Rebecca Soni
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Soni is an American breaststroke
swimmer
and three-time (one gold, two silver) Olympic
medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke (short course) and is a former world-record holder in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke (long course).
Soni has won a total of nineteen medals in major international competition, twelve gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, the Universiade
, and the Pan Pacific
Championships. She burst onto the international scene at the 2008 Summer Olympics
where she won two silver medals and one gold. In the 200 m breaststroke at the Olympics, she set the world record en route to winning gold, shocking Australian favourite Leisel Jones
. She won Swimming World
s World Swimmer of the Year award in 2010 and 2011, and the American Swimmer of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
in 1987, the daughter of Péter and Kinga Sőni. Soni's parents are of Hungarian descent; they emigrated from Cluj-Napoca
, Romania
in the 1980s. Her father works in real estate
and her mother is a nurse. Besides English
, Soni also speaks Hungarian
. Soni has one older sister, Rita, who is also a swimmer. Originally a gymnast
, Soni began swimming at the age of ten. Soni is a 2005 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Soni attended the University of Southern California
and graduated in 2009. She majored in Communication
at the Annenberg School for Communication
. At USC, Soni was a six-time NCAA Champion, having won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2006 through 2009 and the 100-yard breastroke in 2008 and 2009. Soni currently swims for the Trojan Swim Club in Los Angeles
with coach Dave Salo, who also coaches breaststroke world-record holder Jessica Hardy
. In July 2010, in an interview, Soni admitted that she was having a relationship with fellow 2008 Olympian, Ricky Berens
. In August 2010, Soni became a spokeswoman for the United Nations Foundation
's Girl Up campaign. The organization focuses on improving the lives of the world’s adolescent girls.
team after finishing third in the 200 m breaststroke behind Tara Kirk
and Kristen Caverly
. Soni also placed 4th in the 100 m breaststroke. At the 2005 Summer Universiade
, Soni earned her first international medals by winning silver in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke and gold in the 4×100 m medley relay. At the 2006 FINA World Swimming Championships, Soni finished in 4th place in the 200 m breaststroke. Just a fews weeks before the 2006 National Championships, Soni underwent a procedure called radiofrequency ablation
to help regulate her heartbeat
. Although it was not health-threatening, Soni would sometimes experience a high heart rate
which sometimes interfered with her training. At the 2006 National Championships, the selection meet for the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
and the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
, Soni finished 10th overall in both the 100 and 200 m breaststroke.
withdrew from the team and third-place finisher Tara Kirk
missed the entry deadline, Soni was chosen to swim the event. Soni earned her berth by being the swimmer already on the team with the fastest time in the event since January 1, 2006. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni won with a time of 2:22.60, the third-fastest finish as of that date.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
, Soni won a silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke, finishing behind world record holder Leisel Jones
of Australia
1:06.73 to 1:05.17. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni upset the heavily favored Jones, winning the gold medal and breaking Jones's world record with a time of 2:20.22. Jones finished second with a time of 2:22.05. After the race, Soni said, "It's been a long road to get here, I can't believe what just happened." Soni then combined with Natalie Coughlin
, Christine Magnuson
, and Dara Torres
in the 4×100 m medley relay to finish second behind Australia. Soni had the second best split time in the field (1:05.95) behind Jones (1:04.58).
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships
, held in Rome, Soni set a meet record in the heats of the 100 m breaststroke, with a time of 1:05.66. In the semifinal, Soni recorded a time of 1:04.84 to set a new world record and become the first female to finish under 1:05 for the event. In the final of the 100 m breaststroke, Soni won the gold with a time of 1:04.93. Despite being the favorite in the 200 m breaststroke, Soni went out too fast in the first half of the race and faded in the final meters, ultimately placing fourth. In the 50 m breaststroke, Soni was narrowly beaten for the gold and the world record by 2/100 of a second by Russian
swimmer Yuliya Yefimova.
Soni then competed at the 2009 Duel in the Pool
, a short course meet held in December at Manchester
. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni broke Leisel Jones' world record with a time of 2:14.57. One day later, Soni swam a 1:02.70 in the 100 m breaststroke to break Jones' world record of 1:03.00.
