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| Olivia
SMOLIGA |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
|
| Gender | Women |
| Born | 12 Oct 1994
in Glenview, IL, USA |
| Height | 1.88 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Tempe, AZ, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
"I think like any kid I started swimming lessons when I was four or five and it really started to get serious for me around fifth grade. I started swimming for my club. Then I realised my abilities as a swimmer and I just got a lot more serious then." |
General Interest |
Awards and honours |
While competing for the University of Georgia she was named the Southeastern Conference [SEC] Female Swimmer of the Year for the 2016/17 season. She was also named the 2013/14 SEC Freshman of the Year. (georgiadogs.com, 01 Jan 2018)
In 2013 she was named the Swimming World Magazine Female High School Swimmer of the Year. (georgiadogs.com, 29 Jun 2016) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Bob Bowman, USA, from 2021 |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
She began swimming at age six. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English, Polish, Spanish |
Higher education |
Psychology - University of Georgia: Athens, GA, USA |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Meditation. (tolympics.com, 02 Mar 2021) |
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
She listens to music before her races. (espn.com, 06 May 2019) |
Famous relatives |
Her brother Matthew has played ice hockey for the Amarillo Bulls in the North American Hockey League. (eliteprospects.com, 01 Jan 2019; ProSwimwear YouTube channel, 21 Nov 2018) |
Other information |
COACH CHANGE
In November 2021 she began training with Bob Bowman at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, United States of America. She had previously worked with Jack Bauerle at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, United States of America. "This has been kind of brewing in my mind for the past couple of months, after this summer, after the Games [2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo]. Even earlier this year, I had the opportunity to talk with Bob which is really nice. I had a pretty nice reflective period after the Games. I was able to go home, and didn't do really much of anything for five weeks and I was just thinking about what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. It seemed like a smooth transition, because Jack Bauerle, the coach at University of Georgia, is good friends with Bob, so it was a really easy connection to make." (swimswam.com, 10 Nov 2021)
REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES
Her parents moved to the United States of America from Poland in 1991. She received an offer to represent Poland at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but she declined and decided to compete for the United States of America. "I had been on junior national teams as a high schooler and experienced what it was like to be on Team USA and there's nothing like it – the looks that you get when you walk on deck, the red, white and blue gear that you have. You're held to a much higher standard, you have more responsibility, and it's like the biggest privilege in the world. Even if I had the chance, I don't like taking the easy way out of anything." (teamusa.org, 20 Dec 2018) |
Hero / Idol |
US swimmer Natalie Coughlin. (teamusa.org, 20 Dec 2018) |
Milestones |
At the 2018 World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China, she became the first swimmer from any nation to win eight gold medals at a single edition of the world championships in a short course or long course pool. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 May 2020) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Never give up. No matter what anybody tells you, believe in yourself and love yourself and keep pushing." (digitaljournal.com, 03 Sep 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Training Regime |
She trains with the post-graduate group at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, United States of America. |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 3 |
2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 6 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
100m Backstroke |
58.95 |
| 1 |
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 2 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:31.93 |
| 2 |
2023 |
Fukuoka, JPN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
50m Backstroke |
27.33 |
| 3 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
100m Backstroke |
58.91 |
| 1 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
| 4 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
100m Backstroke |
58.77 |
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2017 |
Budapest, HUN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
|
World Championships Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
100m Backstroke |
56.19 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
50m Backstroke |
25.88 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
3:27.78 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:45.58 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:36.40 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:42.38 |
| 1 |
2018 |
Hangzhou, CHN |
4 x 50m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 2 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
50m Backstroke |
26.13 |
| 1 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
100m Backstroke |
56.64 |
| 1 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay |
|
| 3 |
2012 |
Istanbul, TUR |
4 x 100m Medley Relay |
3:51.43 |
World Cup Short Course |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 37 |
2017 |
|
Overall |
|
| 2 |
2017 |
Eindhoven, NED |
100m Backstroke |
56.58 |
| 6 |
2017 |
Eindhoven, NED |
100m Freestyle |
53.11 |
| 3 |
2017 |
Eindhoven, NED |
4 x 50m Medley Relay |
1:39.85 |
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