Ann Curtis, Olympics gold medalist, dies

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ann Curtis, a renowned swimmer who won two gold medals at the 1948 Olympics, the last time the event was held in London, has died. She was 86.

Her daughter Carrie Cuneo said Thursday that she died at her San Rafael, Calif., home of complications of Alzheimer's disease on June 26, weeks before the games returned to the city where she won acclaim.

Born in 1926 in San Francisco, Curtis started her swimming career at 12. She didn't get to compete in the Olympics until they resumed in 1948 following a 12-year hiatus due to World War II. By then, she had already won eight national titles and broken 18 U.S. records.

It was Curtis' only Olympics. She took medals in all three events she competed in: gold in the 400-meter freestyle, gold in the 4x100-meter relay, and silver in the 100-meter freestyle.

Curtis stopped swimming several years ago, but took up water aerobics and water walking, her daughter said. She is survived by four children. -- AP