Blake John Pieroni (born November 15, 1995) is a three-time

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

ist in

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

. He is a two time Olympian and gold medalist in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at both the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

and the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. On the relay in 2016, he swam in the prelims of the race, on the 2020 Olympics 4×100-meter freestyle relay he swam in both the prelims and the final. He also won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay at the 2020 Olympic Games, swimming the freestyle leg of the relay in the prelims.

Background

Pieroni was born in

Crown Point, Indiana Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...

, and raised in Chesterton where he graduated from

Chesterton High School Chesterton High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 located in Chesterton, Indiana. It is the only high school in the Duneland School Corporation. History In 1833, Jesse Morgan, the area's first postmaster, opened the first educa ...

in 2014. He graduated from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. Pieroni continues to swim at Indiana University as a member of the Pro Swim group along with fellow professional swimmers,

Cody Miller Cody William Miller (born January 9, 1992) is an American competitive swimmer. He is a former world record holder in both the men's 4×50 meter freestyle relay and the mixed 4×50 meter freestyle relay as well as a former American record hold ...

Lilly King Lillia Camille King (born February 10, 1997) is an American swimmer who specializes in breaststroke. She currently represents the Cali Condors, a team that is part of the International Swimming League. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won the ...

, and Annie Lazor.

Career

2013 World Junior Championships

In 2013, at the World Junior Championships in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, Pieroni took the bronze in the 4 x 200m freestyle with the men's relay team.

2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

As a 18-year-old at the

2014 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships The 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships were held from 27 to 31 August 2014 in Maui, Hawaii, United States.

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, Pieroni won gold medals in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay (3:18.68) and 4×200 meter freestyle relay (7:21.36), as well as silver medals in the 100 meter freestyle (50.30) and 200 meter freestyle (1:48.85).Hy-Tek (August 31, 2014)
"Meet Results: 2014 Jr Pan Pacific Swimming Championships"
''swmeets.com''. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the US Olympic Trials, he qualified for the

in Rio de Janeiro as a 4×100 meter freestyle relay swimmer. In the heats, he swam a split time of 48.39 on the third leg, and the team went on to win the gold medal.

2016 and 2017 World Championships

At the 2016 World Championships in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

, with the men's relay team, Pieroni won two silver and one bronze medals: silver in 4 x 50 m freestyle; silver in 4 x 200 m freestyle and bronze in 4 x 100 m freestyle. Pieroni won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

as part of the men's and mixed freestyle teams: gold in 4 x 100 m freestyle, gold in 4 x 100 m mixed freestyle and bronze in 4 x 200 m freestyle.

2018 NCAA Championships

In March 2018 at the

NCAA championships 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 and ...

he set the American and US Open records in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:29.63, becoming the first swimmer to break 1:30. Two days later his record was broken by

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 ...

2018 Pan Pacific and World Championships

At the Tokyo Pan Pacific Championships in August 2018, Pieroni won gold with the men's relay team in the 4 x 200 m freestyle event. He also won the B-final of the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.22 seconds and ranked ninth across both finals heats."Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2018: Total Ranking"
''

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

''. August 9–12, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2021. At the 2018 World Championships in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, which took place in a short course (25m) pool in December, Pieroni returned home with three gold medals, having won the 200 m freestyle as well as 4 x 100 m freestyle and medley events, as part of the men's relay team.

2019 World Championships

At the 2019 World Championships in

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, Pieroni took home two gold medals as part of the 4 x 100 m and 4 x 100 mixed freestyle teams. He also won a bronze medal as part of the 4 x 200 m freestyle team.

2019—2020 International Swimming League

In fall of 2019, Pieroni signed for the team LA Current in the inaugural International Swimming League season. In the spring of 2020, he signed to compete in the 2020 International Swimming League for the team

Toronto Titans Toronto Titans is one of the two new teams for the professional International Swimming League 2020 season, announced in December 2019, taking the total number of teams in the league to ten. Toronto Titans is based in Toronto, Ontario and trains ou ...

