Elizabeth Beisel
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Beisel is an American college and international swimmer
who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Beisel has won a total of four medals in major international competition, three gold, and one bronze spanning the World and the Pan Pacific
championships.
in 1992, the daughter of Ted and Joan Beisel. She is a 2010 graduate of North Kingstown High School
in North Kingstown, Rhode Island
, and accepted an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where she swims for coach Gregg Troy
's Florida Gators swimming and diving team, having enrolled in August 2010.
. She did not make it past the semifinals and placed twelfth overall in the 200-meter backstroke.
in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:32.87. Hoff went on to set the world record in that race. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished second to Margaret Hoelzer
, who set the world record.
As a 15-year-old, Beisel was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Swim team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Beisel clocked the best time in the preliminary of the 400-meter individual medley, and finished fourth in the final with a time of 4:34.24. She had the second fastest time in the semifinals of the 200-meter backstroke, and finished fifth in the final.
with a time of 4:36.31. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished first with a time of 2:08.80. Margaret Hoelzer, the Olympic silver medalist in Beijing, finished in third.
In her first event at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished third in the final with a time of 2:06.39, just missing Hoelzer's American record of 2:06.09. In the 400-meter individual medley final, Beisel placed fifth.
At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
, Beisel won two gold medals. Her first gold medal came in the 400-meter individual medley, in which she finished first with a time of 4:34.69. It was three seconds faster than the second place finisher and was Beisel's first international gold medal. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel won her second gold medal with a time of 2:07.83.
in Shanghai
, Beisel competed in two events, the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter individual medley. After qualifying third in both the heats (2:08.40) and semifinals (2:07.82) of the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished in fifth place in the final with a time of 2:08.16. In her second and final event the 400-meter individual medley, Beisel won the gold in a time of 4:31.78. In the heats, Beisel posted the top qualifying time with a 4:34.95. Her nearest competitor, Hannah Miley
, was over two seconds behind. This was Beisel's first individual title at a World Aquatics Championships. After the race, Beisel said, "It was a very good surprise, and I just try to do my best to win medals."
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...
who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Beisel has won a total of four medals in major international competition, three gold, and one bronze spanning the World and the Pan Pacific
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...
championships.
Personal background
Beisel was born in Saunderstown, Rhode IslandSaunderstown, Rhode Island
Saunderstown is a small village and historic district in the towns of Narragansett and North Kingstown in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States....
in 1992, the daughter of Ted and Joan Beisel. She is a 2010 graduate of North Kingstown High School
North Kingstown High School
North Kingstown Senior High School is a public secondary school located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The school, which serves grades 9–12, is attended by residents of both North Kingstown and Jamestown...
in North Kingstown, Rhode Island
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 26,486 at the 2010 census. The famous American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in the village of Saunderstown, located in the southern region of North Kingstown....
, and accepted an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend 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...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where she swims for coach Gregg Troy
Gregg Troy
Gregg Troy is an American college and Olympic swimming coach. He is the current head coach of the Florida Gators swimming and diving teams of the University of Florida; the Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference . ...
's Florida Gators swimming and diving team, having enrolled in August 2010.
2007 World Championships
At the age of 14, Beisel competed in the 2007 World ChampionshipsSwimming at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
The swimming competition at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 25 March to 1 April.Morning/heats sessions began at 10:00 a.m., with the evening sessions beginning at 7:00 p.m. All events were contested in a long-course pool...
. She did not make it past the semifinals and placed twelfth overall in the 200-meter backstroke.
2008 Summer Olympics
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, Beisel finished second to Katie HoffKatie Hoff
Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...
in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:32.87. Hoff went on to set the world record in that race. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished second to Margaret Hoelzer
Margaret Hoelzer
Margaret Hoelzer is an American swimmer who competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.-Biography:...
, who set the world record.
As a 15-year-old, Beisel was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Swim team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Beisel clocked the best time in the preliminary of the 400-meter individual medley, and finished fourth in the final with a time of 4:34.24. She had the second fastest time in the semifinals of the 200-meter backstroke, and finished fifth in the final.
2009 World Championships
At the 2009 National Championships, Beisel competed in four individual events and qualified to swim in two events. In the 400-meter individual medley, Beisel barely finished ahead of Julia SmitJulia Smit
Julia Elizabeth Smit is an American swimmer and two-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley ....
with a time of 4:36.31. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished first with a time of 2:08.80. Margaret Hoelzer, the Olympic silver medalist in Beijing, finished in third.
In her first event at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished third in the final with a time of 2:06.39, just missing Hoelzer's American record of 2:06.09. In the 400-meter individual medley final, Beisel placed fifth.
2010 Pan Pacific Championships
At the 2010 National Championships, Beisel competed in two events. In the 400-meter individual medley, the defending national champion could only manage 4th place. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel defended her national title finishing first with a time of 2:08.50.At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22....
, Beisel won two gold medals. Her first gold medal came in the 400-meter individual medley, in which she finished first with a time of 4:34.69. It was three seconds faster than the second place finisher and was Beisel's first international gold medal. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel won her second gold medal with a time of 2:07.83.
2011 World Aquatics Championships
At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships2011 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...
, Beisel competed in two events, the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter individual medley. After qualifying third in both the heats (2:08.40) and semifinals (2:07.82) of the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished in fifth place in the final with a time of 2:08.16. In her second and final event the 400-meter individual medley, Beisel won the gold in a time of 4:31.78. In the heats, Beisel posted the top qualifying time with a 4:34.95. Her nearest competitor, Hannah Miley
Hannah Miley
Hannah Louise Miley is a British and Scottish individual medley swimmer. She currently swims for GASC . She is the reigning European 400m individual medley champion in both long course and short course formats...
, was over two seconds behind. This was Beisel's first individual title at a World Aquatics Championships. After the race, Beisel said, "It was a very good surprise, and I just try to do my best to win medals."
Personal bests (long course)
.| Event | Time | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m backstroke | 2:06.39 | 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... |
August 1, 2009 |
| 400 m individual medley | 4:31.78 | 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... |
July 31, 2011 |
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida Olympians