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Kristy Kowal

Kristina Ann Kowal (born October 9, 1978) is an American swimmer, Olympic medalist, World Champion, 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.[2][3] She was the first American woman to win a world championship title in the 100-meter breaststroke in 1998. During her career she held 8 American Records, and one World Record.

Kristy Kowal
Personal information
Full nameKristina Ann Kowal
Nickname"Kristy"
National team United States
Born (1978-10-09) October 9, 1978 (age 46)[1]
Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight146 lb (66 kg)
WebsiteKristyKowal.com
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubAthens Bulldog Swim Club
College teamUniversity of Georgia
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 1 0
World Championships (LC) 2 2 0
Pan Pacific Championships 1 1 3
Total 3 4 3
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
200 m Breaststroke (OG/WC) 0 3 0
100m Breaststroke (OG/WC) 1 0 2
50m Breaststroke (OG/WC) 0 1 0
Women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay (OG/WC) 1 0 0
Total 2 4 2
Women's swimming
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 200 m breaststroke
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1998 Perth 200 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2001 Fukuoka 50 m breaststroke
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 200 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Fukuoka 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Sydney 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Yokohama 200 m breaststroke

Kowal helped her college team, the Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team of the University of Georgia (UGA), win two NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. She was the NCAA swimmer of the year in 1999 and 2000. Kowal was the first American woman to break the one-minute barrier in the 100-yard breaststroke. She won eight NCAA titles and 10 U.S. Swimming national titles. During her college career she held 8 American and one world record. In 2000, she was named NCAA Woman of the Year and she was recipient of the Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 2001, which honors eight senior student-athletes each year. She graduated from UGA in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed). She holds a maters degree in Elementary Education.

Kowal became a member of the United States Swimming Team in 1995 at the age of 16. Kowal was an also alternate on the 1996 Olympic team in the 100 meter breaststroke, the 2000 Olympic team in the 100 meter breaststroke, and the 2004 Olympic team in the 200 meter breaststroke. She is now an Elementary School Teacher.[4]

She was inducted into the Pennsylvania Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009, the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, University of Georgia's Circle of Honor in 2012 and the Georgia Aquatic Hall of Fame in 2013.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Olympedia - Kristy Kowal". Olympedia. December 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Olympedia – Swimming at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics, Women's 200 metres Breaststroke". Olympedia. December 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Kristy Kowal". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "Elementary School Teacher Kristy Kowal". December 30, 2022.
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