, which was the first team in the

International Swimming League The International Swimming League (ISL) is an annual professional swimming league, established in 2019. It features a team-based competition format with fast-paced race sessions. In 2019, the regular season started in October and the Final Match ...

based in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

2020 Olympic Trials

Pieroni placed third in the 100m freestyle at the US Olympic Swimming Trials with a time of 48.16, qualifying him for the US Olympic Swimming team in the 4x100m freestyle relay."2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results"
''

Omega Timing Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as ''La Generale Watch Co.'' until incorporating the name ''Omega'' in 1903, becoming ' ...

''. June 17, 2021. Earlier in the meet, in the 200-meter freestyle, Pieroni ranked seventh overall with a time of 1:46.57 and qualified for his first event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

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 ...

(June 15, 2021)
"2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

2020 Summer Olympics

At the

held in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Pieroni competed in the prelims and final of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay."LSU swimmer wins gold at Tokyo Olympics"
'' KATC 3''. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021. In the final of the event, he won a gold medal swimming the second leg of the relay.Gerike, Evan (July 25, 2021)
"Former IU swimmers Zach Apple, Blake Pieroni win gold medal 400-meter freestyle relay"
''

Indiana Daily Student The ''Indiana Daily Student'' (''IDS'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, since 1867. The ''IDS'' is free and distributed throughout the campus and ci ...

''. Retrieved July 26, 2021."IU swimmers add to US medal count with relay win in Tokyo"
''

WTHR WTHR (channel 13) is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside low-power, Class A MeTV affiliate WALV-CD (channel 46). Both stations share studios on North Meridian S ...

''. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021. He and all of his prelims and finals relay teammates,

Brooks Curry Brooks Curry (born January 22, 2001) is an American competitive swimmer. He is an Olympian and a gold medalist in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2022 NCAA Championships, he won the NCAA title in the 50- ...

Bowe Becker Bowe Becker is a swim coach and former American professional swimmer. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, swimming in the prelims and the final.Krajewski, Jim (July 26, 2021)"NB ...

Caeleb Dressel Caeleb Remel Dressel (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional swimmer who specializes in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley events. He swims representing the Cali Condors as part of the International Swimming League. He won ...

, and

Zach Apple Zachary "Zach" Douglas Apple (born April 23, 1997) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in the sprint freestyle events. He currently swims for DC Trident in the International Swimming League. He won his first Olympic gold medal in t ...

, won gold for their efforts. It was the first

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

Pieroni won swimming in the final of any event at the Olympic Games.Ferguson, Aaron (July 27, 2021)
"Blake Pieroni anchors U.S. 800-meter freestyle relay in qualifying"
''

The Times of Northwest Indiana ''The Times of Northwest Indiana'' (NWI) is a daily newspaper headquartered in Munster, Indiana. It is the second-largest newspaper in Indiana, behind only ''The Indianapolis Star''. History The paper was founded on June 18, 1906, as ''The Lake ...

''. Retrieved July 27, 2021. His performance was good enough in the eyes of the

Foundation to include him in their nomination of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay for the 2021 Golden Goggle Award for "Relay Performance of the Year" solely because he swam on the finals relay, something he learned after he was excluded from the nomination of, and award itself to, the 2016 United States 4x100-meter freestyle relay for the 2016 Golden Goggle Award for "Relay Performance of the Year" when he only swam on the prelims relay and not in the final."Olympic Stars Headline USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards Nominees"
''

''. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.D'Addona, Dan (October 13, 2021)
"Golden Goggle Award Nominees Announced by USA Swimming, led by Dressel, Ledecky, Jacoby, Finke"
''

Swimming World ''Swimming World'' is a US-based monthly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'', (known ...

''. Retrieved October 13, 2021. On day four of competition, in Pieroni's second event at the 2020 Olympics, he advanced the 4x200-meter freestyle relay to the final in the prelims heats with his fellow prelims-relay swimmers Drew Kibler,

Patrick Callan Kevin Patrick Callan (born October 6, 1999) is a retired United States, American competitive swimming (sport), swimmer. In 2017, he won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, 2017 ...

