Conor James Dwyer (born January 10, 1989) is a former American competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. He competed in freestyle and medley events, and won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In total, he has won seventeen medals in major international competitions: nine gold, six silver, and two bronze spanning the Summer Olympics, the

FINA World Championships The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by FINA, and all swimming events a ...

, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games. Dwyer placed second at the 2016 US Olympic Swimming Trials in the 400m freestyle. On 11 October 2019 it was announced by the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

that Dwyer had failed a series of anti-doping tests in late 2018. It had been found that he had banned anabolic steroids, namely testosterone in the form of pellets, surgically inserted into his body. Dwyer was banned for 20 months and was expected to miss the 2020 Summer Olympics before the outbreak of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He announced his retirement from competitive swimming shortly after the suspension was announced.

Early years

Dwyer was born in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

, the son of Patrick and Jeanne Dwyer.GatorZone.com, Men's Swimming & Diving, 2010–11 Roster
Conor Dwyer
. Retrieved July 9, 2012. His mother was an All-American swimmer for the Florida State Seminoles swimming team and continues to teach swimming lessons to this day.USA Swimming, National Team Bios
Conor Dwyer
. Retrieved July 9, 2012. Dwyer is the second oldest of five children in his family, including PJ, Pati, Brendan, and his twin brother Spencer. Spencer is a personal trainer who has trained the likes of Chance the Rapper. He grew up in

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

, and attended Loyola Academy, a Catholic high school in

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

, where he swam for the Loyola Academy Ramblers high school swim team for four years. As a senior team captain, he was the league champion in the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.03) and runner-up in 500-yard freestyle (4:45.15), received all-section and all-league honors, and was his team's most valuable swimmer. In addition to swimming, he played baseball, lacrosse and water polo. In water polo, he earned third-team all-state and first-team all-section, all-region and all-league honors. He graduated from Loyola in 2007.

Swimming career

Collegiate

Dwyer first attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

and swam for the Iowa Hawkeyes swimming and diving team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association 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 ...

(NCAA) and

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

competition during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. After his second year, he transferred to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, where he swam for coach

Gregg Troy Gregg Troy (born December 19, 1950) is an American professional and Olympic swimming coach. As of April 2021, he is the head coach for the Cali Condors, which is part of the International Swimming League. Until 2018, he was the head coach of the ...

Florida Gators swimming and diving The Florida Gators swimming and diving program represents the University of Florida in the aquatics sports of swimming and diving. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Coll ...

team in NCAA and

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) competition during the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2011–12 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 59, 61, 63, 67, 69, 72, 74, 77, 78, 80 (2011). Retrieved July 9, 2012. In 2010, he won individual titles at the NCAA national championships in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle, and was honored as the NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 2010 and 2011. Dwyer was named SEC Swimmer of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. Dwyer finished his college career with twelve All-American honors and three NCAA titles (two individual and one relay). He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2011.

2010–11

At the 2010 ConocoPhillips United States National Championships in Irvine, California, Dwyer qualified for the U.S. national team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay by finishing fifth in the 200-meter freestyle. Dwyer also placed fifth in the 200-meter individual medley and sixth in the 400-meter freestyle. At the

2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synch ...

in Shanghai, China, Dwyer swam in the heats of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay and earned a gold medal when the United States won in the final. Teaming with

David Walters David Lee Walters (born November 20, 1951) is an American politician who was the 24th governor of Oklahoma from 1991 to 1995. Born in Canute, Oklahoma, Walters was a project manager for Governor David Boren and the youngest executive officer ...

, Ricky Berens, and

Peter Vanderkaay Peter William Vanderkaay (born February 12, 1984) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in middle-distance freestyle events and is a four-time Olympic medalist. He was a member of the United States Olympic team in 2004, 2008, ...

, Dwyers swam the second leg and recorded a time of 1:47.31. At the 2011 ConocoPhillips United States National Championships in Palo Alto, California, Dwyer won the 200-meter individual medley and placed second in the 400-meter individual medley. Shortly after the 2011 National Championships, Dwyer competed 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, ...

held in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the competition, he won four medals (one gold, three silver) which included two individual silver medals.