For her performance in 2009, she was named the American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
.
in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni won in a time of 1:05.73. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni easily won with a time of 2:21.60, almost five seconds ahead of second place finisher Amanda Beard
.
At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Soni won a total of three gold medals. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni recorded the third fastest time in history with a 1:04.93 to win the gold medal ahead of Australians Leisel Jones and Sarah Katsoulis
. Her time was also the fastest ever recorded in a textile swimsuit. Two days after the 100 m breaststroke, Soni then competed in the 200 m breaststroke and the 4×100 m medley relay. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni dominated the field with a time of 2:20.69. Leisel Jones came in second in 2:23.23 and world record holder Annamay Pierse
came in third with a time of 2:23.65. Less than an hour after the event, Soni competed in the 4×100 m medley relay with Natalie Coughlin
, Dana Vollmer
and Jessica Hardy
. Performing the breastroke leg, Soni recorded a time of 1:05.35, the fastest in the field; the American team went on to win the gold in a time of 3:55.23.
At the end of 2010, Soni competed at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
in Dubai
, where she won three gold medals and one silver. Soni swept all the breaststroke events and individually set four championship records.
At year's end, Soni was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.
. In her second event, the 200 m breaststroke, Soni won with a time of 2:21.47, her first gold medal in the event at a long course World Championships. However, her time in the final was slightly slower than her semifinal time of 2:21.03. In the 4×100 m medley relay, Soni won gold with Natalie Coughlin
, Dana Vollmer
, and Missy Franklin
with a time of 3:52.36, over three seconds ahead of second-place finisher China. Swimming the breaststroke leg, Soni had a split of 1:04.71. 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. In her last event, the 50 m breaststroke, Soni finished in third place behind Jessica Hardy
and Yuliya Yefimova.
At year's end, Soni was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
.
Key: WR = World record
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimmer
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 three-time (one gold, two silver) 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...
medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke (short course) and is a former world-record holder in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke (long course).
Soni has won a total of nineteen medals in major international competition, twelve gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, the Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
, 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. She burst onto the international scene 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...
where she won two silver medals and one gold. In the 200 m breaststroke at the Olympics, she set the world record en route to winning gold, shocking Australian favourite Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
. She won Swimming World
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
s World Swimmer of the Year award in 2010 and 2011, and the American Swimmer of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Personal
Soni was born in Freehold Borough, New JerseyFreehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,052. It is the county seat of Monmouth County....
in 1987, the daughter of Péter and Kinga Sőni. Soni's parents are of Hungarian descent; they emigrated from Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in the 1980s. Her father works in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and her mother is a nurse. Besides English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Soni also speaks Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
. Soni has one older sister, Rita, who is also a swimmer. Originally a gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
, Soni began swimming at the age of ten. Soni is a 2005 graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Soni attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and graduated in 2009. She majored in Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
at the Annenberg School for Communication
USC Annenberg School for Communication
The USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism comprises a School ofCommunication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California . It is led by Dean Ernest J. Wilson III, Ph.D....
. At USC, Soni was a six-time NCAA Champion, having won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2006 through 2009 and the 100-yard breastroke in 2008 and 2009. Soni currently swims for the Trojan Swim Club in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with coach Dave Salo, who also coaches breaststroke world-record holder 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 ....
. In July 2010, in an interview, Soni admitted that she was having a relationship with fellow 2008 Olympian, Ricky Berens
Ricky Berens
Richard Berens is an American Olympic swimmer.-Career:At the 2007 Pan American Games, Berens won a gold medal in the 4x100 m medley, and silver medals in both the 4x100 m freestyle and 4x200 m freestyle relays.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Berens won the gold medal in the men's 4x200 m freestyle...
. In August 2010, Soni became a spokeswoman for the United Nations Foundation
United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation started up in 1998 with a $1 billion grant from Ted Turner in order to support the United Nations in executing its programs worldwide. The creation of the Foundation was intended to encourage other donors to also support the UN in its activities...
's Girl Up campaign. The organization focuses on improving the lives of the world’s adolescent girls.
