Rhiannon Jeffrey (born October 25, 1986
) is a former
American swimmer who won a gold medal at the
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), ...
.
Swimming career
Jeffrey began swimming at the age of six,
[ and won eight Florida state titles while in high school at ]Atlantic Community High School
Atlantic Community High School (also known as Atlantic and ATL and formerly called Seacrest High School) is a public high school located in Delray Beach, Florida, United States. It is part of the School District of Palm Beach County. Known for ...
in Delray Beach, Florida. She was named state swimmer of the year four years in a row by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...
.[
Jeffrey's first taste of international success was at the ]2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The ninth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in 2002 in Yokohama International Swimming Pool in Yokohama, Japan, from August 24–29. One world record
A world record is usually th ...
where she swam on the U.S. 4x100 freestyle relay team that took a silver medal.[ While still a senior in high school, she won two gold medals in the ]2003 World Aquatics Championships
The 10th FINA World Aquatics Championships were held July 12–27, 2003 in Barcelona, Spain. The championships featured competition in all 5 of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Synchronised swimming, Water Polo, and Open Water Swimming.
C ...
; swimming as part of the U.S. teams in both the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays.[ Just two weeks before the 2004 ]United States Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games. These events include:
* United States Olympic Trials (curling)
* United States Olympic Trials (d ...
, Jeffrey was hospitalized with an abscessed tonsil;[ she recovered in time to take 4th place in the 200 metre freestyle at the competition, and earn a spot on the 4x200 metre relay team in Athens.][ In Athens she swam in the preliminary heats of the 4x200 freestyle relay, and when the U.S. team won the final, she was awarded a gold medal.][
]
Retirement
In 2007, Jeffrey left USC and gave up swimming four months before the U.S. Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading i ...
for the 2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
.[ She relocated to Salem, Massachusetts, and took a job with Apple Inc. Jeffrey is currently the head swim coach for the Atlantis Aquatics swim team in Portsmouth, NH. https://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=176697&team=necsc][
]
See also
* List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
* List of University of Southern California people
*
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffrey, Rhi
1986 births
Living people
American female freestyle swimmers
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming
Sportspeople from Delray Beach, Florida
Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
USC Trojans women's swimmers
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming