Anthony Nesty

Anthony Nesty is the first black athlete to win an Olympic medal in swimming. Nesty established this historic milestone at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In the 100 m butterfly, Nesty out-touched then-favorite Matt Biondi by .01; Nesty finished in 53.00 and Biondi in 53.01. Nesty is the only Olympic medal winner from Suriname and after winning his Olympic gold medal, Nesty was unbeaten at the 100 meters butterfly for three years.

Anthony Nesty was born November 25, 1967 in Trinidad and Tobago, the youngest of 5 children. Nesty's family migrated to Suriname but the exact age of his emigration is unclear: some biographies of the athlete say 'at 9 months old' and others say 'at three years old.' Nesty trained and competed in Suriname and the Caribbean through the beginning of his teenage years. After placing 21st in the 100m fly at the Los Angeles, Nesty entered the Bolles Prep School in Jacksonville, Florida, a renowned program for training and preparation of elite, world-class swimmers. While at Bolles as a sophomore, Nesty broke the prep school 100-yard butterfly record held by Pablo Morales. Breaking Morales's record was the beginning of numerous other successes for Nesty. In 1987, he won the gold medal in the 100m butterfly and the bronze medal in the 200m butterfly at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis, Indiana. These victories established the foundation that would lead to his successes at the Seoul Olympics.

Nesty's victory in Seoul was a momentous social and political event for Afro-Caribbeans. The Suriname government commemorated Nesty's 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.

Currently, Anthony Nesty is an assistant coach at the [University of Florida . After serving as the men's assistant coach his first year, Nesty now is involved with both the men's and women's programs, but primarily works with the men's team.