Please answer the following question: Facts: - death place: honolulu , hawaii - nicknames: '' bill '' - death date: 8 february 2013 - strokes: freestyle - fullname: william melvin smith , jr. . - birth date: 16 may 1924 - name: bill smith - birth place: honolulu , hawaii - collegeteam: ohio state university Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of bill smith -lrb- swimmer -rrb- .
Answer:
william melvin smith , jr. -lrb- may 16 , 1924 -- february 8 , 2013 -rrb- was an american former competition swimmer , two-time olympic champion , and a former world record-holder in four events .he was one of the most successful competitive swimmers in the united states in the first half of the 20th century .smith was born in honolulu , hawaii , of mixed irish and hawaiian ancestry .he attended ohio state university in columbus , ohio , and swam for the ohio state buckeyes swimming and diving team in national collegiate athletic association -lrb- ncaa -rrb- competition .as a college swimmer , he was undefeated in three years of dual meet competition , and was a four-time all-american .he set seven world records and won fourteen u.s. national championships : seven ncaa , six aau indoor and one aau outdoor .at the 1948 summer olympics in london , england , smith won gold medals in the men 's 400-meter freestyle and 4x200-meter freestyle relay .at one time , smith held all of the world records in freestyle swimming events between the 200-meter and 1,000-meter distances .smith was inducted into the international swimming hall of fame as an '' honor swimmer '' in 1966 .he died february 8 , 2013 ; he was 88 years old .