Margaret Josephine Hoelzer (born March 30, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Hoelzer competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Olympic Games.

Biography

While in Huntsville, Hoelzer swam in the summer for Jones Valley Recreation Association, and swam for her high school, Huntsville High School. She also coached for JVRA. Hoelzer swam for the

Auburn Tigers swimming and diving The Auburn Tigers swimming and diving program is Auburn University's representative in the sport of swimming and diving. The Tigers compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 and are members of the Southeastern Conf ...

team while attending Auburn University, where she earned her degree in psychology with a minor in criminology. In 2007, Hoelzer moved to Charlotte, NC to train with Coach David Marsh. In 2008, Hoelzer relocated to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

and then to Fullerton, California with coach Sean Hutchison to train at Fullerton Aquatics. Her grandfather, Helmut Hoelzer invented the first fully electronic analog computer and was a member of the

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...

Operation Paperclip Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from the former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World War ...

team. Her sister, Martha Hoelzer ran cross country and track for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

and

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

Swimming career

2003 World Aquatics Championships

2004 Olympics

' At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, Hoelzer qualified to swim the 200-meter backstroke by placing first, with a time of 2:11.88. She also swam in the 100-meter backstroke, but did not qualify to swim that event at the Olympics. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, she placed 5th in the 200-meter backstroke, with a time of 2:10.70.

2005 World Aquatics Championships

2007 World Aquatics Championships

2008 Olympics

' At the U.S. Trials on July 1, 2008, Hoelzer qualified to swim in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics. On July 5, 2008, Hoelzer broke her former Auburn University roommate

Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean swimmer and politician currently serving as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe since September 2018. A former Olympic swimmer and wo ...

's world record of 2:06.39 in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:06.09, ultimately qualifying for her second event in the 2008 Olympics. This record was broken in Beijing by Coventry. She also qualified for the women's 4×100-meter medley relay. Hoelzer won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke on August 12 in Beijing. She also won the silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke on August 16, and the silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay on August 17 after swimming in the qualifying heats for that event.

Personal life

Hoelzer has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child. She said she shared her story to prevent future incidents of sexual abuse. Hoelzer is the national spokesperson for the National Children's Advocacy Center, and has received the "Voice of Courage" award from the Darkness to Light organization.

References

External links

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Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoelzer, Margaret 1983 births Living people American female backstroke swimmers American female freestyle swimmers Auburn Tigers women's swimmers World record setters in swimming Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Huntsville, Alabama Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics 20th-century American women 21st-century American women