• Source: Jed Graef

Jed Richard Graef (born May 1, 1942) is an American former competition swimmer, for Princeton University, a 1964 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the 200-meter backstroke, and former world record-holder. After obtaining a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Michigan, he taught for seven years at Toronto University, before moving to Rochester, New York where he worked as a programmer and treasurer for the Rochester Zen Center, where he met his wife, Sunyata, an ordained Buddhist priest. After a move to Vermont in the late 1980's, he would work with the Shelbourne School Board and as treasurer for the Vermont Zen Center in Shelbourne, founded by his wife in 1988.
Graef was born in Verona, New Jersey on May 1, 1942 to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence W. Graef, a former collegiate baseball player, and excelled in the backstroke while competing with the Montclair YMCA swim team beginning around age 10 in 1952. A highly competitive program, the Montclair "Y" team went undefeated in 40 meets over a five year period. In 1956-57, he co-captained the team, and in two seasons swam on 11 Senior State relay championship teams.
In addition to swimming with the Montclair "Y" team primarily as a Junior swimmer, Graef swam and competed with the North Jersey Swimming Association (NJSA) beginning around 1956, where he placed first in state championships and set New York State backstroke records representing Verona High School despite Verona lacking a swim team. Graef set a new record for the 200-yard backstroke of 2:22 in his Junior year of High School. Graef was greatly influenced by NJSA's Coach Bob Alexander, who focused on high quality, but relatively short workouts, mentored as many as 12 future Olympians, and trained his swimmers at Lake Mohawk in North Jersey.




Princeton University


He attended Princeton University, where he was captain of the Princeton Tigers swim team in 1964, graduating in June of that year with a degree in Psychology. As a Senior at Princeton, Jed won the March 1964 NCAA Championships in the 200-yard backstroke at New Haven, Connecticut establishing a new American collegiate record of 1:56.2, while swimming for Princeton's Hall of Fame Coach Bob Clotworthy. Graef had formerly set a new collegiate record of 1:56.5 in a qualifying round at the meet.




1964 Tokyo Olympic gold


In the summer of 1964, shortly after his graduation from Princeton, Graef qualified for the Tokyo Olympics swimming a 2:12.7 in the 200-meter backstroke finals, placing second at the U.S. trials in Astoria, Long Island, New York, only .7 seconds behind the unexpected first place finisher Gary Dilley. The team later worked out in Palo Alto, before taking their flight to Japan.

Graef won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter backstroke at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan on August 13, 1964. Graef became the first Princeton student to win a gold medal in swimming in the Olympics. The Americans took first, second and third place, led by Graef, who finished 2 seconds under his time in the trials, and set a new Olympic, world, and American record time of 2:10.3 with American Gary Dilley placing a close second. The third place bronze medal position was contested between American Bob Bennett and Shigeo Fukushima of Japan, with Fukushima rapidly closing, but Bennett managed to retain his third place position giving America a complete sweep of the event. Other swimming medalists at the 1964 Olympics that had swum with the New Jersey Athletic Association included Patience Sherman, Thompson Mann, and Phil Riker. Graef's record held for three years.




= Later life

=
Graef went to Egypt in 1967 for the U.S. State Department to assist in the coaching and development of Egyptian swimmers, but his coaching, which included a strong psychological and motivational component, was cut to only two weeks as a result of the outbreak of the Six-Day war in early June.In 1988, he worked as a computer programmer in Rochester, New York.
After the games, Graef studied for a Doctorate at the University of Michigan, and became known as a prominent authority in sports psychology. He subsequently taught for seven years at the University of Toronto, beginning around 1972. Leaving the University, in a career change he spent six years working at the Rochester Zen Center as a treasurer in Rochester, New York, where he met his wife, who had been ordained as a Buddhist priest during her time at the Center. Graef began practicing Buddhism around the age of 32 in 1974. Around 1987-8, he worked as a Rochester computer programmer.
After the couple relocated to Vermont, Jed's wife, Sunyana Graef, formerly known as Gail Silverman, started the Vermont Zen Center in Shelbourne, Vermont, in 1988. The couple raised two daughters. In the 2000's Jed worked with the Shelbourne Town School District board, and in 2004, as treasurer for the Vermont Zen Center. The Center had 200 members in 2003, and was planning to expand into a new 3000 square foot building.




Honors


He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1988.
The "Jed Graef" Award, established around 1965 by the Verona Sports Booster Club was established to provide an annual award to a Senior student at Verona High School that most exhibited the qualities of athletic ability, good sportsmanship, citizenship and scholarship. The Award was given annually through at least 1976.




See also


List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
List of Princeton University people
List of Princeton University Olympians
World record progression 200 metres backstroke




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Renang pada Olimpiade Musim Panas 1964
• Jed Graef
• Jed (given name)
• Bob Clotworthy
• Graf (surname)
• Susan Pitt
• Patience Sherman
• Verona, New Jersey
• Swimming at the 1964 Summer Olympics
• Erika Bricker
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)