Katharine Berkoff (born January 28, 2001) is an American swimmer who won four medals at the World Championships.
Berkoff was born in 2001. [1] She is the daughter of Shirley Gustafson and David Berkoff, a former swimmer who won four medals at the Summer Olympics. [2]
Berkoff grew up in Missoula, Montana, and attended Hellgate High School. [3]
Berkoff competed at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in August. She won the silver medal in the 100 m backstroke and the bronze medal in the 200 m backstroke. [4]
In July 2019, Berkoff competed at the 2019 Summer Universiade. She won the gold medal in the 100 m backstroke and broke the meet record. Then, she finished fourth in the 50 m backstroke. In the women's 4 × 100 m medley relay, she won a gold medal. [5]
Berkoff attends North Carolina State University. She started competing on their swimming team in her freshman year of 2019–20. [6]
Berkoff competed at the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships in March. She won the gold medal in the 100 y backstroke and finished sixth in the 200 y backstroke. Berkoff won gold medals in the women's 200 y medley relay and the women's 400 y medley relay. She won a bronze medal in the women's 200 y freestyle relay. [6]
In June, Berkoff competed at the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials and finished fourth in the 100 m backstroke. [5]
In December, Berkoff competed at the 2021 World Championships (25 m). In the women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, she swam in the heats and the final, winning a gold medal. In the women's 4 × 50 m medley relay, she swam in the heats, and the American team finished second in the final, earning her a silver medal. In the 100 m backstroke, Berkoff won the bronze medal. In the mixed 4 × 50 m medley relay, she swam in the heats, and the American team finished second in the final, earning her a silver medal. In the women's 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, she swam in the heats, and the American team finished second in the final, earning her a silver medal. In the women's 4 × 50 m freestyle relay, she swam in the heats and the final, winning a gold medal. In the women's 4 × 100 m medley relay, she swam in the heats and the final, helping the American team finish fourth. [5]
Berkoff competed at the 2022 NCAA Division I Championships in March. She won the gold medal in the 100 y backstroke while breaking the NCAA record. She also won the bronze medal in the 100 y freestyle. Berkoff won silver medals in the women's 200 y medley relay and the women's 400 y medley relay. She won a bronze medal in the women's 200 y freestyle relay. [6]
In April, Berkoff competed at the 2022 U.S. International Team Trials. She won the gold medal in the 50 m backstroke, breaking the American record. She also finished fourth in the 100 m backstroke. [5]
In June, Berkoff competed at the 2022 World Championships and won the silver medal in the 50 m backstroke. [5]
Berkoff competed at the 2023 NCAA Division I Championships in March. She won the silver medal in the 100 y backstroke. She also finished fifth in the 50 y freestyle and fifth in the 100 y freestyle. Berkoff won silver medals in the women's 200 y medley relay and the women's 400 y medley relay. [6]
In June, Berkoff competed at the 2023 U.S. National Championships. She won the gold medal in the 50 m backstroke and won the silver medal in the 100 m backstroke. [5]
In July, Berkoff competed at the 2023 World Championships. In the 100 m backstroke, she won the bronze medal. In the mixed 4 × 100 m medley relay, she swam in the heats, and the American team finished third in the final, earning her a bronze medal. In the 50 m backstroke, Berkoff finished fifth. In the women's 4 × 100 m medley relay, she swam in the heats, and the American team finished first in the final, earning her a gold medal. [5]
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