Competitive Swimming

Hello Everyone! Most of my life has been about pursuing my Olympic dreams and challenging myself physically and mentally. I love having the opportunities to learn more about working out, quality of movement, efficiency, and any ways to get faster in the pool!

My mom had me on the pool deck before I could even walk! At a young age swimming became my love, my life, and my passion.

At 12 years old I was the youngest competitor at the 2000 Olympic Trials. While I was a competitive little one, I had no idea what swimming had in store for me and would have never imagined that it would eventually be my professional career. Since 2001 I have had the honor of being one of the top female swimmers in the United States and, as of late, the world. In that time span I have racked up many airline miles and numerous accolades in the pool, most notably four Olympic gold medals including an individual world record on the sport’s biggest stage.

My first taste of gold was as a 16 year-old at the 2004 Athens Games, my United States team won the 800m freestyle relay. However, my major breakthrough came this past summer at the 2012 London Games. I added three gold medals, setting a world record en route to capturing the gold in the 100-meter butterfly.

Now the journey begins to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games!

A Day in the Clinic

January 27, 2014

I keep hearing scar tissue, knots, more scar tissue and knots…. this is good news! These are fixable! What’s frustrating is to hear that most of these ailments are not from my original injury; they have developed from many years in the sport of swimming.

Success in London: Path to Rio

January 21, 2014

Recovering and re-establishing my health has become the first step on my latest 4-year journey. I have to wonder, if I put my body first, training in ways that are healthy and give my body the chance to work like it was designed to work, doesn’t it seem logical that better race performance would follow? This approach makes sense to me!

Making the World Championship Team!

July 25, 2013

1st goal: get onto the USA’s World Championship swimming team
2nd goal: to then work to defend my World Championships title!
Goal one accomplished!

My Approach to the 2013 Season

July 21, 2013

It’s been a crazy season for me. Coming off of the Olympics, taking some time off, and then getting back into training only a few months before the big World Championship Trials. During my time away from the pool this fall I had time to really think about my life and my swimming career.

First 100 Fly since the London Olympics

May 7, 2013

When I think about London and my world record swim of 55.9, I realize that my first swim back is a little off, 58.9, so 3 seconds off to be exact, and that’s a lot in swimming. But I was happy to be in the water racing, happy to be learning and feeling new things in my butterfly, and I’m excited to start making the journey back to the 55 second mark, and hopefully surpass it!!