Frederik Carlo Hviid Köhler (born 9 November 1974 in
Las Palmas
Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spain, Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in th ...
,
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...
) is a former long-distance
freestyle
Freestyle may refer to:
Brands
* Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe
* Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile
* Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine
* ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker
* Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...
and
medley swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
who competed at two consecutive
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
for his native country, starting in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. In the late 1990s he won several medals in the international short course and long course events. He's a recipient of the Spanish Cross of the Order of Merit (Silver and Bronze designation), handed to him by then crown prince Felipe de Borbón (
Felipe VI
Felipe VI (;,
* eu, Felipe VI.a,
* ca, Felip VI,
* gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...
).
During his swimming career he made finals in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning the "B" Final in the 400m IM. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, with aspirations and goals to medal in the 400m IM, he fell victim to influenza and was not able to qualify for the finals in his prime event, the 400m individual medley (IM).
He swam in three Swimming World Championships.
Rome, Italy in 1994,
Perth, Australia in 1998 and
Hong Kong, China in 1999, with his best performance coming at the 1999 SC World Championships in Hong Kong, China. He won a bronze medal and broke the Spanish national record in the 400m IM at the event.
He participated in seven
European Aquatics Championships
The European Aquatics Championships is the continental Aquatics championship for Europe, which is organised by LEN—the governing body for aquatics in Europe. The Championships are currently held every two years (in even years); and since 2022, ...
: at Sheffield, England, in 1993;
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1995;
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
, Spain in 1997; Sheffield again in 1998;
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
in 1999;
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
in 1999; and
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, Spain, in 2000. He won the gold medal both in the 400m IM long course at the
1999 European Aquatics Championships
The European Long Course Championships 1999 were a swimming competition held in Istanbul, Turkey from Monday 26 July to Sunday 1 August, in the 50 m pool of the Ataköy Olympic Pool Stadium. The 24th edition of the event was organised by the ...
in Istanbul, Turkey and in the 1999 short course edition in Lisbon. He was awarded silver medals in the 400m IM at the 1997 Seville long course edition, the Sheffield 1998 short course edition, and the Valencia 2000 short course edition, and he also won silver in Valencia in the 1,500m freestyle.
At the World Cup series he won gold in the 1,500m free at College Park, Maryland, in 1999, along with a gold in the 400m IM. In the 2000 World Cup at College Park again, he won gold in the 1,500m freestyle and 400m freestyle, and a silver in the 400m IM.
At the 1992 US Open in Orlando, Florida, he took gold in the 200m and 400m IM. He returned to the US Open in 1997 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to win gold in the 400m freestyle and take silver in both the 1,500m freestyle and 400m IM.
He also competed for
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
during his college career. He was a two-time All-American in the 400-yard individual medley and the 1,650 freestyle in 1994, and finished his career at the university with six Reeves Center Pool records; he remains the current record-holder in 1,000 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle and 400 IM. Named the Colonial Athletic Association Swimmer of the Year in 1993 and 1994, he was also named Outstanding Meet Performer at the 1992 CAA championships. He won eight individual titles at the CAA's through his college career. In February 2017 he was inducted into th
Stafford H. "Pop" Cassell Hall of Fame
From 1997 through 2004 (400-800 freestyle lc, 400 freestyle sc), 2007 (1500 freestyle lc), 2008 (800 freestyle sc, 400IM lc, 400IM sc) and 2009 (1500 freestyle sc) he has some of the
Spanish record in long course and short course for the 400m IM, 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle and 1,500m Freestyle (8 total Spanish National Records) but in different periods.
After a 10-year hiatus and absence from swimming, Fred picked up swimming again as a masters competitor. He participated in the 2014 Masters World Championships in Montreal, Canada and won gold in both the 800m freestyle and the 200m backstroke. During this last event h
broke the masters world record for the 40-44 age group 12 days later he broke hi
own recordagain while competing at the US Masters Nationals in College Park, MD.
He has also taken a liking to open water swimming and has won the Great Chesapeake Bay swim, a 4.4 mile swim (7.1 kilometers) that crosses the Bay at the Chesapeake Bay bridge.
Fred is currently an assistant swim coach for the Monocacy Aquatic Club (MAC) in Frederick, MD. He's been coaching there since 2013.
References
Frederik Hviid official site(Flash MX required)
Spanish Olympic Committee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hviid, Frederik
1974 births
Living people
Spanish male medley swimmers
Spanish male freestyle swimmers
Olympic swimmers of Spain
Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)
European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming