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

Rhi Jeffrey
Personal information
Full nameRhiannon Jeffrey[1]
Nickname"Rhi"
National team United States
Born (1986-10-25) October 25, 1986 (age 37)
Delray Beach, Florida
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight198 lb (90 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubAtlantis Aquatics
College teamUniversity of Southern California
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2003 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle
Pan Pacifics
Silver medal – second place 2002 Yokohama 4x100 freestyle

Swimming career edit

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]

Retirement edit

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 edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Women's Sports Net - Olympic Aquatics". Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Player Bio:Rhi Jeffrey - University of Southern California". Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e "USA Swimming- 20 Questions with Rhi Jeffrey". Retrieved 28 December 2009.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ a b Robb, Sharon (September 3, 2003). "Jeffrey Sisters Are Siblings Unrivaled". Orlando Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  5. ^ "FINA Official Championship Results History – Swimming (women)" (PDF). Retrieved 28 December 2009.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "USC Signs Pair Of Top-Flight Swimmers". November 18, 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2009.

External links edit