, and Andrew Seliskar.Sutherland, James (July 27, 2021)
"Relay Lineups: Pieroni In For U.S. Men on 4x200 Free Prelims"
''

SwimSwam ''SwimSwam'' news is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012 and quickly became the most-read swimming website in the world. ...

''. Retrieved July 27, 2021.Anderson, Jared (July 27, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap"
''

''. Retrieved July 27, 2021."IU graduates come up short in swimming events at Tokyo Olympics"
''

''. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021. The finals relay did not medal, finishing fourth overall. In the prelims heats of the 4x100-meter medley relay on day seven, Pieroni swam the freestyle leg of the relay, helping the relay consisting of him, Hunter Armstrong, Andrew Wilson, and

Tom Shields ] Thomas Allen Shields (born July 11, 1991) is an American competitive Swimming (sport), swimmer. He is a two-time Olympian and the current American record-holder in the short course 50-meter butterfly and 200-meter butterfly. At the 2016 Summ ...

, finish seventh overall and advance to the final.Anderson, Jared (July 30, 2021)
"Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 7 Prelims Live Recap"
''

''. Retrieved July 30, 2021.De George, Matthew (July 30, 2021)
"Olympics: Italy Set Pace in Men's Medley Relay; U.S. Sneaks in as Seventh Seed"
''

''. Retrieved July 30, 2021. On the last day of competition, the finals relay placed first and all the members of the prelims relay and the finals relay won a gold medal for their efforts.Hertel, Alyssa (July 28, 2021)
"US medal count at Tokyo Olympics: Full list of every medal for Team USA at Summer Games"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''. Retrieved August 3, 2021.Fezler, D.J. (August 1, 2021)
"Former Indiana Swimmers Zach Apple, Blake Pieroni Win Gold in 400 Medley Relay"
''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. Retrieved August 3, 2021.

2021 International Swimming League

The

selected Pieroni for their roster in the 2021 International Swimming League.Penland, Spencer (August 1, 2021)
"ISL Season 3: Free Agency Period Closed July 30th, Season Begins August 24th"
''

''. Retrieved August 3, 2021. After injuring his knee during training leading up to the playoffs season and following the regular season of competition, Pieroni withdrew from competing in the playoffs for the year.De George, Matthew (November 9, 2021)
"Toronto Titans' Blake Pieroni (Knee) Pulls Out of ISL Semifinals"
''

''. Retrieved November 9, 2021.Keith, Braden (November 9, 2021)
"Blake Pieroni Injures Knee, Withdraws From 2021 ISL Playoffs For Toronto"
''

''. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

2021 Swimming World Cup

Stop 1: Berlin

As part of the pre-World Cup

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

highlights, Pieroni had a picture of him celebrating a win at the 2020 Summer Olympics published on the FINA website as part of their star athletes to appear in the World Cup collection of photographs."Star Athletes in Berlin: Blake Pieroni (USA)"
''

''. Retrieved October 18, 2021. Stop number one of the short course 2021

FINA Swimming World Cup The FINA Swimming World Cup is an international series of short course () swimming meets organized by FINA, the International Federation for swimming. Launched in 1988, the FINA Swimming World Cup gathers world-class swimmers in a series of two-da ...

, in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Pieroni started competition on day one in the prelims of the 50-meter freestyle with a swim of 21.75 that ranked him fifth overall and advanced him to the final.

(October 1, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 50m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. Within the hour, Pieroni followed up his performance in the 50-meter freestyle with a 53.73 in the 100-meter individual medley and advanced to the final ranked second overall.

(October 1, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 100m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.Johnson, Annika (October 1, 2021)
"FINA World Cup Day 1 Prelims: 14YO Jefimova Sets 200 SCM Breast Estonian Record"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. In the evening finals, Pieroni opted not to swim the 50-meter freestyle, focusing his efforts fully on the 100-meter individual medley where he swam a personal best time of 53.53 seconds and won the bronze medal in the event.

(October 1, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 100m Individual Medley Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. The following day, October 2, Pieroni advanced to the final of the 100-meter freestyle with his time of 47.25 in the morning prelims session.

