Richard Carey is a swimmer who has competed for the United States. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
Carey was the world's top backstroker in the 1980s, following the untimely retirement of John Naber. He was expected to win gold medals at Moscow 1980 but the American-led boycott denied him the opportunity to participate.
Four years later in Los Angeles, Carey remained as the top medal favorite for the backstroke double (100 and 200) at his Olympic debut. In the 200 metres backstroke, he pulled away from the rest of the field to comfortably claim his first individual gold in 2:00.23; however, he appeared sullen after failing to set his own world record or lower the Olympic record from the prelims. He was chastised in the press for his unprofessional demeanor, resulting in issuing his apology. A few days later, he responded more positively to win another gold in the 100 despite falling short of his own world record. Carey succeeded Naber and Roland Matthes as the only swimmers to strike a backstroke double (100 and 200) in Olympic history. He also helped his teammates Steve Lundquist, Pablo Morales, and Ambrose Gaines put a historic ending with a gold medal and a new world record in the 4x100 metres medley relay, the first team to surpass the 3:40 barrier.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Men's 100m backstroke | 
|
| Men's 200m backstroke |
| |
| Men's 4x100m medley relay |
|
1984[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres backstroke | Heats | 55.74 | |
| A Final | 55.79 | ||
| 200 metres backstroke | Heats | 1:58.99 | OR |
| A Final | 2:00.23 | ||
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 3:44.33 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:39.30 (55.41 split) |
WR |