Beaverton native Carolyn Wood (born December 18, 1945) won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games at the age of 14. She was part of the USA 4×100 meter freestyle relay team.
Wood's success at a young age was hardly a surprise, she was coached by 1936 Olympic medalist Olive McKean at the Multnomah Athletic Club and by coaching legend Rod Harman at Beaverton High School. Before the 1960 Games, Carolyn won three high school championships as a BHS freshman.
Wood's times were among the world’s best in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly as a high school sophomore. She reached the Olympic final in each and finished fourth in the 100 freestyle. Wood did not finish the 100 butterfly after accidentally swallowing water on the final turn. In relays, she swam in a heat of the 4×100 medley relay, and the third leg in the final for the 4×100 freestyle relay, which set a world record by nine seconds. Carolyn won four more Oregon state championships before graduating from Beaverton.
Wood lost her amateur status after being ruled a professional for working as a lifeguard. She earned a degree at the University of Oregon and became an English teacher and swim coach in Portland. She helped lobby the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District to build a 50-meter pool.
Carolyn Wood has written two books about her Olympic journey and her early teaching experiences. In "Tough Girl" she tells the tale of her early fear of drowning that she overcame in the pool. She also completed the 500-mile Camino de Santiago de Compostela hike in her 60s.