Lillian Watson

Lillian Debra Watson (born July 11, 1950), commonly known by her nickname Pokey Watson, and later by her married name Lillian Richardson, is an American former competition swimmer, a two-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in three events.

As a 14-year-old, she represented the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Watson won a gold medal as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay, together with her teammates Sharon Stouder, Donna de Varona and Kathy Ellis. The four American women set a new world of 4:03.8 in the event final. She also swam the backstroke leg for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay,

Watson broke Dawn Fraser's six-year-old world record in the 200-meter freestyle (long course) on August 19, 1966, with a time of 2:10.5, and held the record for one year. She was part of several world record performances in relay events.

Watson was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1984.