Deliana Meulenkamp

Who was Deliana Meulenkamp?

Deliana Meulenkamp was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. She competed in the women's 400-meter freestyle, advanced to the semifinals.She held 4 American records during her swimming career.

Meulenkamp was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She received a special act of congress signed by President Truman in order to become a US Citizen and compete in the Olympics. She became a media sensation at the 1952 Olympics when the good looks of the "copper-haired American swimmer" attracted the attention of newspaper and magazine photographers. She died in San Francisco, California on March 13, 2013; she was 79 years old.