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Cody MILLER
Sport Swimming
NOC United States   
GenderMen
Born09 Jan 1992 in Billings, MT, USA
Height1.80 m
 Human Interest 
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
Indiana Swim Club: Bloomington, IN, USA
Further Personal Information
Higher education
Business Management - Indiana University: Bloomington, IN, USA
General Interest
Hobbies
Watching films, reading comic books, playing video games, skateboarding, spending time with his dogs. (Twitter profile, 01 Dec 2021; Facebook page, 15 Aug 2018; usaswimming.org, 01 Jan 2017)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
He was born with pectus excavatum, also known as a sunken chest, which can diminish lung capacity, so he took up swimming to improve his heart and breathing.
When and where did you begin this sport?
He began swimming while growing up in Las Vegas, NV, United States of America. He entered his first competition at age eight, swimming for the Sandpipers of Nevada club.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete, Business Owner
Languages
English
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (sports.yahoo.com, 14 Oct 2016)
Hero / Idol
His mother. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 24 Dec 2015)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Ray Looze [club], USA
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"You might want to win gold medals, and you might want to be a successful swimmer, but if you don't enjoy the process, you're not doing it for the right reasons." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 12 Jun 2019)
Other information
TECHNIQUE CHANGE
After he was disqualified from the 4x100m mixed medley relay for multiple dolphin kicks at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, he released a video on social media outlining how he would change his technique, as he had been disqualified for similar instances in the past. "So, what I'm going to do to ensure that I never get disqualified again, to ensure that there's no grey area [and] I'm not doing anything illegal, is change the technique of my pullout back to the early 2000s-style pullout. Which means that I will be dolphin kicking with my pull-down simultaneously. That's what I'm going to do for literally the remainder of my career. I don't want anybody to feel bad for me or pity me, that's not what I'm saying. I just want people to understand that I'm human. When I hear things about me, it hurts. I hate the fact that I have this reputation, that I have a reputation for this kind of thing. I don't like it. I wish I didn't. But I have to own it." (swimswam.com, 20 Aug 2019)

FAMILY BACKGROUND
His father was an alcoholic, and Miller was raised by his mother. He had little contact with his father, who died on Christmas Day 2015 while living on the streets in Ocean Beach, CA, United States of America. After he had won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Miller shared his father's story. "I felt like it was important that people know that despite me losing my dad six months before the Olympics, I was still able to come through and still able to achieve my dreams. Everybody has struggles. That's one thing that I went through that really sucked, that I had to deal with, that my family had to deal with." (sports.yahoo.com, 14 Oct 2016; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 12 Jun 2019)

CONGENITAL CONDITION
He was born with pectus excavatum, a condition that results in abnormally shaped chest bones. "My deformity began appearing around age 10. My condition puts stress on my respiratory system. Tests have shown that my sunken sternum and odd placement of other bones has caused a reduced lung capacity. To what extent is unknown. Doctors have said my maximum breathing capacity is likely reduced by 12 to 20%. I struggled with my appearance from a young age. I was a kid who was afraid to take off his shirt in gym class. At swim meets, I walked around the pool deck awkwardly while people stared and pointed at me. However, I've realised no one is 100% satisfied with the way they look. Everyone has something about themselves they dislike. And that's okay." He was also diagnosed with asthma while studying at Indiana University. (imgur.com, 03 Jul 2016)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 2017 he launched his own YouTube channel, posting regular videos detailing his life as a professional swimmer. In May 2021, his channel had over 166,000 subscribers. He also runs his own online clothing label. (YouTube channel, 01 Dec 2021; swimswam.com, 31 Mar 2021; codymillerswim.com, 01 Sep 2020)
Further Personal Information
Family
Wife Ali, son Axel [2020]
General Interest
Most influential person in career
Coaches Ron Aitken and Chris Barber. (reviewjournal.com, 28 Jul 2016)
Injuries
In mid-2018 he was diagnosed with a torn medial collateral ligament and meniscus cartilage in his knee. Following a procedure to drain blood and fluid from the joint, he returned to a full training regime in early 2019. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 12 Jun 2019; swimswam.com, 28 Nov 2018)
Famous relatives
His younger sister Catie has competed in swimming for Duke University in the United States of America. His wife Ali has served as a volunteer swimming coach at Indiana University. (goduke.com, 01 Jan 2018; swimswam.com, 24 May 2014; usaswimming.org, 01 Jan 2017; teamusa.org, 17 Nov 2020; iuhoosiers.com, 01 Jan 2011)
Further Personal Information
Residence
Bloomington, IN, USA
General Interest
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
He listens to music ahead of races. (YouTube channel, 14 May 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 100m Breaststroke 58.87
1 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2017 Budapest, HUN 100m Breaststroke 59.11
Semifinal 2017 Budapest, HUN 50m Breaststroke 27.46
1 2017 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
Semifinal 2015 Kazan, RUS 100m Breaststroke 59.86
1 2015 Kazan, RUS 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:29.93
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
7 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 50m Breaststroke 26.18 
6 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 100m Breaststroke 57.08
8 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 4 x 100m Medley Relay DSQ
1 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 4 x 50m Medley Relay  
2 2016 Windsor, ON, CAN 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:31.97
Heats 2014 Doha, QAT 200m Breaststroke 2:06.03
8 2014 Doha, QAT 100m Breaststroke 57.39
Semifinal 2014 Doha, QAT 50m Breaststroke 26.43
3 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:31.83
2 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 100m Medley Relay 3:21.49
4 2014 Doha, QAT 4 x 50m Medley Relay 1:38.16
Pan American Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2019 Lima, PER 100m Breaststroke 59.57
8 2019 Lima, PER 4 x 100m Medley Relay  DSQ
World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2022 Indianapolis, IN, USA 100m Breaststroke 58.07
6 2022 Indianapolis, IN, USA 50m Breaststroke 26.73
28 2014   Overall  
2 2014 Doha, QAT 100m Breaststroke 57.25
4 2014 Doha, QAT 200m Breaststroke 2:06.42
3 2014 Doha, QAT 200m Individual Medley 1:55.45
3 2014 Dubai, UAE 50m Breaststroke 26.38
3 2014 Dubai, UAE 100m Individual Medley 52.46
4 2014 Dubai, UAE 100m Breaststroke 57.79
5 2014 Dubai, UAE 200m Individual Medley 1:55.51