So when Chris von Saltza returned to Los Gatos High School for the first day of her senior year in September of 1960, she received a champion's welcome.

It was fitting. After all, Chris von Saltza was a champion—an Olympic champion.

While her classmates had spent the vacation playing on the beach in Santa Cruz, von Saltza had spent her summer in Rome, Italy, winning three gold medals and a silver at the 1960 Olympic Games.

"My 'athletic highlight' at Los Gatos High School was upon my return from Rome," she said. "I was greeted by the entire student body standing out on the front lawn."

For her outstanding achievements while attending Los Gatos High School, Chris von Saltza Olmstead will be among the first 14 athletes recognized with induction into the newly created Athletic Hall of Fame at the high school during ceremonies to be held May 1 at the La Rinconada Country Club.

Von Saltza is among the honorees even though she never competed in interscholastic sports for the Wildcats. The simple fact was that, at the time, she was too talented.

Her time at Los Gatos preceded Title IX and the initiation of competitive girls sports programs at the high school level. So von Saltza competed for the Santa Clara Swim Club—at the time the top program in the nation—and swam for George Haines—at the time the top swimming coach in the nation.

She shined brilliantly under his tutelage. She won five gold medals at the Pan American Games in Chicago in 1959, and she earned a place in the 1960 Summer Olympics. Her performance there was astonishing.

The 16-year-old von Saltza won an individual gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle, and also struck gold in the 400 medley relay and the 400 free relay. She added a silver medal in the 100 free.

What makes her four-medal performance even more remarkable is that, at the time, there were only five individual events and two relays open to women.

She graduated from Los Gatos High School in the spring of 1961 and went on to attend Stanford University—graduating with distinction in Asian studies in 1966. But, unfortunately, the Olympic Games of 1960 would mark the end of her athletic career.

"There was no women's athletic program available at the collegiate level," she said. "When I attended Stanford University, there wasn't even a standard pool available to women. I was definitely pre-Title IX, so the opportunity for continued competitive swimming and any financial support were nil."

The fact that her athletic career ended as a 16-year-old, though, does nothing to diminish her accomplishments.

She was elected five times to the AAU All-American swimming team, she held five world records and 36 American records, she was the first woman to carry the USA flag in the closing ceremonies at the Pan Am Games and she was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Life magazines.

It gets better. She was elected the Swimming Hall of Fame in 1966, the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1980, the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980, the Sacramento Hall of Fame in 1984 and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Now she's being recognized by her high school, 44 years after her memorable return to Los Gatos in the fall of 1960. Despite her long list of career accomplishments, it's a moment she'll never forget.

"The memorable aspect was mostly that I had to be wheeled up the front walkway," she recalled. "The student body president, Jim Wanless, pushed me in a wheelchair. I had badly sprained an ankle frolicking on Jones Beach in New York. While I felt somewhat foolish, I also was extremely proud and grateful to be home with my high school friends."

And next month, Chris von Saltza Olmstead will return home for yet another well-deserved champion's welcome when she's inducted into the Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will on May 1 at the La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos. Tickets for the Hall of Fame dinner are priced at $75, and those attending the dinner will have the opportunity to nominate former Los Gatos athletes for induction in 2005. For ticket information, call the Los Gatos Athletic Association at 408.395.2002, Doug Ramezane at 408.354.2730, ext. 213, or Mark Magagna at 408.354.2730, ext. 320.