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Amanda Weir

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Amanda Weir
Weir in June 2011
Personal information
Full nameAmanda Jo Weir
National team United States
Born (1986-03-11) March 11, 1986 (age 38)
Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight165 lb (75 kg)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
College team

Amanda Jo Weir (born March 11, 1986) is an American competition swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, world champion, and former world record-holder. She was a member of the 2004 and 2012 United States Olympic teams, winning two silver medals at the 2004 Games and a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics[1] and a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Career

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Born in Davenport, Iowa, Weir started swimming while the family lived in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Weir holds many of the sprint freestyle age-group records for USA Swimming, setting her first record at age 12 in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.17 seconds.[2] She attended Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia, and led the Brookwood swim team to four consecutive Georgia Class 5A state championships.[3]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Weir swam the third leg for the U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Leading after her leg of the relay, the U.S. team finished second to the Australians, setting an American record with their finishing time. Weir also earned a silver medal by swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay and helping her team qualify for the final.

Weir enrolled as a freshman at the University of Georgia in 2004,[4] where her team dominated the 2005 NCAA championships; Weir anchored four of the unprecedented five winning Georgia relay teams. She was recognized as the Atlanta Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2005. Weir left the University of Georgia after her first year and transferred to the University of Southern California in 2006.[5] After a single semester at USC, Weir decided to end her college swimming career to begin swimming professionally.

At the 2006 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championship, Weir broke the American record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 53.58.

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Weir made the U.S. Olympic team for the second time by finishing fifth in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 54.41,[6] which qualified her to swim in the 4×100-meter freestyle as a member of the U.S. relay team. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she earned a bronze medal as a member of the U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

In 2016, she won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Relation to Burl Ives

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Amanda Weir is the great niece of Burl Ives.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Amanda Weir". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "11 12". www.usaswimming.org. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Weir leads Brookwood to 4 straight". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 22, 2004. p. D1. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Pinkston, Buddy (August 31, 2004). "Q&A / Amanda Weir: 'I know I did my part; I was really happy with it'". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "Daily Briefing". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 14, 2005. p. JJ6. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  6. ^ OmegaTiming.com, 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, Women's 100m Freestyle (final) Archived July 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  7. ^ "Team USA - Amanda Weir". www.teamusa.org/. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015.
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