Mark Henderson

Mark Andrew Henderson (born November 14, 1969) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. He is an Olympic gold medalist, three-time World champion, two-time Pan American Games champion, four-time Pan Pacific champion and five-time U.S. National champion. He competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he was the butterfly leg of the gold medal 4×100-meter medley relay, which set the world, Olympic, American, and U.S. Open records. Career Before his high school years, Olympic champion Mark Henderson swam for the Fort Washington Pool Assoc., Inc. in the Prince-Mont Swim League in Fort Washington, Prince Georges County Maryland where he still holds records in the 25 Butterfly 10 year old & Under in 1980 and the 100 Freestyle 15-18 year old in 1988. While in high school, Henderson swam for Curl-Burke Swim Club (renamed to Nation's Capital Swim Club) and was coached by Jeff King. He attended college at the University of California, Berkeley where he swam for coach Nort Thornton's California Golden Bears swimming and diving team. At the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992, Henderson entered the meet ranked 2nd in the world in the 100m butterfly, but concentrated too much on his competition and took out his race much too fast (under world record pace at the 50m mark). He led the race to the final 10 meters where he "bonked" and dropped from first to seventh place. Henderson returned to competition after an 8-month retirement with a vengeance. In 1993, Henderson won gold at the U.S. Open and Summer U.S. Nationals and another two gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships. He finished his comeback year with a gold and two silvers at the inaugural Short Course World Championships in Palma, Majorca.