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Janet Evans
- Three-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996), captain of the 1996 team
- 1988 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m, 800m freestyle and 400m individual medley
- 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 800m freestyle, silver in the 400m freestyle
- Three-time World Swimmer of the Year (1987,1989,1990), four-time American Swimmer of the Year (1987, 1989-1991)
- Chosen as the 1996 Atlanta Games Olympic stadium torchbearer with Muhammad Ali
- Won three gold medals at the 1993 Short Course World Championships and a gold and bronze medal at the 1994 World Championships
- Took home two gold medals (400m, 800m freestyle) and a silver medal (200m freestyle) at the 1991 World Championships
- Has a total of seven world records and is the only female swimmer to hold three World records concurrently (400m, 800m, 1,500m freestyle) set in 1987
- Won 12 Pan Pacific gold medals in four Pan Pacific Championships
- Dominated the 1987 U. S. National Championships by winning the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle and the 400m IM and became the first woman to break the 16 minute barrier for 1,500 meters
- Claimed seven U.S. National titles in 1989, which earned her the Sullivan Award and the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sportswoman of the Year award
- Won 45 U.S. National titles
- Set six American records in the 400m, 500m, 800m, 1000m, 1500m and 1650m freestyle
- Retired in 1996 and now coaches, speaker and commentator at meets
- Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001, International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004
- Started competitive swimming as a child … by age 3 she could swim at least half of an IM and by age 11 she was setting National Age Group records in the longer
An active child who loved swimming became known as
America
’s Sweetheart and the Distance Diva. In her 11 year career, Evans won 25 of 27 major international races at the 400m freestyle and 22 of 23 at the 800m freestyle. She still holds the world records for the 400m, 800m and the1,500m freestyle set in 1988 and 1989.
Evans
was a coach's dream, always trained hard, never complained and focused on improving.
On her straight arm swimming style: “My straight-arm recovery was natural," said Evans to Swimming Technique magazine. “I really couldn't swim it any other way. I think I developed it when I was a kid, and I wanted to get down the pool the fastest. I figured the fastest way to get to the other end was to turn my arms over as fast as I could.”
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Height: 5’ 5”
Born: 8/28/1971
Hometown: Placentia, Calif.
Resides: Pasadena, Calif.
Sport: Swimming
Event: Freestyle |
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