Career

At the 2010 National Championships, the selection meet for both 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....

 and 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...

, Bootsma placed third in the 100 m backstroke. At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Bootsma earned a bronze medal in the 50 m backstroke, tying with Emily Thomas of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and Fabiola Molina

Fabíola Molina

Fabíola Pulga Molina is a butterfly and backstroke swimmer from Brazil, who competed at the 2000 and 2008 Olympics....

 of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

Bootsma currently attends Eden Prairie High School

Eden Prairie High School

Eden Prairie High School is a four-year public high school located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The present high school opened in 1981 and was significantly added to in 1990, 1994 and 1997. Eden Prairie High School has been graduating students for over seventy years. The school was named a Blue...

 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Eden Prairie, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 per square mile...

. On November 20, 2010, Bootsma set the national high school record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 51.53, bettering Cindy Tran's record of 51.85. On October 16, 2011 at 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...

, she broke the games' record in the 100 metres backstroke with a swift time of 1:00.37. Bootsma, one of the best backstroke sprinters in the world, clocked a 29.56 on the way out before closing out the win with a 30.81 final 50 meters. The previous record was held by Elizabeth Pelton

Elizabeth Pelton

Elizabeth Anne Pelton is an American swimmer.-2009:At the 2009 USA Nationals and World Championship Trials, Pelton placed second in the 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, and 200 m individual medley, earning berths on the US roster for the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome...

.

In the fall of 2012, Bootsma will attend the University of California - Berkeley.

Personal bests

.

Event	Time	Date
100 m backstroke (long course)	59.65	August 2011
200 m backstroke (long course)	2:18.08	August 2009

External links

• USA Swimming athlete bio: Rachel Bootsma