Rhi Jeffrey

Last updated

Rhi Jeffrey
Personal information
Full nameRhiannon Jeffrey [1]
Nickname"Rhi"
National teamFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1986-10-25) October 25, 1986 (age 38)
Delray Beach, Florida
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight198 lb (90 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
ClubAtlantis Aquatics
College team University of Southern California
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2003 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle
Pan Pacifics
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Yokohama 4x100 freestyle

Rhiannon Jeffrey (born October 25, 1986 [2] ) is a former [3] American swimmer who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Contents

Swimming career

Jeffrey began swimming at the age of six, [3] and won eight Florida state titles while in high school at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach, Florida. She was named state swimmer of the year four years in a row by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. [4] In 2003, for her senior year at Atlantic, she was joined on the swim team by her younger sister Kirstie. [4]

Jeffrey's first taste of international success was at the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships where she swam on the U.S. 4x100 freestyle relay team that took a silver medal. [2] While still a senior in high school, she won two gold medals in the 2003 World Aquatics Championships; swimming as part of the U.S. teams in both the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays. [5]

Jeffrey was highly recruited, [6] and chose to go across the country to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. [2] Just two weeks before the 2004 United States Olympic Trials, Jeffrey was hospitalized with an abscessed tonsil; [3] she recovered in time to take 4th place in the 200 metre freestyle at the competition, and earn a spot on the 4x200 metre relay team in Athens. [2] In Athens she swam in the preliminary heats of the 4x200 freestyle relay, and when the U.S. team won the final, she was awarded a gold medal. [2]

Justin Wright Controversy

While training in New Zealand, Jeffrey, who was 24 at the time, entered into a relationship with a teammate named Justin Wright, who was 17. The story generated significant controversy and media attention [7] . Wright's parents withdrew their consent for him to continue to train, including not paying his dues to Swimming New Zealand. Wright, in what local media members consider to be a legal precedent, won permission from a court to become a member of Swimming New Zealand "against his parents' wishes.", and moved out of their house and in with Jeffrey. Their planned wedding was called off a year later. [8]

Retirement

In 2007, Jeffrey left USC and gave up swimming four months before the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics. [3] She relocated to Salem, Massachusetts, and took a job with Apple Inc. Jeffrey is currently the head swim coach for the Atlantis Aquatics swim team in Portsmouth, NH. https://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=176697&team=necsc [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Women's Sports Net - Olympic Aquatics". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Player Bio:Rhi Jeffrey - University of Southern California" . Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "USA Swimming- 20 Questions with Rhi Jeffrey" . Retrieved December 28, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 Robb, Sharon (September 3, 2003). "Jeffrey Sisters Are Siblings Unrivaled". Orlando Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  5. ↑ "FINA Official Championship Results History – Swimming (women)" (PDF). Retrieved December 28, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "USC Signs Pair Of Top-Flight Swimmers". November 18, 2003. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Olympic Gold Medalist Rhi Jeffrey, Justin Wright in Controversial Relationship in New Zealand". July 11, 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Wedded Bliss on Hold for Swim Stars". September 8, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
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