Early career
As a 17-year-old at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Soni finished 15th overall in the 100 m breaststroke and 11th overall in the 200 m breaststroke. The following year, at the 2005 World Championship Trials, Soni just missed a spot on the 2005 World Aquatic2005 World Aquatics Championships
The 2005 World Aquatics Championships or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005...
team after finishing third in the 200 m breaststroke behind Tara Kirk
Tara Kirk
Tara Kirk is a former American swimmer who specialized in the breaststroke and Olympic silver medalist. She is a former world record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke ....
and Kristen Caverly
Kristen Caverly
Kristen Joanne Caverly is a retired Olympic-level swimmer from the United States. Caverly competed in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 Olympic Games, where she placed 17th in the preliminaries, just missing a place in the semifinals. Caverly won a silver medal on the international stage at the...
. Soni also placed 4th in the 100 m breaststroke. At the 2005 Summer Universiade
2005 Summer Universiade
The 2005 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIII Summer Universiade, took place in İzmir, Turkey.-Emblem:The emblem is the letter “U”, inspired by the bird’s-eye view of the Gulf of İzmir.This shape has perfectly fit the letter “U” of Universiade,...
, Soni earned her first international medals by winning silver in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke and gold in the 4×100 m medley relay. At the 2006 FINA World Swimming Championships, Soni finished in 4th place in the 200 m breaststroke. Just a fews weeks before the 2006 National Championships, Soni underwent a procedure called radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation
Radio frequency ablation is a medical procedure where part of the electrical conduction system of the heart, tumor or other dysfunctional tissue is ablated using the heat generated from the high frequency alternating current to treat a medical disorder...
to help regulate her heartbeat
Cardiac cycle
The cardiac cycle is a term referring to all or any of the events related to the flow or blood pressure that occurs from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The frequency of the cardiac cycle is described by the heart rate. Each beat of the heart involves five major stages...
. Although it was not health-threatening, Soni would sometimes experience a high heart rate
Heart rate
Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute . Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep....
which sometimes interfered with her training. At the 2006 National Championships, the selection meet for the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The tenth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in 2006 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from August 17–20. Six world records were tallied compared to one from the 2002 edition. This edition was slower than it would have been because of the...
and 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...
, Soni finished 10th overall in both the 100 and 200 m breaststroke.
2008 Summer Olympics
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Soni competed in two events, the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni finished fourth in a time of 1:07.80. Usually, the top two finishers would qualify for the Olympics. However, after second-place finisher Jessica HardyJessica 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 ....
withdrew from the team and third-place finisher Tara Kirk
Tara Kirk
Tara Kirk is a former American swimmer who specialized in the breaststroke and Olympic silver medalist. She is a former world record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke ....
missed the entry deadline, Soni was chosen to swim the event. Soni earned her berth by being the swimmer already on the team with the fastest time in the event since January 1, 2006. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni won with a time of 2:22.60, the third-fastest finish as of that date.
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...
, Soni won a silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke, finishing behind world record holder Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
1:06.73 to 1:05.17. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni upset the heavily favored Jones, winning the gold medal and breaking Jones's world record with a time of 2:20.22. Jones finished second with a time of 2:22.05. After the race, Soni said, "It's been a long road to get here, I can't believe what just happened." Soni then combined 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...
, Christine Magnuson
Christine Magnuson
Christine Marie Magnuson is an American swimmer and two-time Olympic medalist.She has won a total of five medals in major international competition, four silvers, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships.-Personal:Magnuson went to high school...
, and Dara Torres
Dara Torres
Dara Grace Torres is an American international swimmer and a twelve-time Olympic medalist. Torres was the first swimmer from the United States to compete in five Olympic Games , and, at age 41, the oldest swimmer ever to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team...
in the 4×100 m medley relay to finish second behind Australia. Soni had the second best split time in the field (1:05.95) behind Jones (1:04.58).
2009
At the 2009 National Championships Soni competed in two events, the 100 and 200 m breaststroke. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni easily won with a time of 1:05.34. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni again exhibited dominance by finishing first with a time of 2:20.38, just off her world record pace.At the 2009 World Aquatics 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...
