Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Marshall Wildman-Tobriner (born September 21, 1984 in San Francisco, California
) is a competitive swimmer and was until recently a member of the Stanford
Men's Swim team.
Wildman-Tobriner was born in San Francisco to parents Michael Tobriner and Stephanie Wildman. He grew up in San Francisco with his parents and older sister, Rebecca "Becky" Wildman-Tobriner (born November 25, 1980). Wildman-Tobriner's paternal grandfather, Mathew Tobriner
, served as a California Supreme Court
Justice
for 20 years. He is currently a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco
.
where he was a four-year varsity swimmer, and three-time MVP. While in high school he received numerous All-America
n awards for swimming excellence, as well as setting the California North Coast Sectional
record in the 50 yards (45.7 m) freestyle and achieving the second fastest time for a 17–18 year-old male in the 50-meter freestyle in the United States. After graduating Lick-Wilmerding, Wildman-Tobriner attended Stanford University
where, as well as swimming all four years, he graduated in 2007 as a Biomechanical Engineer.
where he won the 50-meter freestyle in a time of 21.88 seconds. He had the former American Record in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 18.87 seconds. He currently has 1 NCAA gold medal for the 400 Medley Relay (2005) as well as more than a dozen All-Americans and Pac-10 championships.
In December 2007, Wildman-Tobriner injured his left pectoral
tendon, completely separating it from the humerus
bone. After surgery, he resumed training, at first swimming using only his right arm, with his left arm in a sling. By May, 2008, he had recovered enough to compete again, finishing fourth in a race in Santa Clara.
On July 3, 2008, Wildman-Tobriner qualified for the Olympic relay team as the second alternate in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In Beijing, during the evening preliminary heats on August 10, he became a member of the World Record 4x100m freestyle relay (3:12.23) by swimming the third leg in a time of 48.03. The next day, Wildman-Tobriner earned a gold medal (but lost the world record) when Jason Lezak
swam down Alain Bernard
in the final leg of the relay's final in world record time.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is a competitive swimmer and was until recently a member of the Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Men's Swim team.
Wildman-Tobriner was born in San Francisco to parents Michael Tobriner and Stephanie Wildman. He grew up in San Francisco with his parents and older sister, Rebecca "Becky" Wildman-Tobriner (born November 25, 1980). Wildman-Tobriner's paternal grandfather, Mathew Tobriner
Mathew Tobriner
Mathew Oscar Tobriner was an Associate Justice on the California Supreme Court from July 1962–January 1982. An appointee of Democratic Governor Pat Brown, he had worked as a labor lawyer until 1959, when Brown appointed him to the California Court of Appeal. After three years on the Court...
, served as a California Supreme Court
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
Justice
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
for 20 years. He is currently a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
.
Early development
He began his career swimming for a local recreational team called Swimarin in the Marin Swim League until the age of 12. Even at that age, he managed to set several team, pool and league records and become recognized for his talents. Around the age of 12, he joined the Fog City Hammerheads Swim Team under the instruction of the notable coach, Matthew "Berto" Roberto. He attended Lick-Wilmerding High SchoolLick-Wilmerding High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School is a college-preparatory high school located in San Francisco, California, United States.-History:Lick-Wilmerding was founded on September 21, 1874 as the California School of Mechanical Arts by a trust by James Lick. George Merrill was hired to manage the school as the...
where he was a four-year varsity swimmer, and three-time MVP. While in high school he received numerous All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n awards for swimming excellence, as well as setting the California North Coast Sectional
North Coast Section
The North Coast Section is a part of the California Interscholastic Federation, governing the eastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, up along the northern coast of the state of California, from Fremont in the south to Crescent City in the north. It also governs the private schools in the...
record in the 50 yards (45.7 m) freestyle and achieving the second fastest time for a 17–18 year-old male in the 50-meter freestyle in the United States. After graduating Lick-Wilmerding, Wildman-Tobriner attended Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
where, as well as swimming all four years, he graduated in 2007 as a Biomechanical Engineer.
Career
Wildman-Tobriner is most famous for his achievements in the 50-meter freestyle. In the spring on 2007, he competed in the World ChampionshipsSwimming at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships
The swimming competition at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 25 March to 1 April.Morning/heats sessions began at 10:00 a.m., with the evening sessions beginning at 7:00 p.m. All events were contested in a long-course pool...
where he won the 50-meter freestyle in a time of 21.88 seconds. He had the former American Record in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 18.87 seconds. He currently has 1 NCAA gold medal for the 400 Medley Relay (2005) as well as more than a dozen All-Americans and Pac-10 championships.
In December 2007, Wildman-Tobriner injured his left pectoral
Pectoralis major muscle
The pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the chest of the body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles in the male and lies under the breast in the female...
tendon, completely separating it from the humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
bone. After surgery, he resumed training, at first swimming using only his right arm, with his left arm in a sling. By May, 2008, he had recovered enough to compete again, finishing fourth in a race in Santa Clara.
On July 3, 2008, Wildman-Tobriner qualified for the Olympic relay team as the second alternate in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In Beijing, during the evening preliminary heats on August 10, he became a member of the World Record 4x100m freestyle relay (3:12.23) by swimming the third leg in a time of 48.03. The next day, Wildman-Tobriner earned a gold medal (but lost the world record) when Jason Lezak
Jason Lezak
Jason Edward Lezak is an American Olympic swimmer, winner of 4 Olympic gold medals.He formerly swam for Irvine Novaquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club...
swam down Alain Bernard
Alain Bernard
Alain Bernard is a French swimmer from Aubagne, Bouches-du-Rhône.Bernard won three medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics. After competing on the silver medal-winning French 4×100 m relay team, Bernard won the gold medal in the men's 100 m freestyle event.He held the same 100 m...
in the final leg of the relay's final in world record time.
External links
- Official website
- USA Swimming athlete bio: Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner
- Biography from United States Olympic Committee
- Biography from NBC Olympics