Melanie M. Valerio (born May 7, 1969) is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist.

Melanie Valerio
Personal information
Full nameMelanie M. Valerio
National team United States
Born (1969-05-07) May 7, 1969 (age 55)
Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight146 lb (66 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
College teamUniversity of Virginia
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 4×100 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Kobe 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 4x200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1997 Fukuoka 4x100 m freestyle

Valerio was born in Campbell, Ohio and graduated from the Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio. Afterward, she attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she swam for the Virginia Cavaliers swimming and diving team.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Valerio earned a gold medal by swimming for the winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Valerio races Ironman and is an elite age-group member of the Timex Multisport Team. She often blogs her races and training for Timex.[1].

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References

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