Susan von der Lippe

Susan von der Lippe (born July 5, 1965), née Susan Gerard Rapp, is an American competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and Masters world record-holder in multiple events.

She attended Stanford University, where she swam for the Stanford Cardinal swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Pacific-10 Conference competition.

Rapp first qualified for the 1980 Olympic games, but was unable to compete due to the United States-led boycott of the Olympic games hosted by the Soviet Union. Four years later at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she had significant success. She won a silver medal for her second-place performance in the women's 200-meter breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2:31.15. She earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay. Individually, she also finished seventh in the final of the women's 100-meter breaststroke, recording a time of 1:11.45.[1]

Four years later at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Rapp competed in the B Final of the women's 200-meter breaststroke, finishing thirteenth overall with a time of 2:32.90.[1]

At the age of 42, von der Lippe qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter breaststroke and 100-meter butterfly.[2]

As of 2014, von der Lippe holds 61 individual United States Masters Swimming pool records, across the 35-39, 40-44 and 45-49 age groups.[3] She holds Masters World records in breaststroke, butterfly, individual medley in the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups.[4][5]