Sheila Taormina

Last updated
Sheila Taormina
Personal information
Full nameSheila Christine Taormina
National teamFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1969-03-18) March 18, 1969 (age 55)
Livonia, Michigan
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Weight119 lb (54 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
College team University of Georgia
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1996 Atlanta 4×200 m freestyle
Universiade
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Sheffield 400 m medley
Women's triathlon
Representing the United States
ITU World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Madeira Elite
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2003 Santo Domingo Elite

Sheila Christine Taormina (born March 18, 1969) [1] is an American former athlete who competed at four Olympics (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008), and was the first woman to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports (swimming, triathlon and modern pentathlon). [2] At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She was inducted in 2009 into the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame, [3] and in 2015 into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Contents

Personal life

Born in 1969, Taormina is one of eight children, and is a twin. For a year in 2002-2003 she was subject to stalking resulting in five years' probation for the stalker then, after he violated probation by the continued stalking of Taormina, up to five years in prison. [4]

Swimmer

While swimming for the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team, Taormina earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1992 and a Master of Business Administration in 1994 from the University of Georgia (UGA). She captained Georgia's 1991 team, won All-America honors all four years of her collegiate career and won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title in the 400-meter individual medley as a senior. She was the first UGA swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal and the first UGA athlete to make the Olympic team in multiple sports. [5]

Triathlete

Taormina competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She took sixth place with a total time of 2:02:45.91. Her split times were 19:02.78 for the swim, 1:06:24.30 for the cycling, and 0:37:18.83 for the run.

In 2004, Taormina won the ITU Triathlon World Championship title while residing in Clermont, Florida. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she again competed in the triathlon. Her time was 2:09:21.08 as she finished in 23rd place.

Modern pentathlon

After Athens, Taormina embarked on a new sport, the modern pentathlon, winning the women's senior division of the 2005 Pan American Championships. She was successful in qualifying in the modern pentathlon for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, making her the first female athlete to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports. Taormina finished 19th in the 2008 Olympic event.

Teaching and writing

Taormina has dedicated time to teaching, coaching and conducting seminars around the world and has authored three top-selling guides: Swim Speed Secrets, Swim Speed Workouts, and Swim Speed Strokes. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triathlon</span> Swimming, cycling, and distance running race

A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the disciplines included. The word is of Greek origin, from τρεῖς, 'three', and ἆθλος, 'competition'.

'Kara Lynn Joyce, is an American former competition swimmer and four-time Olympic silver medalist. She competed as a member of the United States Olympic Team at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Van Dyken</span> American Olympic champion swimmer (b. 1973)

Amy Deloris Van Dyken-Rouen is an American former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, former world record-holder, and national radio sports talk show co-host. She won six Olympic gold medals in her career, four of which she won at the 1996 Summer Olympics, making her the first American woman to accomplish such a feat and the most successful athlete at the 1996 Summer Olympics. She won gold in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and 4×100-meter medley relay.

Kristina Ann Kowal is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Kowal represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, winning the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. She was the first American woman to win a world championship title in the 100-meter breaststroke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Bulldogs</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of University of Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The official mascot is an English Bulldog named Uga,, while the costumed character version of Uga is Hairy Dawg. Most of the school's athletic teams are known as the Bulldogs, with the exception of the women's basketball team, known as the "Lady Bulldogs", and the women's gymnastics team, known as the "GymDogs".

Jack Bauerle is the former head coach of the University of Georgia (UGA) men's and women's swimming teams. He served as coach for the 2020 US Olympic Swim Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Cristina Teuscher is an American former freestyle and medley swimmer who was a member of the U.S. women's relay team that won the gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Her winning teammates were Jenny Thompson, Trina Jackson and Sheila Taormina. Four years later, while captain of the U.S. women's team, she captured the bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Trina Marie Jackson, also known by her married name as Trina Falca, is an American former competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson won a gold medal as a member of the first-place U.S. team in the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay, together with teammates Jenny Thompson, Cristina Teuscher and Sheila Taormina. The four Americans set a new Olympic record of 7:59.87 in the event final. She missed a bronze in the individual 200 freestyle by just 0.01 to Dagmar Hase.

Kimberly "Kim" Black is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by the American team and 65 other countries in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing (310 men and 286 women), and competed in all Olympic sports except handball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving</span> NCAA swimming and diving team representing the University of Georgia.

The Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team represents the University of Georgia (UGA) in NCAA men's and women's swimming and diving. Also known as the "Swim Dawgs," the teams compete at Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Georgia, USA. The women have won seven NCAA national championships. Jack Bauerle is the head coach over both the men's and women's swimming teams. Dan Laak is the head diving coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe at the 2008 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Zimbabwe sent a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Mohler</span> American swimmer

Mary Elizabeth Mohler is an American former competition swimmer and former world record-holder in the Women's 200-meter butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allison Schmitt</span> American swimmer (born 1990)

Allison Rodgers Schmitt is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. She is a four-time Olympian and a ten-time Olympic medalist.

Heather Fell is a former British modern pentathlete turned triathlete. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal in the women's modern pentathlon event.

Logan Reid Patterson was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Aya Medany is an Egyptian modern pentathlete. She made her Olympic début at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, as the youngest competitor both in the Egyptian team and competing in the pentathlon.

Rhiannon Leier is a Canadian former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. She is a multiple-time Canadian record holder, a two-time finalist at the FINA World Championships, and a six-time NCAA All-American honoree. She also won a bronze medal, as a member of the Canadian swimming team, in the women's 4x100-metre medley relay at the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Japan, clocking at 4:05.59. Leier is also the granddaughter of former baseball player, track athlete, and ice hockey player Edward Leier, who played two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League.

Gretchen Gotay Cordero is a Puerto Rican former swimmer, who specialized in freestyle and backstroke events. She won a total of four medals in both freestyle and medley relays at the Central American and Caribbean Games. She is a member of Athens Bulldogs Swim Club under her personal coach Harvey Humphries, and a graduate with a master's degree in sports management at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Deborah Muir is a Canadian former synchronized swimmer and coach. She began her career with the Calgary Aquabelles club in 1965 and won silver medals in the synchronized swimming team competitions at both the 1971 Pan American Games and the 1973 World Aquatics Championships. At age 20, Muir retired from competition and began a career in coaching. She coached swimmers of the Calgary Aquabelles to 22 national titles over a decade. She also helped athletes clinch medals in the World Aquatics Championships, the FINA Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games. Muir has won various awards for her coaching career, and is an inductee of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

References

  1. "Sheila Taormina". Beijing2008.cn. Archived from the original on 2008-09-08.
  2. Merrill, Elizabeth (August 22, 2008). "Taormina takes solace in knowing she didn't quit on her Olympic dream". ESPN . Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  3. Endurance Planet. "Hall of Fame Podcast: Sheila Taormina". teamusa.org. USA Triathlon. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  4. Maese, Rick (July 18, 2004). "Hunted". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. Magill, Dan (August 8, 2000). "Taormina ready for Sydney triathlon". OnlineAthens.com. Athens Banner-Herald. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
  6. "Sheila Taormina". velopress.com. Velo Press. Retrieved 24 August 2019.