Sheila Taormina

Infobox Swimmer
swimmername = Sheila Taormina


imagesize = 220 px
caption =
fullname = Sheila Christine Taormina
nicknames =
nationality = USA
strokes =freestyle
club =
collegeteam = Georgia
birthdate =birth date and age|1969|03|18
birthplace =Livonia, Michigan, United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = height|ft=5|in=3

Sheila Christine Taormina (born March 18, 1969 in Livonia, Michigan) is an American athlete, who competes in triathlon and swimming. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Taormina earned a gold medal as a member of the winning women's 4x200 meter freestyle relay team.

While swimming collegiately for the Georgia Bulldogs, Taormina earned a BBA in 1992 and an MBA in 1994 from the University of Georgia. She captained Georgia's 1991 team, won All-America honors all four years of her collegiate career and won the Southeastern Conference 400-meter individual medley as senior. She was the first UGA swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal and the first UGA athlete to make the Olympic team in multiple sportscite web |first=Dan |last=Magill |autholink=Dan Magill |url=http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/080900/spo_0809000038.shtml |title=Taormina ready for Sydney triathlon |accessdate=2008-03-23 |date=August 8, 2000 |work=OnlineAthens.com |publisher=Athens Banner-Herald]

Taormina competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She took sixth place with a total time of 2:02:45.91. Her split times were 19:02.78 for the swim, 1:06:24.30 for the cycling, and 0:37:18.83 for the run.

In 2004, Taormina won the ITU World Championship title. In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Taormina again competed in the triathlon. Her time was 2:09:21.08 as she finished in twenty-third place.

Post-Athens, Taormina embarked on a new sport, modern pentathlon, winning the women's senior division of the 2005 Pan American Championships. She was successful in qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games in the modern pentathlon, making her the first female athlete to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports. Taormina finished 19th in the 2008 Olympic event.

References

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/volleyball/columns/story?id=3549247 ESPN Story about Taormina's Olympic Performance]
* [http://www.sheilat.com/ Sheila Taormina]
* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_1250.htm Sheila Taormina's U.S. Olympic Team bio]
* [http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819129_1819134_1825739,00.html "Sheila Taormina"] , n°21 on "Time"’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

Persondata
NAME=Taormina, Sheila
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Taormina, Sheila Christine
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Swimmer, triathlete and pentathlete
DATE OF BIRTH=March 18, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH= Livonia, Michigan, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=