, held in Rome, Soni set a meet record in the heats of the 100 m breaststroke, with a time of 1:05.66. In the semifinal, Soni recorded a time of 1:04.84 to set a new world record and become the first female to finish under 1:05 for the event. In the final of the 100 m breaststroke, Soni won the gold with a time of 1:04.93. Despite being the favorite in the 200 m breaststroke, Soni went out too fast in the first half of the race and faded in the final meters, ultimately placing fourth. In the 50 m breaststroke, Soni was narrowly beaten for the gold and the world record by 2/100 of a second by Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
swimmer Yuliya Yefimova.
Soni then competed at the 2009 Duel in the Pool
2009 Duel in the Pool
The 2009 Duel in the Pool was a swimming competition between a team from the United States and a combined British, German and Italian "E-Stars" team held on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December 2009 at the Manchester Aquatics Centre, United Kingdom...
, a short course meet held in December at Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni broke Leisel Jones' world record with a time of 2:14.57. One day later, Soni swam a 1:02.70 in the 100 m breaststroke to break Jones' world record of 1:03.00.
For her performance in 2009, she was named the American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
.
2010
At the 2010 National Championships, Soni qualified to compete at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships2010 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....
in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni won in a time of 1:05.73. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni easily won with a time of 2:21.60, almost five seconds ahead of second place finisher Amanda Beard
Amanda Beard
Amanda Ray Beard is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist . She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststroke ....
.
At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Soni won a total of three gold medals. In the 100 m breaststroke, Soni recorded the third fastest time in history with a 1:04.93 to win the gold medal ahead of Australians Leisel Jones and Sarah Katsoulis
Sarah Katsoulis
Sarah Jane Katsoulis is an Australian swimmer.She won a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.-External links:...
. Her time was also the fastest ever recorded in a textile swimsuit. Two days after the 100 m breaststroke, Soni then competed in the 200 m breaststroke and the 4×100 m medley relay. In the 200 m breaststroke, Soni dominated the field with a time of 2:20.69. Leisel Jones came in second in 2:23.23 and world record holder Annamay Pierse
Annamay Pierse
Annamay Pierse is a Canadian swimmer. She grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and currently attends the University of British Columbia and resides permanently in Vancouver, British Columbia....
came in third with a time of 2:23.65. Less than an hour after the event, Soni competed in the 4×100 m medley 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...
, Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer
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...
and 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 ....
. Performing the breastroke leg, Soni recorded a time of 1:05.35, the fastest in the field; the American team went on to win the gold in a time of 3:55.23.
At the end of 2010, Soni competed at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 10th FINA World Championships was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 15–19 December 2010. This swimming-only championships took place in the Dubai Sports Complex; all events were swum in a 25-meter pool....
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, where she won three gold medals and one silver. Soni swept all the breaststroke events and individually set four championship records.
At year's end, Soni was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.
2011 World Championships
Soni won her first gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke. After posting the top times times in the heats (1:05.54) and semifinals (1:04.91), Soni recorded a time of 1:05.05 in the final for the win. Her winning time was over a second ahead of second place finisher Leisel JonesLeisel Jones
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
. In her second event, the 200 m breaststroke, Soni won with a time of 2:21.47, her first gold medal in the event at a long course World Championships. However, her time in the final was slightly slower than her semifinal time of 2:21.03. In the 4×100 m medley relay, Soni 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...
, Dana Vollmer
Dana Vollmer
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...
, 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 breaststroke leg, Soni had a split of 1:04.71. 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. In her last event, the 50 m breaststroke, Soni finished in third place behind 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 Yuliya Yefimova.
At year's end, Soni was named the World Swimmer of the Year and American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
.
Personal bests
.| Event | Time | Venue | Date | Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m breaststroke (long course) | 30.11 | 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 2, 2009 | |||
| 100 m breaststroke (long course) | 1:04.84 | Rome | July 27, 2009 | |||
| 200 m breaststroke (long course) | 2:20.22 | Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... |
August 15, 2008 | |||
| 50 m breaststroke (short course) | 29.83 | Dubai Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi... |
December 16, 2010 | |||
| 100 m breaststroke (short course) | 1:02.70 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
December 19, 2009 | WR | ||
| 200 m breaststroke (short course) | 2:14.57 | Manchester | December 18, 2009 | WR | ||
Key: WR = World record
External links
- USA Swimming athlete bio: Rebecca Soni
- USC profile for Rebecca Soni
- Arena Swimming profile for Rebecca Soni