Allison Wagner
Encyclopedia
Allison Marie Wagner is a former American college and international swimmer
, Olympic
silver medal
ist and world record-holder.
. Her parents required her and her two brothers to participate in sports. Her brothers picked American football and soccer; she attempted ballet, softball and soccer before discovering that she was good at swimming. At the age of 7, she began her competition swimming career in Berlin, Germany, where her father was stationed in the U.S. Army. After her father retired from Army service, her family moved to Gainesville, and she attended the International Baccalaureate program at Eastside High School
in Gainesville. While in high school, Wagner swam for the Eastside swim team for one semester, and trained for national and international competition with the Florida Aquatics club team under coach Kevin Thornton.
in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Her winning time in the 200-meter medley (2:07.79) stood as the world record in the event for over fourteen years until Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry
broke it at the World Short Course Championships in April 2008 in Manchester, England, when Coventry clocked 2:06.13.
Swimming World
magazine named Wagner as its American Swimmer of the Year
in January 1994—when she was only 16 years old. At the 1994 U.S. long-course championships held in August 1994, she won the national titles in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley events, as well as the 200-meter breaststroke.
Wagner graduated early from high school to accept an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, where she swam for coach Chris Martin and coach Kevin Thornton's Florida Gators swimming and diving teams in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1995 to 1998. As a Gator swimmer, she won seven Southeastern Conference
(SEC) titles and the 1995 NCAA title in the 400-meter individual medley. Wagner was named the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and the Gators' Most Valuable Swimmer in 1996, and received eleven All-American honors.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, Georgia
, Wagner won the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley
, finishing second behind Ireland's Michelle Smith
. Four days later, she swam in the 200-meter individual medley and finished sixth.
On several occasions during Wagner's career, she was beaten in major championships by swimmers who were highly-suspected or later proven to be users of banned performance-enhancing substances. Besides Michelle Smith in the 1996 Olympics, Wagner finished second behind China's Dai Guohong in the 1993 Short Course World Championships (200-meter individual medley) and China's Lü Bin
at the 1994 Worlds (both 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley). Dai never failed a drug test, but Lu tested positive a few weeks after beating Wagner. Nevertheless, Lu was allowed to keep her 200-meter individual medley gold medal.
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
ist and world record-holder.
Early years
Wagner was born in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. Her parents required her and her two brothers to participate in sports. Her brothers picked American football and soccer; she attempted ballet, softball and soccer before discovering that she was good at swimming. At the age of 7, she began her competition swimming career in Berlin, Germany, where her father was stationed in the U.S. Army. After her father retired from Army service, her family moved to Gainesville, and she attended the International Baccalaureate program at Eastside High School
Eastside High School (Gainesville, Florida)
Eastside High School is a public school in East Gainesville, FL, USA. It was opened in 1970 and is managed by the Alachua County School District...
in Gainesville. While in high school, Wagner swam for the Eastside swim team for one semester, and trained for national and international competition with the Florida Aquatics club team under coach Kevin Thornton.
Swimming career
Wagner won the gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley and the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships1993 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 1st FINA Short Course World Championships were held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from December 2 until December 5, 1993. PR China won the most gold medals, although all of their ten came in the women's events, with Le Jingyi winning two individual and three relay events to travel home with five...
in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Her winning time in the 200-meter medley (2:07.79) stood as the world record in the event for over fourteen years until Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Coventry
Kirsty Leigh Coventry is a Zimbabwean swimmer and world record holder. She attended and swam competitively for Auburn University in Alabama, in the United States...
broke it at the World Short Course Championships in April 2008 in Manchester, England, when Coventry clocked 2:06.13.
Swimming World
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
magazine named Wagner as its American Swimmer of the Year
Swimming World Swimmers of the Year
The Swimming World Magazine Swimmers of the Year, awarded by the American-based Swimming World Magazine, are a set of awards which are often regarded as being the most prestigious in the sport of swimming...
in January 1994—when she was only 16 years old. At the 1994 U.S. long-course championships held in August 1994, she won the national titles in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley events, as well as the 200-meter breaststroke.
Wagner graduated early from high school to accept an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, where she swam for coach Chris Martin and coach Kevin Thornton's Florida Gators swimming and diving teams in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1995 to 1998. As a Gator swimmer, she won seven Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) titles and the 1995 NCAA title in the 400-meter individual medley. Wagner was named the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and the Gators' Most Valuable Swimmer in 1996, and received eleven All-American honors.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The swimming competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, United States, which was built for the Games...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Wagner won the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley
Medley swimming
Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
, finishing second behind Ireland's Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith is a retired Irish swimmer and practising Irish barrister. She was a triple gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley...
. Four days later, she swam in the 200-meter individual medley and finished sixth.
On several occasions during Wagner's career, she was beaten in major championships by swimmers who were highly-suspected or later proven to be users of banned performance-enhancing substances. Besides Michelle Smith in the 1996 Olympics, Wagner finished second behind China's Dai Guohong in the 1993 Short Course World Championships (200-meter individual medley) and China's Lü Bin
Lü Bin (swimmer)
Lü Bin is a former female freestyle and medley swimmer from China. Her best performance was winning the silver medal in the 4×100 m freestyle at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.-References:...
at the 1994 Worlds (both 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley). Dai never failed a drug test, but Lu tested positive a few weeks after beating Wagner. Nevertheless, Lu was allowed to keep her 200-meter individual medley gold medal.
Life after competition swimming
Wagner retired from competition swimming in 2000, but attempted a comeback in 2006–2007.See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians
External links
- allisonwagner.com – Allison Wagner's official website.