Background
Merki grew up in Portland, Oregon.
Merki grew up in Portland, Oregon.
Despite contracting polio at a young age, she set numerous amateur swimming records in her career, most in her early teens, and went on to compete in the 400-meter freestyle in the
At a young age, she contracted poliomyelitis. With discovery of the polio vaccine years away, she took up swimming as exercise to reduce the effects of the disease at the age of 8. Trained by long-time swim coach Jack Cody, Merki excelled at the sport, and at the age of 13 entered the swimming scene at the Amateur Athletic Union (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships in 1939, setting American records in the 200, 400, and 800-freestyle events.
Merki, who along with Multnomah Athletic Club teammates Brenda Helser, Suzanne Zimmerman, Geneva Klaus, Joyce Macrae, and Mary Anne Hansen, were known as "Cody"s Kids" after their coach, figured to be a force at the 1940 Summer until the games were canceled by the events of World World War World War II Merki continued to compete in Amateur Athletic Union meets through the 1940s, setting numerous records, including shattering the 1,500-meter freestyle record by 17 seconds at the 1941 Amateur Athletic Union championships.
Although the war prevented her from competing in the at the peak of her career, she made the United States team for the 1948 Summer.