Erik K. Vendt (born January 9, 1981) 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 ...

. He won a silver medal at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

and the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

in the 400-meter individual medley. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, Vendt won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. 4×200-meter freestyle relay team, swimming in the preliminary heats of the relay event.

Career

Erik Vendt attended

Boston College High School Boston College High School (also known as BC High) is an all-male, Society of Jesus, Jesuit, Catholic Church, Catholic College-preparatory school, college-preparatory day school in the Columbia Point, Boston, Columbia Point neighborhood of Dorche ...

in Dorchester, Massachusetts. While in high school, Vendt swam for the Ocean State Squids club team under head coach Joshua Stern. While swimming for the Boston College high school swim team, Vendt was able to set a state record as a senior in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:24.35 (1999), which is still the record today. Vendt then attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and was a five-time NCAA title winner, 13-time All-American and seven-time Pac-10 title winner as a Trojan. In 2002, Vendt was named the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

''Swimmer of the Year'' after winning the 1,650-yard freestyle and 400-yard individual medley, and placing second in the 500-yard freestyle. At 2000 Olympic Trials, Vendt broke the 16-year-old American record in 1,500-meter freestyle, becoming the first American to break 15 minutes with a time of 14:59.11. In 2001, Vendt won silver in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. At the

, Vendt won silver at the 400-meter individual medley, losing only to

Michael Phelps Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...

who set a world record, in Athens, Greece. After the 2004 Olympics, Vendt retired for almost a year before returning to competition. Vendt returned to train at Club Wolverine under Bob Bowman, alongside Klete Keller,

and Peter Vanderkaay. On February 18, 2008, Erik Vendt posted a 1,500-meter freestyle time of 14:47.59 while at the Missouri Grand Prix. In the process he set a U.S. Open record, set previously by

Grant Hackett Grant George Hackett Order of Australia, OAM (born 9 May 1980) is an Australian swimmer, most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle swimming, freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in ...

in 2003. On May 15, 2008 in California, Vendt posted a 14:46.78, then 2008's fastest in the 1,500-meter, thereby appearing to set up a likely duel in the Beijing Olympics 1,500-meter final with

, who posted a 14:48.65 at the Australian Olympic Trials in March and is the two-time defending Olympic champion in the event. But it was not to be, as Vendt finished fourth in the 1,500-meter final of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha on July 6. Vendt won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing by swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. After the 2008 Olympics concluded, Vendt relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and worked for a financial company in San Francisco. Vendt currently resides in Boston MA, and works for the wearable sports optimization company, WHOOP.

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External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vendt, Erik 1981 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers American male medley swimmers Boston College High School alumni Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Wellesley, Massachusetts Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics USC Trojans men's swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Goodwill Games medalists in swimming Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen

Career

See also

References

External links