Anthony Nesty

For the reggaeton producer, see Nesty "La Mente Maestra".

Anthony Nesty

Personal information
Full name	Anthony Conrad Nesty
Nationality	Suriname
Born	November 25, 1967 (1967-11-25) (age 43) Trinidad and Tobago
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	172 lb (78 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Butterfly
College team	University of Florida
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for  Suriname Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul 100 m butterfly Bronze 1992 Barcelona 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) Gold 1991 Perth 100 m butterfly Pan American Games Gold 1987 Indianapolis 100 m butterfly Gold 1991 Havana 100 m butterfly Silver 1991 Havana 200 m butterfly Bronze 1987 Indianapolis 200 m butterfly Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1989 Tokyo 100 m butterfly

Anthony Conrad Nesty (born November 25, 1967) is a former Surinamese international swimmer who was an Olympic gold medalist in the 100-metre butterfly event in 1988.

Early years

Anthony Nesty was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1967,^[1] the youngest of five children in his family.^[2] Nesty's family migrated to Suriname when he was nine months old, and he started swimming at the age of 5.^[2] Nesty trained and competed in Suriname and the Caribbean through the beginning of his teenage years. After placing twenty-first in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Nesty entered the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, a renowned program for training and preparation of elite, world-class swimmers.^[2] While training under Bolles coach Gregg Troy, Nesty broke the prep school 100-yard butterfly record held by Pablo Morales.^[2] Breaking Morales's record was the beginning of numerous other successes for Nesty. In 1987, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and the bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana. These victories established the foundation that would lead to his success at the Seoul Olympics.

International swimming career

Nesty returned to international competition at the 1987 Pan-American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly.^[2]

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, Nesty edged American favorite Matt Biondi by one one-hundredth of a second to win the 100-meter butterfly; he finished the event in 53.00 seconds and Biondi in 53.01.^[1] Nesty is the only Olympic medal winner from Suriname and after winning his Olympic gold medal, he was unbeaten in the 100-meter butterfly event for three years. Nesty was the second black athlete to win an Olympic medal in swimming following Enith Brigitha at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec.

Nesty's victory in Seoul was a momentous social and political event for Afro-Caribbeans. The Suriname government commemorated his gold-medal performance on a stamp and on gold and silver coins. A 25-guilders bank note portraying the illustration of a butterfly swimmer was printed in his honor. Surinam Airways named one of its planes after Nesty, and the indoor stadium in Paramaribo was renamed for him.

Nesty won gold medals in the 100-meter butterfly at the Goodwill Games in 1990 and the FINA World Championships in 1991.^[2] At the 1991 Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba, he again won a gold medal in 100-meter butterfly and a silver in the 200-meter butterfly.^[2] He attempted to defend his 1988 Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, but finished with a third-place bronze.^[1]

College career

After winning his gold medal in Seoul, Nesty received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he enjoyed a successful NCAA swimming career with the Florida Gators swimming and diving team under coach Randy Reese and coach Skip Foster from 1989 to 1992.^[3] During his four years competing for the Gators, he won three consecutive NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly (1990–1992), one in the 200-yard butterfly (1990), and one as a member of the school's 400-yard medley relay team (1991), and received sixteen All-American honors.^[3] Nesty also won eleven Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles—five in individual races and six as a member of Gators relay teams.^[3]

Nesty graduated from the University of Florida with his bachelor's degree in 1994.^[4]

Life after competition swimming

Nesty was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1998,^[2] and the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.^[5][6]

Currently, he is the associate head coach for the Florida Gators men's swimming team.^[4]

See also

	Biography portal
	Olympics portal
	Swimming portal

• Florida Gators
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Anthony Nesty. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honorees, Anthony Nesty (SUR). Retrieved July 23, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b c} UF Swimming & Diving 2009–2010 Media Guide, Gator History & Records, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 88–89, 90, 92–93, 96–97, 99, 102–105, 107, 117 (2009). Retrieved June 4, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} GatorZone.com, Swimming & Diving Coaches, Anthony Nesty. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
5. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
6. ^ "Nine Former Gators Named to UF Hall of Fame," GatorZone.com (April 4, 2002). Retrieved July 21, 2011.

Persondata
Name	Nesty, Anthony
Alternative names	Nesty, Anthony Conrad; Nesty, Anthony C.
Short description	All-American college swimmer, Surinamese international swimmer, Olympic gold medalist
Date of birth	November 25, 1967
Place of birth	Trinidad and Tobago
Date of death
Place of death