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|
| Lia
NEAL |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 13 Feb 1995
in Brooklyn, NY, USA |
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Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
She enjoyed swimming lessons and asked her mother to take her to more. "Also, my friends were taking lessons and suggested that I join them." |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began swimming at age six and joined a club at eight. |
Further Personal Information |
Languages |
Cantonese, English, Mandarin |
General Interest |
Hero / Idol |
US swimmer Natalie Coughlin. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 01 Jul 2012) |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Science, Technical Studies - Stanford University: United States |
Residence |
New York, NY, USA |
General Interest |
Injuries |
In 2018 she had superior labral tears from anterior to posterior in both of her shoulders, and was out of action for two months. (swimswam.com, 12 Oct 2018) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Experiencing new things is kind of what motivates me in the sport." (swimswam.com, 12 Oct 2018) |
Other information |
RETIREMENT
In May 2021 she announced her retirement from professional swimming. "Twelve-year-old Lia would have never imagined all the opportunities swimming would offer. Every win, loss, breakdown, laugh, celebration, and hour spent staring at a black line over the last 20 years shaped me into the person I am today and for that I'm grateful. Just as swimming has shaped me into the person I am today, it's also allowed me to see that I'm ready for the next chapter of my life. The [COVID-19] pandemic was getting worse, and I realised we weren't getting back in [the pool] anytime soon. It kind of made me realise that with the time and space that we all had to be more introspective, that I'm totally fine being done. There wasn't a dire need to get back in and race anytime soon. I had been feeling kind of on the outs with swimming for a few years, but I think in swimming, and being an athlete, we're trained to always persevere. That mentality kept me in this sport a little bit longer, and I didn't realise that I had outgrown the sport at a certain point. Though I won't be competing anymore, I'll remain closely involved with the sport in other ways, through Swimmers for Change and serving on the boards of various swim-related organisations." (Instagram profile, 26 May 2021; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 26 May 2021)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In June 2020 she and fellow swimmer Jacob Pebley set up Swimmers For Change, an organisation aiming to promote diversity and inclusion in swimming. She is also a founding member of the Black Leadership in Aquatics Coalition [BLAC], a group of current and former members of the US national aquatics team that began working with and advising USA Swimming on racial issues. She was encouraged to get involved in social issues through Pebley's personal experiences. "He [Pebley] was feeling what a lot of people were feeling around that time, when things were starting to really unfold in just feeling a little bit helpless. Jacob came to me asking, 'What can we, as swimmers, do ourselves?'" (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 02 Oct 2020; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jun 2020) |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 3 |
2012 |
London, ENG |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:34.24 |
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 2 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
| 3 |
2015 |
Kazan, RUS |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:34.61 |
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 7 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
100m Freestyle |
52.50 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:27.78 |
| 2 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:31.01 |
| 3 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
Pan American Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 4 |
2019 |
Lima, PER |
100m Freestyle |
55.62 |
| 1 |
2019 |
Lima, PER |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:39.59 |
| 1 |
2019 |
Lima, PER |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
World Cup Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 6 |
2017 |
Beijing, CHN |
100m Freestyle |
52.68 |
| 5 |
2017 |
Singapore, SGP |
100m Freestyle |
52.46 |
| 5 |
2017 |
Singapore, SGP |
200m Freestyle |
1:55.09 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Singapore, SGP |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
1:32.76 |
| 8 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
50m Freestyle |
24.48 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
1:31.92 |
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