Doug Gjertsen

Last updated
Doug Gjertsen
Personal information
Full nameDouglas Seneca Gjertsen
Nickname"Doug"
National teamUnited States
Born (1967-07-31) July 31, 1967 (age 57)
Phillipsburg, New Jersey, U.S.
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
College team University of Texas at Austin
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1988 Seoul 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1988 Seoul 4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1992 Barcelona 4 × 200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Perth 4 × 100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Perth 4 × 200 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 200 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 4 × 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 4 × 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1989 Tokyo 100 m freestyle

Douglas Seneca Gjertsen (born July 31, 1967) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.

Gjertsen was the third member of the record-setting U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The American team of Troy Dalbey, Matt Cetlinski, Gjertsen and Matt Biondi set a new world record with a time of 7:12.51. He also received a bronze medal for swimming for the third-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the men's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. [1]

Four years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, he was the fourth member of the third-place U.S. team in the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay; the American team of Joe Hudepohl, Mel Stewart, Jon Olsen and Gjertsen won the bronze medal with a time of 7:16.23. Individually, he finished eighth in the final of the men's 200-meter freestyle, recording a time of 1:50.57. [1]

He attended the University of Texas at Austin, and swam for coach Eddie Reese's Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team. He was a three-time individual NCAA champion and a nine-time relay NCAA champion. He was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in September 2006.

Gjertsen is formerly the head coach of SwimAtlanta and is currently the head coach for Alamo Area Aquatics Association in San Antonio, Texas. He has served as the personal coach for one of the best Latvian swimmers, Andrejs Dūda. He currently serves as the personal coach for former American record holder Amanda Weir.

Gjertsen has been instrumental in the orchestration of the Atlanta Swim Across America event which he helped kickstart in 2015. Since 2015, the Atlanta event has raised over $3 million for cancer research, treatment, and development.

See also

Related Research Articles

Matthew Nicholas Biondi is an American former competitive swimmer and water polo player. As a swimmer, he is an eleven-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in five events. Biondi competed in the Summer Olympic Games in 1984, 1988 and 1992, winning a total of eleven medals. During his career, he set three individual world records in the 50-meter freestyle and four in the 100-meter freestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Montgomery (swimmer)</span> American swimmer

James Paul Montgomery is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Montgomery was the first man to break the 50-second barrier (49.99) in the 100-meter freestyle, at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, where he won three gold medals and one bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritza Correia</span> Puerto Rican swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, former world record-breaker

Maritza Correia, also known by her married name Maritza McClendon, is a former Olympic swimmer from Puerto Rico who swam representing the United States. When she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, she became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team. She was the first female African-American swimmer for the United States to win an Olympic medal. She also became the first black American swimmer to set an American and world swimming record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Hansen</span> American swimmer (born 1981)

Brendan Joseph Hansen is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. Hansen is a six-time Olympic medalist, and is also a former world record-holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events.

Neil Scott Walker is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder in multiple events.

Jon C. Olsen is an American former competition swimmer, four-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Olsen was a successful relay swimmer for the U.S. national team in the late 1980s and 1990s. He has won a total of 27 medals in major international competition, 20 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, Pan Pacific, and the Pan American championships.

Scott Daniel Goldblatt is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specialized in freestyle events. While swimming primarily in the lead position of the 4 x 200 freestyle relay, Goldblatt took a gold and silver in the 2000, and 2004 Olympics and a silver and bronze medal in the 2001 and 2003 World Aquatics Championships. He also performed well in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning several medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Davis (swimmer)</span> American swimmer (born 1972)

Joshua Clark Davis is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. Davis represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics.

Whitney Lynn Hedgepeth is an American former competition swimmer who won a gold and two silver medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Shaun M. Jordan is an American former competition swimmer who was highly successful as a member of the U.S. freestyle relay teams in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Steinseifer</span> American swimmer

Carolyn Lynne Steinseifer, later known by her married name Carolyn Bates, is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic champion. She won gold medals in the women's 100-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4x100-meter medley relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Troy Lane Dalbey is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrett Weber-Gale</span> American swimmer (born 1985)

Garrett Weber-Gale is an American competition swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and world record-holder in two events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Berens</span> American swimmer (born 1988)

Richard Berens is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and current world record-holder. As a member of the U.S. national team, he holds the world record in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He competed in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter freestyle relay events, as well as the individual 200-meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Thomas G. Hannan is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Walters (swimmer)</span> American swimmer

David Walters, also known as Dave Walters, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and world record-holder in the 4x200 meter freestyler relay. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Walters earned a gold medal by swimming in the heats of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. As part of the American team, he also formerly held the world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Walters is also a seven-time medalist at the World Aquatics Championships.

Jill Ann Sterkel is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, former world record-holder, and water polo player. Sterkel won four medals in three Olympic Games spanning twelve years from 1976 through 1988. She was the women's head coach of the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team at the University of Texas at Austin from 1993 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Conger</span> American swimmer (born 1994)

John Peet Conger is an American competition swimmer who specializes in butterfly and freestyle events. He is an Olympic gold medalist in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the current American record-holder in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:37.35.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townley Haas</span> American swimmer (born 1996)

Francis Townley Haas is a retired American competitive swimmer who specialized in freestyle events. He is an Olympic gold medalist in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Haas competed collegiately for the University of Texas at Austin from 2015 to 2019 under head coach Eddie Reese where he was a 10-time NCAA Champion, a 17-time All-American, and a 3-time NCAA team champion. He is the former American record-holder in the 200-yard freestyle (1:29.50) and represented the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League.

Andrew Patrick “Drew” Kibler is an American competition swimmer specializing in freestyle events. He is a world record holder in the short course 4×200 meter freestyle relay and a former American record holder in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay. He won a gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay each at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2022 World Short Course Championships and placed fourth in the event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He is an Olympic silver medalist in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the 200 meter freestyle, he took fourth-place at both the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2022 World Short Course Championships. He is also a three-time NCAA champion in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay, winning NCAA titles in the event in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 Sports-Reference.com, Olympic Sports, Athletes, Doug Gjertsen Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved November 11, 2012.