Josephson sisters

American swimmers

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Byname:: The J’s

Josephson sisters, American synchronized duet swimmers who won 16 consecutive championships in 1991 and 1992.

Karen Josephson (b. Jan. 10, 1964, Bristol, Conn., U.S.) and her identical twin, Sarah, entered their first senior nationals synchronized swim meet at the age of 12 and joined the U.S. national team at 16. In 1988 they won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. At the 1991 world championships in Perth, Australia, they recorded the highest overall total score for a duet in international synchronized swimming history, 199.762 points, and captured their first world duet title.

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, the Josephson sisters won the gold medal, receiving four perfect marks for technical merit and four more 10s for artistic impression. Their five-minute routine earned a total score of 99.600 points, and the victory marked the duo’s 16th consecutive championship—a record in the sport’s history. After the 1992 Games the Josephsons retired from competition.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.