Jane Barkman

Who is Jane Barkman?

Jane Louise Barkman is an American former swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.

Barkman represented the United States as a 17-year-old at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. She won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Linda Gustavson, Sue Pedersen and Jan Henne. She and her relay teammates set a new Olympic record of 4:02.5 in the event final. Individually, she also received a bronze medal for her third-place performance in the women's 200-meter freestyle. Barkman finished behind Debbie Meyer and Jan Henne, completing an American sweep of the event.

Four years later at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, she was also part of the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay, including Sandy Neilson, Jenny Kemp and Shirley Babashoff. Neilson, Kemp, Barkman and Babashoff set a new world record of 3:55.19 in the final, narrowly edging the East German team.

Barkman was formerly the coach of the Princeton Tigers women's swimming and diving team at Princeton University. She is the mother of two sons and a daughter.