Austin Clapp

{{Short description|American swimmer (1910–1971)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Austin Clapp

| image = Austin Clapp holding swimming medals.jpg

| image_size =

| alt = A man in a bathing suit, standing and holding two displays full of medals

| caption = Clapp in 1928

| fullname = Austin Rhone Clapp

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{USA}}

| strokes = Freestyle, water polo

| club = Los Angeles Athletic Club

| collegeteam = Stanford University

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1910|11|8|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Farmington, New Hampshire, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1971|12|22|1910|11|8|mf=y}}

| death_place = Woodside, California, U.S.

| height =

| weight =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}

{{MedalCountry | the United States }}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}

{{MedalGold | 1928 Amsterdam | 4x200 m freestyle}}

{{MedalBronze | 1932 Los Angeles | Water polo}}

}}

Austin Rhone Clapp (November 8, 1910 – December 22, 1971) was an American competition swimmer and water polo player who represented the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1932 Summer Olympics.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CLAPPAUS01 Austin Clapp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308091303/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CLAPPAUS01 |date=2007-03-08 }}. Retrieved March 24, 2013.

Clapp grew up on the small island of Nauru, one of three sons of parents who served as medical personnel for the British phosphate mining operations on the island.

At the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Clapp won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, together with Walter Laufer, George Kojac and Johnny Weissmuller.Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417045201/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/USA/summer/1928/SWI/ United States Swimming at the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games]. Retrieved March 24, 2013. The Americans set a new world record of 9:36.2 in the relay event. Individually, he placed fifth overall in the men's 400-meter freestyle and also competed in the preliminary heats of the men's 1,500-meter freestyle.

He attended Stanford University, where he was a member of the Stanford Cardinal swimming and water polo teams in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition. As a college swimmer, Clapp won two NCAA national championships: the 1931 title in the 220-yard freestyle (2:18.0), and 1932 title in the 1,500-meter freestyle (20:02.2).HickokSports.com, Sports History, [http://www.hickoksports.com/history/ncaamswim.shtml NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Champions] {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020223021412/http://www.hickoksports.com/history/ncaamswim.shtml |date=2002-02-23 }}. Retrieved March 24, 2013. After completing his undergraduate degree at Stanford in Political Science, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley's law school.

At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, he was a member of the third-place U.S. water polo team that received the bronze medal.

In 1976, he was inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Austin R Clapp (1976) |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/hof.aspx?hof=3 |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404222052/https://usawaterpolo.org/hof.aspx?hof=3 |archive-date=2020-04-04 }}{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://usawaterpolo.org/sports/2018/11/28/trads-hof-inductees-html.aspx |website=usawaterpolo.org |publisher=USA Water Polo |access-date=18 September 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531173820/https://usawaterpolo.org/sports/2018/11/28/trads-hof-inductees-html.aspx |archive-date=2019-05-31 }}