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|
| Zane
GROTHE |
| Sport |
Open Water Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Men |
| Born | 22 Apr 1992
in Boulder City, NV, USA |
| Height | 1.90 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Auburn, AL, USA |
Higher education |
Aerospace Engineering - Auburn University: United States |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Watching movies. (dolfinswimwear.com, 05 Dec 2018) |
Famous relatives |
His younger sister Natalie has competed in swimming for Colorado State University and Keiser University in the United States of America. His other younger sister Rachel has competed in swimming for the University of Calgary in Canada. His older sister Alexis had signed a letter of intent to swim for Texas A&M University, but her swimming career was cut short when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in her final year of high school in 2008, from which she made a full recovery. (bouldercityreview.com, 01 Jul 2016; kuseahawks.com, 30 Nov 2018; godinos.com, 01 Aug 2017; swimswam.com, 28 Aug 2018) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
"My parents had a boat and wanted my sister and I to be water safety trained. I started with baby lessons at just six weeks old and just stuck with it. I later jumped onto the swim team and since I started young, I was ahead of the curve." |
General Interest |
Most influential person in career |
US swimmer Kurt Cady. (unlvfreepress.com, 24 Sep 2018) |
Hero / Idol |
US swimmer Michael Phelps. (unlvfreepress.com, 24 Sep 2018) |
Ambitions |
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (bouldercityreview.com, 23 Jun 2021, 16 Jun 2021) |
Sport Specific Information |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He learned to swim as a baby and joined his first swimming team at age three. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete, Coach, Student |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"There are many points in life, especially in athletics, where you will doubt yourself. The only way you can be successful is to be your own biggest believer." (juiceplus.com, 08 Jan 2019) |
Other information |
MOVE TO AUBURN
In 2021 he moved to Auburn, AL, United States of America, to begin his master's degree in aerospace engineering at Auburn University. He also began working as a volunteer assistant coach with the university's swim team. Previously, he had been training with coach Ray Looze in Bloomington, Indiana. (LinkedIn profile, 22 Nov 2021; swimswam.com, 11 Oct 2021)
RETIREMENT PLANS
He plans to retire from swimming after competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, having failed to qualify for the US team at the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2020. "I'm fortunate to be in a better place mentally than I was in 2016 [speaking in 2021]. I don't need to be an Olympian to feel good about what I've accomplished. I will always consider my success [at the] Olympic level. Nevertheless, it remains my ultimate goal to be an Olympian. My plan is to retire in 2024. I'm not done trying, but I can't promise I'll make it another three years. I do take pride in the fact that I'm still competing at this level at this age." (bouldercityreview.com, 23 Jun 2021, 16 Jun 2021)
ALMOST RETIRED
In 2015, after his collegiate career, he almost retired from swimming due to a run of bad form. That year, after being lapped by US swimmer Michael McBroom in a 1650-yard race, he walked out of the arena without a warm-down, and sent a text to his coach saying, "I'm done." On the advice of his childhood friend, fellow US swimmer Cody Miller, he was persuaded to move to Bloomington, IN, United States of America, to train with him and coach Ray Looze in Indiana University's post-graduate group. "I had enough perseverance to get to the point where I had nothing to lose anymore. I was living off my parents' dime, and my times were getting slower. I could have left the sport but I decided to move to an entirely new state and an entirely new programme. No matter how bad it got, I was determined to try something new - I was determined to improve." (swimswam.com, 28 Aug 2018, unlvfreepress.com, 24 Sep 2018)
HAIRSTYLE
He has been known for his mohawk-style haircut. "It started when I was little. To get pumped up for the Nevada state meet, kids would put really funny designs into their hair like hand prints. The first time I did it, I cut it into a mohawk. When I became a senior in high school, I spiked it up and have done it every year since then as it gets close to SwimFest. It's a visual representation for me. Fresh hairdo equals swim time." (dolfinswimwear.com, 05 Dec 2018) |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 8 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
400m Freestyle |
3:45.78 |
| Heats |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
1500m Freestyle |
15:21.43 |
| Heats |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
800m Freestyle |
7:50.14 |
| 8 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
800m Freestyle |
7:52.43 |
| 7 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
400m Freestyle |
3:45.86 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:03.18 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 8 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
1500m Freestyle |
14:51.22 |
| 6 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
400m Freestyle |
3:38.99 |
| 4 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
6:49.84 |
| 7 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
400m Freestyle |
3:40.20 |
| Heats |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
200m Freestyle |
1:44.53 |
| 2 |
2016 |
Windsor, ON, CAN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
|
Pan American Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 4 |
2023 |
Santiago, CHI |
200m Freestyle |
1:48.00 |
| 2 |
2023 |
Santiago, CHI |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:08.06 |
Pan Pacific Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| |
2018 |
Tokyo, JPN |
10km |
2:03:52.4 |
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