Hilton Woods

Hilton Woods was already a talented swimmer as a teenager, and competed in international youth competitions from the age of eleven, already setting national records. Primarily a freestyle sprinter, at age 15 he débuted at the Olympic Games, ranking 40th in the 100 m freestyle. His performances notably improved when he started to attend a college in the US, Oakland University in Michigan. At the 1987 Pan American Games, he tied for third in the 50 m freestyle and won the only bronze for the Netherlands Antilles at these Games.

A year later, he nearly qualified for the final of the 100 m freestyle at the 1988 Olympics, tying for ninth. In the B-final, he eventually ranked last for an overall 16th place, the same performance he achieved in the 50 m freestyle. These still rank as the best ever performances of a swimmer representing the Netherlands Antilles (which ceased to exist in 2011). In college, he helped his team place second in the NCAA Division II four years in a row 1987-90), personally winning 5 individual titles and contributing to 7 relay wins. In 2024, he was inducted into the Oakland University Sports Hall of Fame.