Claire Christine Donahue (born January 12, 1989) is an American competition swimmer. She won two gold medals at the
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...
and finished second at the 2011
National Championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
in the 100-meter butterfly. She earned a gold medal for swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay at the
2012 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Donahue was born January 12, 1989, to Christopher and Connie Donahue in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
.
As a young child, her family moved to
Lenoir City, Tennessee
Lenoir City is a suburban city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,117 at the 2020 Census. It is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area in the state's eastern region, along the Tennessee River southwest of K ...
, where she grew up. She has three siblings (Audrey, Zack, and Dean), and graduated from
Lenoir City High School
Lenoir City is a suburban city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,117 at the 2020 Census. It is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area in the state's eastern region, along the Tennessee River southwest of Kn ...
.
In high school, she was a four-year
letterwinner in swimming, a three-year letterwinner in track and field, and a two-year letterwinner in
cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...
.
Swimming career
After high school, she attended
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
.
In her first year, she broke the school record in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly.
She was a letterwinner all four years of her college career, setting five school records in the process. As a senior, she was named "2011 WKU Student Athlete of the Year."
Donahue graduated from WKU with a
BS in
social work in May 2011.
Donahue qualified for the
2008 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, but did not advance out of the opening round in either event.
In 2010, Donahue finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly at the
NCAA Championships
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
. In 2011, she finished second at the Championships in the same event.
She went to the
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...
where she won the gold in the 100-meter butterfly and as part of the 4×100-meter
medley relay.
At the 2011
National Championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
, she took second place in 100-meter butterfly and 11th in the 200-meter butterfly.
At the
2012 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, the U.S. qualifying event for the Olympics, Donahue turned in a new personal best in the 100-meter butterfly finals clocking a time of 57.57.
Her time was significantly slower than
Dana Vollmer
Dana Whitney Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is a former American competition swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United States ...
who won the event with a time of 56.50, but was good enough for second place, qualifying her for the Olympics. "It feels unbelievable to make it to the 2012 Olympics," she remarked. "When I finished and saw that I was second, I did not even know what to think. At first I didn't believe it."
She also competed in the 200-meter butterfly, where she failed to advance past the opening round.
At the
2012 Summer Olympics in London, she turned in a personal best time of 57.42 seconds during the semi-finals of the
100-meter butterfly and advanced to the finals. In the finals, she swam the race in 57.48 en route to a seventh-place finish.
"My goal was actually just to get in the finals, and once I got that it was just kind of icing on the cake being able to compete in the finals", she remarked. "So I'm thrilled. I'm so happy with how I've done."
Later at the games, she swam the butterfly leg of the
4×100-meter medley relay for the U.S. team during the preliminary heats.
Her teammates won the relay final, earning Donahue a gold medal.
In recognition of her success at the Olympic Games, her hometown, Lenoir City, Tennessee dedicated a new public swimming pool in her honor as the Claire Donahue Aquatic Center.
Donahue is coached by WKU swimming head coach Bruce Marchionda.
Donahue also trains temporarily at
South Florida Aquatic Club.
Athlete Development Program
Claire Donahue created her Athlete Development program in 2018. Services offered by the program include Online Classes, Swim Lessons, Public Speaking, and Swim Clinics. She created this program to help athletes that need help with the mental aspects of the sport and also to bring awareness to mental health in sports.
See also
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List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
This is the complete list of women's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Current program
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
2 ...
*
WKU Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Donahue, Claire
1989 births
Living people
American female butterfly swimmers
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
People from Lenoir City, Tennessee
Swimmers at the 2011 Pan American Games
Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Western Kentucky Lady Toppers swimmers
Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
World record holders in swimming
Sportspeople from Dallas
Sportspeople from Tennessee
Pan American Games medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games