Dean Kondziolka
Encyclopedia
Dean Kondziolka (born April 14, 1972 in Mississauga, Ontario
) is a Canadian swimmer.
He is a 7 Time National Champion and Canadian record holder in the 50 meter sprint and 100 meter freestyle, and is the first Canadian born swimmer to break 23 seconds in the 50 meter freestyle event.
Kondziolka began his swimming
career at the Lakeshore Swim Club at the age of 9, shortly thereafter moving to the Mississauga Aquatic Club at age 11. Kondziolka, known as "Kondo," a shortened variation of his last name given to him by his coach and picked up by those in swimming circles, first broke on the national scene in 1986 at the age of 14, making national time standards in the sprint events, 50 and 100 meter freestyle. He was the youngest competitor (by two years) at the 1986 Canadian National Championships in Edmonton. He went on to compete in Holland and Germany as a member of the Junior National Teams in 1987 and 1988.
His first National Championship was attained in 1990 at the age of 17 (Summer nationals in Etobicoke Ontario) and highest rankings in the world were 1st (LC season, 1993 documented at the Sprint eliminator meet in Nantes, France) and 4th in the 50m freestyle (Speedo World Rankings) respectively. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 1990 to 1996, winning numerous individual and relay medals at national and international competitions, and was the only swimmer to medal at both the World University Games and Pan Pacific Championships in 1993.
Notable international and national swimming competitions include:
In the years 1991 and 1992 Kondziolka attended the University of California, Berkeley
, on a full scholarship where he trained with Matt Biondi
.
He also attended and swam at The University of Lethbridge during the years 1993-1995 under tutelage of longtime coach Bill Barton.
He was chosen as the City of Mississauga athlete of the year in 1991 and subsequently elected to the celebrity book stacks at the Mississauga Library system, and chosen swimmer of the year in 1993-94 by Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
University of Lethbridge Athlete of the Year 1994-1995
Currently resides in Corpus Christi, Texas as a swim coach for the Coastal Bend All-stars and a professional photographer.
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
) is a Canadian swimmer.
He is a 7 Time National Champion and Canadian record holder in the 50 meter sprint and 100 meter freestyle, and is the first Canadian born swimmer to break 23 seconds in the 50 meter freestyle event.
Kondziolka began his swimming
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...
career at the Lakeshore Swim Club at the age of 9, shortly thereafter moving to the Mississauga Aquatic Club at age 11. Kondziolka, known as "Kondo," a shortened variation of his last name given to him by his coach and picked up by those in swimming circles, first broke on the national scene in 1986 at the age of 14, making national time standards in the sprint events, 50 and 100 meter freestyle. He was the youngest competitor (by two years) at the 1986 Canadian National Championships in Edmonton. He went on to compete in Holland and Germany as a member of the Junior National Teams in 1987 and 1988.
His first National Championship was attained in 1990 at the age of 17 (Summer nationals in Etobicoke Ontario) and highest rankings in the world were 1st (LC season, 1993 documented at the Sprint eliminator meet in Nantes, France) and 4th in the 50m freestyle (Speedo World Rankings) respectively. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 1990 to 1996, winning numerous individual and relay medals at national and international competitions, and was the only swimmer to medal at both the World University Games and Pan Pacific Championships in 1993.
Notable international and national swimming competitions include:
- World Cup Rome 1990
- FINA World Championships 1991 Perth, Australia
- FINA Swimming World CupFINA Swimming World CupThe FINA Swimming World Cup is an international series of short course swimming meets organized by FINA, the International Federation for swimming...
World Cup tour 1991 - 1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships1991 Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsThe fourth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in 1991 in Edmonton, Canada, in the Kinsmen Sports Center from August 22–25.-Men's events:-Women's events:-References:*...
, Edmonton, Canada - 1993 Summer Universiade1993 Summer UniversiadeThe 1993 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVII Summer Universiade, took place in Buffalo, New York, United States of America.-Medal table:-External links:*...
World University games 1993 Buffalo, New York (bronze) - Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsPan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsThe 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...
1993 Kobe, Japan (bronze) - FINA World Aquatics Championships Rome, Italy 1994
- Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsPan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsThe 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...
1995 Atlanta, Georgia - FISU Games (bronze)
- Canadian National Championships (7 time national title)
- Olympic Trials 1992 (gold)**, 1996 (silver)
In the years 1991 and 1992 Kondziolka attended 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...
, on a full scholarship where he trained with Matt Biondi
Matt Biondi
Matthew Nicholas Biondi is a three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Summer Olympics, winning a total of 11 medals...
.
He also attended and swam at The University of Lethbridge during the years 1993-1995 under tutelage of longtime coach Bill Barton.
He was chosen as the City of Mississauga athlete of the year in 1991 and subsequently elected to the celebrity book stacks at the Mississauga Library system, and chosen swimmer of the year in 1993-94 by Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
University of Lethbridge Athlete of the Year 1994-1995
Currently resides in Corpus Christi, Texas as a swim coach for the Coastal Bend All-stars and a professional photographer.