports-reference">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/karen-josephson-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235450/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/karen-josephson-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Karen Josephson |accessdate=February 10, 2015}}</ref>

===International competition===
She won silver medals in the duet and team events at the [[Synchronized swimming at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 World Championships]] in [[Madrid]]. At the [[Synchronized swimming at the 1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 World Championships]] in [[Perth]] she won gold medals in the same events.<ref name=Olympedia/>

Josephson competed at the [[Synchronized swimming at the 1987 Pan American Games|1987 Pan American Game]] in [[Indianapolis]], winning gold medals in duet and team events.<ref name=Olympedia/>

===Honors===
Karen became a member of The Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1997.<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51075|title=Olympedia Biography, Karen Josephson|website=olympedia.org|access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>  She became a member of Connecticut's Bristol Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.<ref name=BSHOF>{{cite web|url=https://bshof.org/inductees/karen-sarah-josephson/|title=Bristol Sports Hall of Fame, Karen and Sarah Josephson|website=bshof.org|access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Sports links}}
* {{databaseOlympics|JOSEPKAR01|archive=20160406022037}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Synchronized Swimming Women Duet}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Artistic swimming women's duet}}{{Footer Pan American Champions Artistic swimming teams}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Josephson, Karen}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American synchronized swimmers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in synchronized swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in synchronized swimming]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in synchronised swimming]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1986 World Aquatics Championships]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1991 World Aquatics Championships]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in synchronized swimming]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Bristol, Connecticut]]
[[Category:American twins]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:20th-century American women]]
[[Category:Synchronized swimmers at the 1983 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in synchronized swimming]]