Dana Vollmer
Encyclopedia
Dana Vollmer is an American college and international swimmer
and Olympic
gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece
she won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Natalie Coughlin
, Kaitlin Sandeno
, and Carly Piper
that set the world record in the event.
She has won a total of twenty-seven medals in major international competition, fifteen gold, eight silver, and four bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games
, the Pan Pacific Championships
, and the Goodwill Games
.
, she was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Granbury, Texas
. As a child, Vollmer swam for coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST).
Collegiately, she initially swam for the University of Florida
, before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley
.
In 2003, Dana underwent heart surgery to correct a condition called Supra Ventricular Tachyardia, which produces a quickened pulse rate of about 240 beats per minute. After that surgery, an EKG indicated that she might have Long QT Syndrome
; however, further testing indicated that she did not have the syndrome. Nonetheless, her heart conditions demand that a defibrillator be kept poolside when she swims as a precautionary measure.
Dana married Andy Grant on August 20, 2011.
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, she was a member of the United States' gold medal winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team; as well as attaining the gold medal, the team broke the previous world record that had stood for 17 years.
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
, Vollmer won a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle. She also won silver in the 4x100 m freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley.
On February 25, 2009, she set her first individual American record, breaking Natalie Coughlin
's 200-yard freestyle record with a time of 1:41.53.
At the 2009 World Championships
in Rome
, Vollmer won two medals a silver and a bronze. In the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer set an American record in the semifinals with a time of 1:55.29. In the final of the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer placed third and her American record was broken by Allison Schmitt
. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Vollmer swam the leadoff leg in 1:55.29. The American team finished in second place behind China
with a time of 7:42.56.
At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships
in Shanghai
, Vollmer won a total of three medals, two golds and one silver. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Vollmer won a silver medal with Natalie Coughlin
, Jessica Hardy
, and Missy Franklin
. After setting the national record in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly (56.47), Vollmer won gold in the final with a time of 56.87. In the 4×100-meter medley relay, Vollmer won gold with Natalie Coughlin
, Rebecca Soni
, and Missy Franklin
with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Swimming the butterfly leg, Vollmer had a split of 55.74. The final time of 3:52.36 for the medley relay was the second-fastest effort of all time, just behind the Chinese owned world record of 3:52.19.
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
she won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
, Kaitlin Sandeno
Kaitlin Sandeno
Kaitlin Sandeno is a retired American swimmer, and was part of the team that set the world record in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
, and Carly Piper
Carly Piper
Carly Piper is an American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. As part of the American team, she held the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay .-Personal:...
that set the world record in the event.
She has won a total of twenty-seven medals in major international competition, fifteen gold, eight silver, and four bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
, the Pan Pacific Championships
Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships is a long course swimming event first held in 1985. The meet was initially staged biennially , to allow for an international championship-level meet in the non-Olympic and non-World Championships years...
, and the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
.
Personal
Though born in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, she was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Granbury, Texas
Granbury, Texas
Granbury is a city in Hood County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,718. It is the county seat of Hood County and the principal city of the Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. As a child, Vollmer swam for coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST).
Collegiately, she initially swam for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
In 2003, Dana underwent heart surgery to correct a condition called Supra Ventricular Tachyardia, which produces a quickened pulse rate of about 240 beats per minute. After that surgery, an EKG indicated that she might have Long QT Syndrome
Long QT syndrome
The long QT syndrome is a rare inborn heart condition in which delayed repolarization of the heart following a heartbeat increases the risk of episodes of torsade de pointes . These episodes may lead to palpitations, fainting and sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation...
; however, further testing indicated that she did not have the syndrome. Nonetheless, her heart conditions demand that a defibrillator be kept poolside when she swims as a precautionary measure.
Dana married Andy Grant on August 20, 2011.
Swimming career
At age 12, she was the youngest swimmer competing at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials; she failed to make the team. She was also the youngest competitor to swim at the 2001 Goodwill GamesGoodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Olympic Aquatic Centre with the athletes competing in 32 events. There was a total of 937 participants from 152 countries competing.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, she was a member of the United States' gold medal winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team; as well as attaining the gold medal, the team broke the previous world record that had stood for 17 years.
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
2007 World Aquatics Championships
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships or the XII FINA World Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007...
, Vollmer won a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle. She also won silver in the 4x100 m freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley.
On February 25, 2009, she set her first individual American record, breaking Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
's 200-yard freestyle record with a time of 1:41.53.
At the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Aquatics Championships
The 2009 World Aquatics Championships or the XIII FINA World Championships were celebrated in Rome, Italy in 2009 from July 17 to August 2. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines: diving, swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo.Rome won...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Vollmer won two medals a silver and a bronze. In the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer set an American record in the semifinals with a time of 1:55.29. In the final of the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer placed third and her American record was broken by Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt is an American swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.Schmitt has won a total of six medals in major international competition, three gold, two silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships.-Personal...
. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, Vollmer swam the leadoff leg in 1:55.29. The American team finished in second place behind China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with a time of 7:42.56.
At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships
2011 World Aquatics Championships
The 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Vollmer won a total of three medals, two golds and one silver. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Vollmer won a silver medal with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
, Jessica Hardy
Jessica Hardy
Jessica Adele Hardy is an American swimmer who specializes in the breaststroke and freestyle stroke. She currently holds the world record in the 50 m breaststroke and the 100 m breaststroke ....
, and Missy Franklin
Missy Franklin
Melissa "Missy" Jeanette Franklin is an American swimmer. She is a five-time medalist at the World Aquatics Championships and a two-time silver medalist at the World Short Course Championships...
. After setting the national record in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly (56.47), Vollmer won gold in the final with a time of 56.87. In the 4×100-meter medley relay, Vollmer won gold with Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
, Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni is an American breaststroke swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke and is a former world-record holder in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke .Soni has won a total of nineteen medals in major...
, and Missy Franklin
Missy Franklin
Melissa "Missy" Jeanette Franklin is an American swimmer. She is a five-time medalist at the World Aquatics Championships and a two-time silver medalist at the World Short Course Championships...
with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Swimming the butterfly leg, Vollmer had a split of 55.74. The final time of 3:52.36 for the medley relay was the second-fastest effort of all time, just behind the Chinese owned world record of 3:52.19.
See also
- California Golden BearsCalifornia Golden BearsThe California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
- List of United States records in swimming
- List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians
- Pan American Games records in swimmingPan American Games records in swimmingListed below is a complete list of the Pan American Games records in swimming, ratified by the Pan American Sports Organization .-Men:-Women:...
External links
- USA Swimming athlete bio: Dana Vollmer
- Dana Vollmer's biography and Olympic results, from http://www.sports-reference.com/.