View source for Sandy Neilson

{{Short description|American swimmer (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name           = Sandy Neilson
| image          = Sandy Neilson in homecoming parade.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        = Neilson in 1972
| fullname       = Sandra Lynn Neilson
| nicknames      = "Sandy"
| national_team  = United States
| strokes        = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| club           = El Monte Aquatic Club
| collegeteam    = [[UC Santa Barbara Gauchos|University of California, Santa Barbara]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1956|3|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Burbank, California]], U.S.
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 5 ft 8 in
| weight         = 139 lbs
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry | the United States}}
{{MedalCount
|[[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]|3|0|0
|[[Swimming at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]|2|1|0
|'''Total'''|'''5'''|'''1'''|'''0'''
}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay|4×100 m medley]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1971 Pan American Games|1971 Cali]] | [[Swimming at the 1971 Pan American Games|100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1971 Pan American Games|1971 Cali]] | [[Swimming at the 1971 Pan American Games|4×100 m freestyle]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1971 Pan American Games|1971 Cali]] | [[Swimming at the 1971 Pan American Games|4×100 m medley]]}}
}}

'''Sandra Lynn Neilson''' (born March 20, 1956), also known by her married name '''Sandy Bell''', is an American former competition [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]], three-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder.

==Amateur career==
Neilson won her only [[Amateur Athletic Union]] (AAU) national championship in 1971 in the 100-yard freestyle. While a student at [[El Monte High School]], Neilson set [[CIF Southern Section]] records in 1972 for both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cifss.org/pdfs/record_book_new.pdf | title=CIF-Southern Section All Sports Press Guide And Record Book | author=CIF-Southern Section | access-date=August 18, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915213939/http://cifss.org/pdfs/record_book_new.pdf | archive-date=September 15, 2012 }}</ref> She later attended [[University of California, Santa Barbara]], where she was a member of the [[UC Santa Barbara Gauchos|UCSB Gauchos]] swim team and a three-time All-American. In 1977, she won both the [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women]] (AIAW) 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle national championships.

==1972 Summer Olympics==
Despite being ranked as the third-best American swimmer, Neilson participated in the [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Summer Olympics]] in Munich, Germany at the age of 16. In the 100-meter freestyle, Neilson defeated heavy favorites [[Shane Gould]] from Australia and her American teammate [[Shirley Babashoff]] in an Olympic record time of 58.59 seconds. The victory landed her a spot on the [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100-meter freestyle relay]] with Babashoff as well as the [[Swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay|4×100-meter medley relay]]. Both of Neilson's relay teams won gold medals in world record times.<ref name="olympedia">{{cite web|title=Olympedia – Sandy Neilson|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/51137|website=Olympedia|accessdate=January 26, 2023}}</ref>

In a twist of fate, during the [[Munich massacre]] which took place the day after the swimming events were completed, both Gould and Babashoff were huddled with Neilson in her [[Olympic Village, Munich|Olympic Village]] while the massacre was taking place. Neilson recalled, "When we found out about the terrorists, I called my parents and told them I loved them. I thought I might never see them again."<ref name=masters>Lee Nessel (December 29, 2000) [http://www.usms.org/hist/sto/index.php?ID=19&srt= ISHOF Honor Swimmer Sandra Neilson]. US Masters Swimming. usms.org</ref>

==Post-Olympic life==
Neilson met her current coach and husband, Dr. Keith Bell, a Texas sports psychologist, in 1984. Bell successfully argued in August 1984 to the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] that Neilson had been "retired" for nine years, despite still participating in [[U.S. Masters Swimming]]. This made her eligible under the ISHOF's four-year retirement requirements and Neilson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.<ref name=sroprofile>Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417055222/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ne/sandy-neilson-1.html Sandy Neilson]. Retrieved June 14, 2015.</ref><ref name=ishofprofile>{{cite web |url=http://www.ishof.org/sandra-neilson--(usa).html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614085208/http://www.ishof.org/sandra-neilson--(usa).html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2015 |title=Sandra Neilson (USA) |website=ISHOF.org |publisher=[[International Swimming Hall of Fame]] |access-date=June 14, 2015}}</ref>

Neilson participated in the [[1988 United States Olympic Trials (swimming)|1988]] and [[1992 United States Olympic Trials (swimming)|1992]] U.S. Olympic Trials. She missed qualifying for the 1996 Trials in the 50-meter freestyle by a mere nine one-hundredths (0.09) of a second.<ref name=masters/>

In 1996, Neilson was the first swimmer over 40 to be ranked top 25 in the world in an event (50-meter freestyle) and the first swimmer over 40 to compete in the U.S. National Championships, at which she was honored by having USA Swimming's comeback award named after her, the "Sandy Neilson-Bell Comeback Swimmer of the Year Award".<ref name=masters/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Olympics}}
* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay]]
* [[World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}

{{Footer USA Swimming 1972 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Relay Women}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Medley Relay Women}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 100 m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Women}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, Sandy}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Burbank, California]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:UC Santa Barbara Gauchos women's swimmers]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1971 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]