After winning his first Olympic medal in 1964, John Nelson of Yale won his only AAU title in 1965 and set a world record for the 400 metre freestyle the following year. Nelson recorded 4:11.8 for the 400 free on 18 August 1966, a record which was broken later in the day by Don Schollander, who recorded 4:11.6. Apart from his three Olympic medals, John Nelson was an Olympic finalist in the 400 freestyle in 1964 and 1968, and in 1968 he was a finalist in the 1,500 freestyle. He also won a gold in the 4×200 free relay at the 1967 Universiade.