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Maritza Correia
Puerto Rican swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, former world record-breaker
Maritza Correia (born December 23, ), also known by her married name Maritza McClendon, is a former Olympic swimmer from Puerto Rico who swam representing the United States.[2] When she qualified for the U.S.
Olympic team in , she became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team.
Maritza correia biography books
She was the first female African-American swimmer for the United States to win an Olympic medal. She also became the first black American swimmer to set an American and world swimming record.[3]
Early years
Correia was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Her parents, Vincent and Anne, had moved there from Guyana. In , when Correia was seven years old, she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis.[4] Her doctor recommended that she take swimming classes and use swimming as a treatment for her condition.
In , her family moved and