Lindsay Dianne Benko (born November 29, 1976), also known by her married name as Lindsay Mintenko, is an American former competition

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 ...

, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. She represented the United States at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. She held the short-course world record in the 400-meter freestyle (at 3:59.53) for nearly three years from January 2003 to December 2005.

Early years

Benko attended the

Stanley Clark School The Stanley Clark School is a private school in South Bend, Indiana serving children preschool through 8th grade. Stanley Clark School has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest award an American school can receive. The ...

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

, for her elementary education. Upon graduating from Stanley Clark, she attended

Elkhart Central High School Elkhart Central High School (ECHS) was a public secondary school in Elkhart, Indiana, Elkhart, Indiana. It was a part of Elkhart Community Schools. History In the fall of 1972 when Elkhart High School (est. 1872) was split into Elkhart Memoria ...

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of th ...

, where she was "the first swimmer in IHSAA history to sweep two individual events all four years while piling up All-American honors."

Swimming career

At the 2000 Olympics, Benko was a member of the USA's gold-medal-winning 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Four years later at the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, she earned gold swimming in the heats of the 4×200 m freestyle relay and silver swimming the heats of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Acting career

In 2000, Benko played herself in an episode of ''

The Jersey ''The Jersey'' is an American comedy television series based on the '' Monday Night Football Club'' books by Gordon Korman. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 30, 1999, to March 23, 2004. Premise Nick Lighter, Morgan Hudson, Colem ...

'' called "Sophomore Year" where Morgan Hudson (played by Courtnee Draper) fights to have girls soccer reinstated after it was canceled, Nick Lighter (played by Michael Galeota) uses a magical jersey by jumping into her body as he wins the race and uses a news crew to promote his cousin's attempt to save girls soccer at the school with a fundraising car wash.

Personal life and management career

In 2005, Benko married Canadian swimmer

Mike Mintenko Michael Mintenko (born November 7, 1975) is a former competition swimmer who represented Canada in butterfly and freestyle events in various international championships, including the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. He is a ten-time medallist, sp ...

. She uses her married name professionally. She previously worked for

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overal ...

as the national team managing director. In 2017, she became the first woman to lead

’s National Team Division.

References

External links