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Natalie HINDS
Sport Swimming
NOC United States   
GenderWomen
Born07 Dec 1993
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
 United States
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team
 Athens Bulldog Swim Club: United States
General Interest
Hobbies
 Tapestry. (nataliehinds.com, 2021)
Memorable sporting achievement
 Winning a bronze medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (mrt.com, 23 Oct 2021)
Awards and honours
 In 2021 she was inducted into the Midland Independent School District Hall of Legends in Midland, TX, United States of America. (mrt.com, 23 Oct 2021)

While competing for the University of Florida in the United States of America, she was named the Southeastern Conference's Female Freshman of the Year in 2013. (floridagators.com, 28 Jun 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
 Jack Bauerle [club], USA
When and where did you begin this sport?
 She began swimming at age four in Midland, TX, United States of America.
Further Personal Information
Occupation
 Athlete, Business Owner, Motivational Speaker
Languages
 English
General Interest
Other information
 RETIREMENT AND COMEBACK
Following her unsuccessful bid to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games she retired from swimming. She worked for Turner Media for two years but while watching the 2018 US National Championships she realised she wanted to train again, and joined a post-graduate swimming group at the University of Georgia. "I saw 2018 Nationals and I was like, man, they're having a lot of fun. I was sitting at a desk nine to five, and I was like, I don't want to do this anymore. So I had a conversation with my parents and decided, like, 'OK, I'm going to do this'. Then I moved to Athens [GA, United States of America] within the next five days after that decision, and it was scary." After securing her spot for the 2020 Olympic Games, she admitted that her break from swimming had given her a new appreciation for the sport. "So that break for me was such a blessing. I learned mostly that, you know, walking on deck here I was like, I have a different perspective. I know what life is like outside of swimming, so I know how much I love swimming and how much this moment means to me. I think that's what I learned from the break. It was a good mental break for me as well." (floridagators.com, 28 Jun 2021; nataliehinds.com, 2021)

FRIENDSHIP WITH SMOLIGA
While swimming for the University of Florida she competed against US swimmer Olivia Smoliga, who was racing for the University of Georgia at the time. When Hinds decided to return to swimming she initially lived with Smoliga while training at the University of Georgia. The pair went on to win bronze as part of the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "Liv is the first person I saw when I drove and parked in Athens, and she did nothing but help me. She helped me set everything up, helped me with setting up weights and coaches and, this is what we do here. I'm so grateful for her." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 20 Jun 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 13 Dec 2021)

BUSINESS
In 2020 she launched Loominary Design, through which she sells custom-made wall tapestries. (nataliehinds.com, 2021)

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
3 2021 Tokyo, JPN 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay  
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
1 2022 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Medley Relay  
3 2022 Budapest, HUN 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay  
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
8 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 100m Freestyle 52.24
2 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 4 x 50m Medley Relay  
2 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay  
1 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay  
4 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay  
World Cup
Rank Year Venue Event Result
5 2022 Indianapolis, IN, USA 100m Freestyle 52.02
5 2022 Indianapolis, IN, USA 50m Freestyle 24.11
6 2022 Indianapolis, IN, USA 50m Butterfly 25.62