2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, the qualifying meet for the Olympics, Dwyer made the U.S. Olympic team for the first time by finishing second behind

in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:47.83. During the last 100 meters of the 400-meter freestyle, he split a 56.81 seconds that helped him edge out

Michael Klueh Michael Klueh (born March 15, 1987) is an American competition swimmer. He is a four-time medalist (three gold, one silver) at the World Championships. He is also an eight-time medalist (four gold, two silver, two bronze) at the World Universi ...

and

Charlie Houchin Charles Houchin (born November 3, 1987) is an American former competition swimmer who has had his greatest international success in freestyle relay events. He earned a gold medal as a member of the winning United States team in the 4×200-meter ...

for the second spot. Dwyer also qualified for the 4×200-meter freestyle relay by finishing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle behind

Michael Phelps Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold med ...

, Ryan Lochte and Ricky Berens. Dwyer capped the trials with a third-place finish in the 200-meter individual medley finishing again behind Phelps and Lochte. During the 2012 Olympic Trials, Dwyer achieved personal bests in all of the events in which he competed. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Dwyer swam his first race in the men's 400-meter freestyle. In the heats of the 400-meter freestyle, Dwyer achieved a personal best of 3:46.24 (with his prior being 3:47.83) to qualify for the final. In the final of the 400-meter freestyle, Dwyer placed fifth with a time of 3:46.39, slightly slower than the time he posted in the heats. In his second and last event, the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Dwyer earned a gold medal when the U.S. team placed first in the final with a time of 6:59.70. Teaming with Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and

, Dwyer swam the second leg in a time of 1:45.23.

2013 World Championships

At the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Dwyer earned his first medal, a silver, by swimming for the U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming the anchor leg in the heats, Dwyer recorded a time of 48.36. In his first individual event, the 200-meter freestyle, Dwyer won silver behind Frenchman

Yannick Agnel Yannick Agnel (born 9 June 1992) is a French former competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle events, and is a three-time Olympic medalist. In his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he won gold in the 200-meter freesty ...

, recording a personal best time of 1:45.32. At the 150-meter mark, Dwyer was in fifth place, but had a final 50 split of 26.59 to grab the second spot. His final 50 was the fastest among the field. In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Dwyer combined with Ryan Lochte,

, and Ricky Berens, with the team finishing in first place. Swimming the lead-off, Dwyer recorded a split of 1:45.76, and the team finished with a final time of 7:01.72.

2016 Olympics

At the Olympic trials Dwyer placed second in both the 200m and 400m freestyle, qualifying him for the Olympic team in both those individual events. At the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

, Dwyer started off the program coming 4th in the 400 freestyle missing out in a medal despite qualifying fastest from the heats. Dwyer was again part of the US 4 × 200 m freestyle team that won gold, leading off the relay in the final to teammates

Townley Haas Francis Townley Haas (born December 13, 1996) is a retired American competitive swimmer who specialized in freestyle events. He is an Olympic gold medalist in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Ha ...

, Ryan Lochte and

. Dwyer also won a bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle individual event after a late surge, behind Sun Yang and

Chad le Clos Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS (born 12 April 1992) is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short ...

2019 Swimming ban and retirement

In October 2019, Dwyer was handed a 20-month competitive ban after testing positive for an anabolic agent by the

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent d ...

(USADA). The American Arbitration Association found that Dwyer consulted on health issues with his trainer Reardon and obstetrician-gynecologist Dana Russo, and the latter concluded his

testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristi ...

levels were in the 5th percentile. Thereafter, Dwyer was using a hormone therapy product BioTe, plant-derived testosterone, that were implanted as pellets beneath the skin in October 2018. Russo told the arbitration panel that she had asked someone on the

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in C ...

if the treatment was allowed, but the person could not be identified. Months after commencing the hormone treatment in October 2018, Dwyer was informed that he had tested positive for an anabolic agent in 3 out-of-competition drug tests. He announced his retirement from swimming shortly after the 20-month suspension was announced by the USADA in October 2019, after the arbitration panel concluded the results.

Personal bests (long course)

Personal bests (short course)

Modeling career

In addition to swimming professionally, Dwyer is also an internationally signed model. In 2019, Dwyer was the face of

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

-based international clothing brand BENCH's men's wear campaign in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and North America.

References

External links

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archived
* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwyer, Conor 1989 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers American male medley swimmers Florida Gators men's swimmers Iowa Hawkeyes men's swimmers Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Winnetka, Illinois Swimmers at the 2011 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games 21st-century American people