(October 2, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.Dornan, Ben (October 2, 2021)
"FINA World Cup Day 2 Prelims: Hansson Continues To Pop With 56.78 100 Back"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. In the final in the evening, he won the bronze medal, touching the wall third with a time of 46.74 behind

Kyle Chalmers Kyle Chalmers, (born 25 June 1998) is an Australian competitive swimmer. He is a world record holder in the short course 100 metre freestyle, 4×100 metre medley relay, and long course 4×100 metre mixed freestyle relay. He is the Oceanian a ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

who won the gold medal and

Jesse Puts Jesse Puts (; born 1 August 1994) is a Dutch competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle. He is the 2016 world champion in the 50 meter freestyle (short course). He holds the Dutch records in this event in both long course and short course, ...

of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

who won the silver medal.

(October 2, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.Race, Retta (October 2, 2021)
"2021 FINA World Cup Berlin: Day 2 Finals Live Recap"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. The third and final day of competition in Berlin, Pieroni placed fourth in the final of the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 1:42.87 after qualifying for the final ranking fifth with his time of 1:44.29 from the prelims.

(October 3, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

(October 3, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Berlin (GER): Men's 200m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

Stop 2: Budapest

For the second World Cup stop, held in Budapest, Hungary, Pieroni was noted by

and ''

'' as one of the athletes from the United States to watch at the international competition.Lohn, John (October 5, 2021)
"FINA World Cup Shifting to Budapest With Kristof Milak Slated For Action"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021."More Swimming World Cup thrilling action continues in Budapest"
''

''. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021. On October 7, the first day of competition, he advanced to the final of the 100-meter individual medley ranked fifth overall and did not qualify for the final of the 50-meter freestyle, ranking tenth in the prelims heats.

(October 7, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 50m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

(October 7, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 100m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. In the 100-meter individual medley final later the same day, he just missed the podium, placing fourth with a time of 53.82 seconds.

(October 7, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 100m Individual Medley Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 7, 2021. Morning of day two, Pieroni ranked fourth overall in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.44 seconds and qualified for the final later in the day.

(October 8, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 8, 2021.Race, Retta (October 8, 2021)
"Milak Posts 50 Back National Record While Also Hunting 100 Free In Budapest"
''

''. Retrieved October 8, 2021. In the final, he placed fifth with a time of 47.09 seconds in a talent-packed field, finishing after Kyle Chalmers, Vladimir Morozov of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Kristóf Milák Kristóf Milák (born 20 February 2000) is a Hungarian swimmer. He is the current holder of the world record in the long course 200 metre butterfly and the European record in the long course 100 metre butterfly. He also currently holds the ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, and Jesse Puts.

(October 8, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 8, 2021. For his last race in Budapest, Pieroni swam a 1:49.59 and ranked 23rd in the 200-meter freestyle, not advancing to the final in the evening.Race, Retta (October 9, 2021)
"Chalmers & Sates 200 Free Rematch Set For Budapest's Final Night"
''

''. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

(October 9, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Budapest (HUN): Men's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

Stop 3: Doha

Entering the days ahead of the third World Cup stop, in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

, ''

'' listed Pieroni as a United States roster standout from the list of athletes entered to compete at the stop.Lohn, John (October 16, 2021)
"Star-Powered Field On Tap As FINA World Cup Set For Move To Doha"
''

''. Retrieved October 16, 2021. He switched out the 50-meter freestyle and substituted in the 100-meter butterfly for his event entries line-up compared to the previous two World Cup stops, giving him the butterfly race, the 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter individual medley, and 200-meter freestyle races in Doha.

(October 20, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Entries Book"
''

''. Retrieved October 20, 2021. Pieroni commenced competing in a duo of events on day one of competition with the prelims heats of the 100-meter butterfly in the morning where he ranked seventh with a time of 52.76 seconds and qualified for the final.

(October 21, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Butterfly Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 21, 2021. Finishing off his morning duo of events about 30 minutes later, Pieroni ranked eighth in the prelims of the 100-meter individual medley with a time of 54.61 seconds and advanced to the final.

