Karen Josephson

American synchronized swimmer

Karen Josephson

Personal information

Full name| Karen Julia Josephson
Born|  (1964-01-10) January 10, 1964 (age 61)
Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
Height| 162 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight| 55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Country|  United States
Sport| Synchronized swimming
College team| Ohio State University
Club| Ohio State Buckeyes
Coached by| Dr. Mary Jo Ruggieri (OSU)
Gail Emery (Olympics)

Medal record

Olympic Games
| 1992 Barcelona | Duet
| 1988 Seoul | Duet
World Championships
| 1991 Perth | Duet
| 1991 Perth | Team
| 1986 Madrid | Duet
| 1986 Madrid | Team
Pan American Games
| 1987 Indianapolis | Duet
| 1987 Indianapolis | Team

Karen Julia Josephson (born January 10, 1964) is a former American synchronized swimmer who competed for Ohio State University and was a 1988 Olympic silver medalist and a 1992 Olympic gold medalist.[1]

She won one gold and one silver medal in duet, and one gold and one silver team medal at the World Aquatics Championships. She won gold medals in both duet and team at the Pan American Games.

## Ohio State University

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Josephson attended and competed in synchronized swimming for the Ohio State University from 1982-1985 under Head Coach Dr. Mary Jo Ruggieri.[2] She helped lead OSU to three national championships, and was the 1985 United States Synchronized Swimming Inter-collegiate Athlete of the year. An outstanding student, she was an All Big-10 Academic selection in 1984, as well as an OSU Scholar Athlete for four years. She graduated OSU with a degree in biochemistry in 1985. Both she and her sister attended medical school but dropped out after two semesters.[3]

## Olympic medals

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Josephson partnered with her twin sister Sarah Josephson to win a silver medal in the women's duet at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and then a gold medal in the same event with her sister at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona where she was managed by U.S. Synchronized Swimming Team Hall of Fame Head Coach Gail Emery.[4]

### International competition

[edit]

She won silver medals in the duet and team events at the 1986 World Championships in Madrid. At the 1991 World Championships in Perth she won gold medals in the same events.[1]

Josephson competed at the 1987 Pan American Game in Indianapolis, winning gold medals in duet and team events.[1]

### Honors

[edit]

Karen became a member of The Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1997.[1] She became a member of Connecticut's Bristol Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[5]

## See also

[edit]

* List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Olympedia Biography, Karen Josephson". olympedia.org. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
2. ^ "Synchronized Swimming All-Time National Championships, OSU". kb.osu.edu. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
3. ^ "Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Honor, Karen Josephson". ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
4. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Karen Josephson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
5. ^ "Bristol Sports Hall of Fame, Karen and Sarah Josephson". bshof.org. Retrieved March 6, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Karen Josephson at World Aquatics
* Karen Josephson at Olympics.com
* Karen Josephson at Olympedia
* Karen Josephson at databaseOlympics.com (archived)

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Olympic Artistic swimming champions – women's duet

Synchronized swimming (1984–2016) · Artistic swmming (2020–)

* 1984:  Tracie Ruiz & Candy Costie (USA)
* 1988:  Michelle Cameron & Carolyn Waldo (CAN)
* 1992:  Karen Josephson & Sarah Josephson (USA)
* 2000:  Olga Brusnikina & Mariya Kiselyova (RUS)
* 2004:  Anastasia Davydova & Anastasiya Yermakova (RUS)
* 2008:  Anastasia Davydova & Anastasiya Yermakova (RUS)
* 2012:  Natalia Ishchenko & Svetlana Romashina (RUS)
* 2016:  Natalia Ishchenko & Svetlana Romashina (RUS)
* 2020:  Svetlana Kolesnichenko & Svetlana Romashina (ROC)
* 2024:  Wang Liuyi & Wang Qianyi (CHN)

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Pan American artistic swimming champions – women's duet

Synchronized swimming (1955–2015) · Artistic swmming (2019–)

* 1951: Not held
* 1955:  Ellen Richard & Connie Todoroff (USA)
* 1959: Not held
* 1963:  Barbara Burke & Joanne Schaak (USA)
* 1967: Not held
* 1971:  Joan Lang & Heidi O'Rourke (USA)
* 1975:  Robin Curren & Amanda Norrish (USA)
* 1979:  Kelly Kryczka & Helen Vanderburg (CAN)
* 1983:  Tracie Ruiz & Candy Costie (USA)
* 1987:  Karen Josephson & Sarah Josephson (USA)
* 1991:  Tia Harding & Diana Ulrich (USA)
* 1995:  Becky Dyroen-Lancer & Jill Sudduth (USA)
* 1999:  Claire Carver-Dias & Fanny Létourneau (CAN)
* 2003:  Alison Bartosik & Anna Kozlova (USA)
* 2007:  Christina Jones & Andrea Nott (USA)
* 2011:  Élise Marcotte & Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon (CAN)
* 2015:  Jacqueline Simoneau & Karine Thomas (CAN)
* 2019:  Jacqueline Simoneau & Claudia Holzner (CAN)
* 2023:  Nuria Diosdado & Joana Jiménez (MEX)

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Pan American Artistic swimming champions – Team

Synchronized swimming (1955–2015) · Artistic swmming (2019–)

* 1951: Not held
* 1955:  Barrious, D. Pawson Bean, J. Pawson, L. Pawson, Phillips (USA)
* 1959: Not held
* 1963:  Blixt, Georgian, Laurence, J. McFadden, L. McFadden, Welshons, Whitner (USA)
* 1967: Not held
* 1971:  Anderson, Cooney, Jeffers, Kretschmer, Lang, Miner, Morris, O'Rourke (USA)
* 1975:  Baross, Barone, Johnson, Ellen Longo, Norrish, Shelley, Tryon (USA)
* 1979:  Barone, Beaulieu, Brandley, S. Cameron, Florio, Shelley, Ruiz, Tryon, T. Cameron, Callaghan (USA)
* 1983:  Audet, Hambrook, Kryczka, Laviolette, Paradis, P. Vilagos, V. Vilagos, Waldo (CAN)
* 1987:  Babb, Ruiz Conforto, Hatch, K. Josephson, S. Josephson, Long, Riddell, Svitenko, Madsen, Reed (USA)
* 1991:  Harding, Martin, Miller, Ochsner, Porter, Ulrich, Wiecking, Wodka, Kreitzer, Cutcher (USA)
* 1995:  Bianco, Cleland, Dyroen-Lancer, Porter LeSueur, Pease, Savery, Schneyder, Simmons, Sudduth, Thien (USA)
* 1999:  Beaumont, Carver-Dias, Chase, Hould-Marchand, Normand, Taillon, Tatham, Wright (CAN)
* 2003:  Bartosik, Dobratz, Jasontek, Kozlova, Lowe, McFall, Nesbitt, Norris, Zanotto (USA)
* 2007:  Abel, Culp, Hooven, Jones, Kim, Kinney, Nott, Orme, Penner, Probst (USA)
* 2011:  Boudreau Gagnon, Fortin, Isaac, Leclair, Little, Marcotte, Thomas, Welsh (CAN)
* 2015:  Simoneau, Thomas, Brisson, Frappier, Holzner, Mikelberg, Morin, Nealon, Sanders (CAN)
* 2019:  Armstrong, Barrett, Côté, Fiola-Dion, Harrower, Holzner, Joly, Pratt, Simoneau (CAN)
* 2023:  Alferez, Diosdado, González, Jiménez, Toscano, Arellano, Estrada, Jalib, Sobrino (MEX)

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