Kim Peyton

Did You Know?

• She was chosen as United States' flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 1975 Pan American Games held at Aztec Stadium.
• She participated in the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia, winning a gold medal in the 200m freestyle.

Youth and high school

Peyton set three national swimming records at ages nine and ten. She swam for the David Douglas High School Swim Club in Portland, Oregon, and held numerous Oregon Class 4A swim records, including the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard freestyle, and 500-yard freestyle. On August 1, 1974, she broke her own Oregon 17–18 girls 400-meter freestyle record with a time of 4:20.35, which stood until July 26, 1997.

Olympics

Kim Peyton was a backup swimmer for the US at the 1972 Munich Games. Four years later in Montreal, she earned a gold medal alongside Jill Sterkel, Shirley Babashoff, and Wendy Boglioli in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Their world-record time of 3:44.82 lasted until August 26, 1978.

Stanford University

Peyton attended Stanford University and swam for the Stanford Cardinal under Hall of Fame Head Coach James Gaughran. In March 1978, she helped the team move from seventh to fourth place at the AIAW National Championships with a second place in the 200 freestyle and a seventh in the 50 freestyle. At Stanford, she met her husband Drew McDonald, who won a silver medal as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic water polo team.

Honors

In 1975, Kim Peyton-McDonald was named Oregon’s Outstanding Amateur Athlete with the Bill Hayward Johnny Carpenter Prep award. She entered the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame posthumously in 1989. Her relay squad earned a spot in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2022. Stanford also created a memorial scholarship in her name.