Tyler Clary
Encyclopedia
Scott Clary (born March 12, 1989) is an American swimmer
. Clary currently holds the American record in the 400-yard individual medley. He also holds the NCAA Division I record in the 200-yard backstroke and the 400-yard individual medley.
He has won a total of ten medals in major international competition, seven silver, and three bronze spanning the World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships
, and the Pan American Games
.
, where he won four medals and was named the top male performer of the meet.
At the 2007 Pan American Games
, Clary won the silver in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing behind Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira
. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Clary placed third in the 200-meter backstoke and fourth in the 400-meter individual medley.
' American record in the 400-yard individual medley. One day later, he broke Ryan Lochte
's NCAA record in the 200-yard backstroke.
At the 2009 National Championships, Clary placed second in both the 200-meter butterfly (1:53.64) and 400-meter individual medley (4:06.96), qualifying to swim both events at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships
in Rome
. Clary also placed third in both the 200-meter backstroke (1:54.53) and 200-meter individual medley (1:57.25).
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Clary placed second to Ryan Lochte
in the 400-meter individual medley final with a time of 4:07.31. Clary also placed fifth in the 200-meter butterfly final with a time of 1:54.45. For his performance, Clary was awarded the breakout performer of the year award at the 2009 Golden Goggles Awards.
At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
, Clary won three silver medals, all behind Lochte. In the 400-meter individual medley, Clary recorded a time of 4:09.5, behind Lochte's 4:07.59. In the 200-meter backstroke, Clary finished second in a time of 1:54.90. In the 200-meter individual medley, Clary had a strong comeback to overtake Thiago Pereira for the second position, and finished with a time of 1:57.61. Clary also placed 7th in the 200-meter butterfly. By posting the second-best American performances from either Nationals or Pan Pacs in the 400-meter individual medley, 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly, Clary has qualified to compete in those events at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships
.
At the end of 2010, Clary competed at the 2010 FINA Short Course World Championships
in Dubai
, where he won silver in the 200-meter backstroke and bronze in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley.
in Shanghai
, Clary competed in three events and won two medals, a silver and a bronze. In his first event, the 200-meter butterfly, Clary did not advance past the semifinals, posting a time of 1:56.01 and finishing ninth overall. In the 200-meter backstroke, Clary finished in third place behind Ryan Lochte
and Ryosuke Irie
with a time of 1:54.69. At the 150-meter mark, Clary was in second place behind Lochte but Irie was able to overtake him for the silver medal. After the race, Clary said, "I won the bronze medal, but that's not what I had expected ... I feel a bit disappointed." In his last event, the 400-meter individual medley, Clary finished second to Lochte with a time of 4:11.17, defending his silver medal from 2009. After the race, Clary said, "This is my second world championships ... Technically, I'm a better swimmer and am more confident. I'll be working on being ready for next summer."
in Riverside, California
. Clary competed for three years at the University of Michigan
where he was a three-time NCAA champion, having won the 400-yard individual medly in 2009 and 2010 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2009. Clary was the 2009 NCAA Swimmer of the Year and is a eleven-time All-American. Clary turned professional in 2010, forgoing his final season at Michigan. Prior to a legal name change in late 2006/early 2007, Clary went by the name of Scott Flowers, which he used for the majority of his junior career. Clary says he changed his name to honor his stepfather, who has "always been there for me".
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...
. Clary currently holds the American record in the 400-yard individual medley. He also holds the NCAA Division I record in the 200-yard backstroke and the 400-yard individual medley.
He has won a total of ten medals in major international competition, seven silver, and three bronze spanning the World Championships, 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 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...
.
Early career
Going by the name Scott Flowers, Clary competed at the 2006 Youth Worlds2006 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships
The I FINA World Youth Swimming Championships, more commonly referred to within the swimming community as the 2006 Youth Worlds, were held August 22–27, 2006, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
, where he won four medals and was named the top male performer of the meet.
At the 2007 Pan American Games
2007 Pan American Games
The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to July 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic Committees competed in 332 events in 34 sports and in...
, Clary won the silver in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing behind Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira
Thiago Pereira
Thiago Machado Vilela Pereira is an international competition swimmer from Brazil. He became known in his native country after winning the silver medal in the 200 m individual medley at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2003.Pereira's biggest success came one year...
. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Clary placed third in the 200-meter backstoke and fourth in the 400-meter individual medley.
2009
On March 27, 2009, Clary broke Michael PhelpsMichael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions...
' American record in the 400-yard individual medley. One day later, he broke Ryan Lochte
Ryan Lochte
Ryan Steven Lochte is an American swimmer and a six-time Olympic medalist . As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay...
's NCAA record in the 200-yard backstroke.
At the 2009 National Championships, Clary placed second in both the 200-meter butterfly (1:53.64) and 400-meter individual medley (4:06.96), qualifying to swim both events 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...
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...
. Clary also placed third in both the 200-meter backstroke (1:54.53) and 200-meter individual medley (1:57.25).
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Clary placed second to Ryan Lochte
Ryan Lochte
Ryan Steven Lochte is an American swimmer and a six-time Olympic medalist . As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay...
in the 400-meter individual medley final with a time of 4:07.31. Clary also placed fifth in the 200-meter butterfly final with a time of 1:54.45. For his performance, Clary was awarded the breakout performer of the year award at the 2009 Golden Goggles Awards.
2010
At the 2010 National Championships, Clary finished second to Lochte in the 400-meter individual medley, and third in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter backstroke.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....
, Clary won three silver medals, all behind Lochte. In the 400-meter individual medley, Clary recorded a time of 4:09.5, behind Lochte's 4:07.59. In the 200-meter backstroke, Clary finished second in a time of 1:54.90. In the 200-meter individual medley, Clary had a strong comeback to overtake Thiago Pereira for the second position, and finished with a time of 1:57.61. Clary also placed 7th in the 200-meter butterfly. By posting the second-best American performances from either Nationals or Pan Pacs in the 400-meter individual medley, 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly, Clary has qualified to compete in those events 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...
.
At the end of 2010, Clary 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 he won silver in the 200-meter backstroke and bronze in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley.
2011
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...
, Clary competed in three events and won two medals, a silver and a bronze. In his first event, the 200-meter butterfly, Clary did not advance past the semifinals, posting a time of 1:56.01 and finishing ninth overall. In the 200-meter backstroke, Clary finished in third place behind Ryan Lochte
Ryan Lochte
Ryan Steven Lochte is an American swimmer and a six-time Olympic medalist . As part of the American team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay...
and Ryosuke Irie
Ryosuke Irie
is a Japanese backstroke swimmer. He is a Kinki University student in Osaka.-History:He was born in Osaka prefecture and started his actual swimming carrier in his junior high school years. In 2005 he won the national high school championships in 200 meter backstroke when he was a first year grade...
with a time of 1:54.69. At the 150-meter mark, Clary was in second place behind Lochte but Irie was able to overtake him for the silver medal. After the race, Clary said, "I won the bronze medal, but that's not what I had expected ... I feel a bit disappointed." In his last event, the 400-meter individual medley, Clary finished second to Lochte with a time of 4:11.17, defending his silver medal from 2009. After the race, Clary said, "This is my second world championships ... Technically, I'm a better swimmer and am more confident. I'll be working on being ready for next summer."
Personal
Clary began swimming at the age of eight during a water safety class. Clary is a 2007 graduate of Riverside Polytechnic High SchoolRiverside Polytechnic High School
Riverside Polytechnic High School is a four-year public high school in Riverside, California, United States, and part of the Riverside Unified School District...
in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. Clary competed for three years at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he was a three-time NCAA champion, having won the 400-yard individual medly in 2009 and 2010 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2009. Clary was the 2009 NCAA Swimmer of the Year and is a eleven-time All-American. Clary turned professional in 2010, forgoing his final season at Michigan. Prior to a legal name change in late 2006/early 2007, Clary went by the name of Scott Flowers, which he used for the majority of his junior career. Clary says he changed his name to honor his stepfather, who has "always been there for me".
Personal bests (long course)
.| Event | Time | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m backstroke | 1:54.53 | Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S... |
July 11, 2009 |
| 200 m butterfly | 1:53.64 | Indianapolis | July 8, 2009 |
| 200 m individual medley | 1:57.25 | Indianapolis | July 10, 2009 |
| 400 m individual medley | 4:06.96 | Indianapolis | July 7, 2009 |