Irmtraud Bohn (AUT)

Honor Masters Diver (2018)

The information on this page was written the year of their induction.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS: 1988 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 silver (10m); 1990 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 gold (10m*), 2 silver (1m, 3m); 1992 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 gold (1m, 3m, 10m*); 1994 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 gold (3m, 10m*), 1 silver (1m); 1996 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 silver (1m, 3m, 10m); 1998 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 gold (1m, 3m), 1 silver (10m); 2000 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 gold (3m, 10m); 2004 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 gold (1m*, 3m*, 10m*); 2006 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 gold (1m, 10m*), 1 silver (3m); 2008 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 gold (1m, 3m, 10m); 2010 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 gold (3m*), 2 silver (1m, 10m); 2012 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2 gold (1m, 3m), 1 silver (10m); 2014 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 gold (1m, 3m, 10m); 2015 FINA MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 gold (1m, 3m, 10m); 2017 FINA

MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 gold (3m), 2 silver (1m, 10m) *(denotes record set)

She began her athletic career as a gymnast in post World War II Austria. During her teens, Imtraud “Irmi” Bohn would go to the local pool in the summer to swim for fun. One summer, the local diving coach spotted her playing on the diving boards. Her talent was apparent and he asked her if she would consider joining his diving team. Bohn left gymnastics behind and became a diver.

Bohn won her first Austrian Championship at the age of 20 and continued competing at the national and European level until retiring at the age of 35, when she started having children.

In 1988, after 12 years away from the sport, Bohn heard about Masters diving. As a physical education teacher, she kept fit and soon was back on the boards, training and competing again with former teammates. That same year, she dove in her first FINA World Championships, in Brisbane, Australia. Bohn returned home with a silver medal from the 10m platform event.

Since then, she has competed in seven age groups and has won a total of 28 gold and 12 silver medals from a record 15 FINA Masters World Championships and has set eight FINA world records in her career.

Bohn trains at the SU Moedling Swimming Club in Vienna, together with teammate and friend, Grete Kugler, who was inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame in 2017.

For Bohn, Masters diving is a way to stay fit and healthy, meet friends and spend time with them training and traveling to championships.

Masters has also helped Bohn erase a bad memory from her diving career. In 1960, after qualifying for the Olympic Games, the Austrian Federation officials did not register Bohn in the proper time frame that was required, so she was therefore ruled ineligible to compete in the Rome Games. She was devastated.

Now, at 77 years old, Bohn is very proud that she is still able to do all her difficult dives and is always looking forward to the next big meet!