Olympic Games Gold Medalist Athlete. A two-time gold medalist, she became the first woman to achieve first-place finishes in both the springboard diving and platform diving events, during the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London. England. Born Victoria Manalo in San Francisco, one of twins to a Filipino father and an English mother, she was raised in poverty. At age 16 while attending Commerce High School, she became interested in diving and was introduced to and trained by coach Phil Patterson. While learning she endured discrimination, as she was forced to use her mother's maiden name to gain access into certain swim clubs. During World War II, her athletic ambitions were put on hold while she worked as a secretary in the Army Port Surgeon's Office, in order to provide income for her family. Following the war, she resumed her diving career and was coached by her future husband Lyle Draves, who guided her to a springboard national title in 1948. Her Olympic triumphs later that year led to an appearance in Life Magazine in 1949. Following her Olympic career, she used her talents in performance tours worldwide before retiring during the early 1950s to raise her family. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969.
Olympic Games Gold Medalist Athlete. A two-time gold medalist, she became the first woman to achieve first-place finishes in both the springboard diving and platform diving events, during the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London. England. Born Victoria Manalo in San Francisco, one of twins to a Filipino father and an English mother, she was raised in poverty. At age 16 while attending Commerce High School, she became interested in diving and was introduced to and trained by coach Phil Patterson. While learning she endured discrimination, as she was forced to use her mother's maiden name to gain access into certain swim clubs. During World War II, her athletic ambitions were put on hold while she worked as a secretary in the Army Port Surgeon's Office, in order to provide income for her family. Following the war, she resumed her diving career and was coached by her future husband Lyle Draves, who guided her to a springboard national title in 1948. Her Olympic triumphs later that year led to an appearance in Life Magazine in 1949. Following her Olympic career, she used her talents in performance tours worldwide before retiring during the early 1950s to raise her family. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969.
Bio by: C.S.
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