(October 21, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Individual Medley Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 21, 2021. In his first race of the evening, the final of the 100-meter butterfly, he placed sixth with a time of 52.34 seconds.

(October 21, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Butterfly Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 21, 2021. While Pieroni qualified for the final in the 100-meter individual medley, he decided to go with not racing in the final.

(October 21, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Individual Medley Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 21, 2021. Rejuvenated for the prelims of the 100-meter freestyle the following morning, Pieroni swam a 48.15 and advanced to the final ranked fifth overall.

(October 22, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 22, 2021.Sutherland, James (October 22, 2021)
"Hwang Sunwoo Leads Stacked 100 Free Field At Day 2 Prelims Of Doha World Cup"
''

''. Retrieved October 22, 2021. He lowered his time to a 47.59 in the final, placing fifth overall.

(October 22, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 100m Freestyle Final Results"
''

''. Retrieved October 22, 2021.Sutherland, James (October 22, 2021)
"2021 FINA World Cup — Doha: Day 2 Finals Live Recap"
''

''. Retrieved October 22, 2021. For his last event of competition in Doha, Pieroni did not start the race in the 200-meter freestyle, deciding not to swim the race.

(October 23, 2021)
"FINA Swimming World Cup 2021 Doha (QAT): Men's 200m Freestyle Heats Results Summary"
''

''. Retrieved October 23, 2021. Pieroni's scores from the first three stops were high enough for him to rank sixteenth out of all male competitors, and second out of male American competitors, for overall score across all four stops of the 2021 World Cup circuit."FINA Swimming World Cup: Men Individual Ranking 2021 - Rankings"
''

''. October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.

2022: Retirement

On August 26, 2022, swimming-centric news outlets ''

'' and ''

'' announced Pieroni had retired from swimming and would not be returning to competition in the sport.De George, Matthew (August 26, 2022)
"Blake Pieroni, Three-Time Olympic Relay Gold Medalist, Announces Retirement"
''

''. Retrieved October 31, 2022.Keith, Braden (August 26, 2022)
"3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Blake Pieroni Retires from Swimming"
''

''. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

International championships (50 m)

: Pieroni swam only in the prelims heats.

International championships (25 m)

: Pieroni swam only in the prelims heats.

Career best times

Long course meters (50 m pool)

Short course meters (25 m pool)

Swimming World Cup circuits

The following medals Pieroni has won at Swimming World Cup circuits."Blake Pieroni: Medals"
''

''. Retrieved 10 July 2022.

World records

Short course meters

split 45.75 (2nd leg); with

(1st leg), Michael Chadwick (3rd leg),

Ryan Held Ryan Held (born June 27, 1995) is an American freestyle swimmer who specializes in the sprint events, and is currently sponsored by Arena. He holds the U.S. Open record in the long course 100 meter freestyle and three world records in short co ...

(4th leg)

Awards and honors

* ''

'' Top 100 (Men's): 2021 (#78),Anderson, Jared (January 27, 2021)
"SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2021: Men's #100 — #76"
''

''. Retrieved October 11, 2021. 2022 (#75)Sutherland, James (January 10, 2022)
"SwimSwam's Top 100 For 2022: Men's #75-51"
''

''. Retrieved January 10, 2022. * Golden Goggle Award nominee, Relay Performance of the Year: 2021 ( 4x100 meter freestyle relay)

Personal

Sponsorships

As part of being a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

swimmer, Pieroni took the path less traveled and signed with Japanese sporting goods company

Mizuno Corporation () is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for badminton, baseball, boxing, cycling ...

in 2018, making history by becoming the first American swimmer in history to do so.Ross, Andy (December 10, 2018)
"2016 USA Olympian Blake Pieroni Becomes First American Swimmer to Sign With Mizuno"
''

''. Retrieved October 3, 2021.Osipoff, Michael (January 22, 2019)
"Gold rush: Chesterton graduate Blake Pieroni earns multiple titles at short course World Championships"
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pieroni, Blake 1995 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers Indiana Hoosiers men's swimmers Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming People from Crown Point, Indiana Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming American people of Italian descent