Helen Eileen Johns (born September 25, 1914), later Helen Carroll, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Born in East Boston, Massachusetts, Johns grew up in Medford, Massachusetts.
At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, Johns represented the United States at the age of 17. She won a gold medal in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay with U.S. teammates Eleanor Garatti, Helene Madison and Josephine McKim. The American women set a new world record in the event with a time of 4:38.0, beating teams from the Netherlands (silver) and Great Britain (bronze) by nine and fourteen seconds, respectively.
In 1936, Johns graduated from Pembroke College, the former women's college of Brown University, with a bachelor's degree in psychology and economics. She later received her master's degree in special education. In addition to coaching swimming, she became a special education teacher in the Sumter School District in Sumter, South Carolina in 1957 and retired from that position in 1980.
In 1996, Johns carried the Olympic torch for a stretch in the Olympic torch relay for the 1996 Summer Olympics. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame for her achievements as an Olympic swimmer in 2004.
She married Eugene Carroll and moved to Sumter, South Carolina, where she resides as of 2012. She has two daughters.
Famous quotes containing the words helen and/or johns:
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—Abraham Polonsky, U.S. screenwriter, Frank Butler, and Helen Deutsch. Mitchell Leisen. Col. Deniston (Ray Milland)
“In love’s deep womb our fears are held;
there God’s rich tears are sown
and bring to birth, in hope new-born,
the strength to journey on.”
—Rob Johns (20th century)