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Rebecca MANN
Sport Open Water Swimming
NOC United States   
GenderWomen
Born26 Nov 1997 in Homer Glen, IL, USA
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"My older sister was joining the swim team. I didn't know how to swim, but I had to do everything that she did. We were driving her to swim practice and I didn't tell anybody but I packed a swim bag. I told my parents I'm swimming, and they were like, 'Becca you don't know how to swim'. I said, 'No, I'm swimming'. There was a minute where I slipped in with all the other kids and joined the swim team."
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Writer
Languages
English
General Interest
Nicknames
Becca (nbcolympics.com, 04 Apr 2016)
Further Personal Information
Residence
Los Angeles, CA, USA
General Interest
Injuries
In June 2016 she had a herniated disc and three bulging discs in her back that affected her performance at the 2016 US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. (swimswam.com, 03 Jul 2016)
Other sports
She has represented the United States of America in open water swimming at the world championships. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Aug 2017)
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Film Studies - University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA, USA
General Interest
Famous relatives
Her older sister Rachel has represented the United States of America in triathlon. (teamusa.org, 03 Jun 2016)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up the sport at about age five.
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I just love being in the water and competing. Open water is amazing in that you get to surround yourself in nature and challenge yourself. I love that there's so much strategy involved and that you get to use your brain." (usaswimming.org, 12 Apr 2019)
Other information
MEMORABLE CROSSING
In August 2019 she became the first swimmer to complete the 63.79 kilometre Triple Maui Nui Channel Swim in Hawaii, United States of America. She completed the swim in just under 21 hours. "I was really itching for an adventure and Steve [Munatones] said, 'This is a cool one, and it hasn't been done before'. I said, 'Perfect'. The stars just aligned. Hawaii is my favourite place on the planet. I spent a lot of time there growing up and remember taking the ferry from Maui to Lanai and thinking about the names in the display who had swum the ferry ride." (usaswimming.org, 15 Oct 2019; swimswam.com, 07 Jul 2019)

WRITER
In 2014 her fantasy novel trilogy 'The Stolen Dragon of Quanx: The Eyes Trilogy' was published. Her screenplay for 'Exiled' was a finalist in two categories at the 2020 Austin Film Festival in the United States of America. "I remember even as a very young kid, coming to the end of a book and thinking, 'I could have found a better way to end that'. I think that impulse to create has always been a part of me." (blcklst.com, 29 Oct 2020; usaswimming.org, 15 Oct 2019)

STUDY BREAK
In mid-2018 she took an extended break from her studies in writing for screen and television to focus on attempting to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. "It was hard to balance screenwriting, which requires full immersion and commitment, and college swimming, and I knew I wasn't reaching my full potential in either by trying to do them both." (swimswam.com, 19 Aug 2019; usaswimming.org, 12 Apr 2019)

 Competition Highlights
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 800m Freestyle 8:28.44
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 400m Individual Medley 4:34.70
6 2012 Istanbul, TUR 800m Freestyle 8:19.27
Pan American Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
8 2019 Lima, PER 400m Freestyle 4:15.51
5 2019 Lima, PER 800m Freestyle 8:38.25
3 2019 Lima, PER 1500m Freestyle 16:23.23
World Cup Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
4 2013 Beijing, CHN 800m Freestyle 8:18.54
5 2013 Beijing, CHN 400m Individual Medley 4:34.01
8 2013 Beijing, CHN 400m Freestyle 4:09.10
7 2013 Tokyo, JPN 400m Freestyle 4:07.85
3 2013 Tokyo, JPN 800m Freestyle 8:18.47
9 2012   Overall  
1 2012 Berlin, GER 800m Freestyle 8:16.58
3 2012 Berlin, GER 400m Individual Medley 4:37.03
3 2012 Berlin, GER 400m Freestyle 4:05.21
3 2012 Moscow, RUS 400m Individual Medley 4:35.87
3 2012 Moscow, RUS 200m Butterfly 2:11.35
2 2012 Moscow, RUS 800m Freestyle 8:19.33
8 2012 Moscow, RUS 200m Individual Medley 2:15.44
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
7 2017 Budapest, HUN 25km 5:27:06.9
14 2015 Kazan, RUS 10km 1:58:51.9
8 2013 Barcelona, ESP 5km 56:46.4
8 2013 Barcelona, ESP 10km 1:58:23.4
World Series
Rank Year Venue Event Result
73 2019   10km  
21 2019 Balatonfüred, HUN 10km 2:00:49.7
37 2019 Doha, QAT 10km 2:06:18.4
21 2018   10km  
4 2018 Lac-Mégantic, QC, CAN 10km 2:06:18.4
59 2017   10km  
36 2017 Hong Kong, CHN 10km 2:06:39.3
18 2013 San Miguel de Cozumel, MEX 10km 2:12:44.60
Pan Pacific Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
9 2014 Maui, HI, USA 10km