Kate Ziegler

Infobox Swimmer
swimmername = Kate Ziegler


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fullname = Kate Marie Ziegler
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nationality = USA
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birthdate =birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|06|27
birthplace =Great Falls, Virginia, United States
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height = height|m=1.80
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Kate Ziegler (born June 27, 1988 in Fairfax, Virginia) is a world record distance swimmer from the United States, who won two golden medals at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal and the same two events at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne. She holds the world record in the 1500 m freestyle. She is coached by Ray Benecki, and for the team "FISH". Due to her performance at the World Championships, in which she came first in the 800 and 1500 m freestyle, she was selected for the USA "A" national team. Ziegler made her international debut at the 2004 FINA Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis. She graduated from Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School on June 1, 2006. Ziegler currently attends George Mason University.

High school swimming

At Bishop O'Connell H.S., Ziegler excelled throughout her 4 years, earning 4-time Washington Post All-Met honors, including being Swimmer of the Year on more than one occasion. As a freshman, she finished 3rd in the 200y freestyle (1:51.59) and won the 500 yd freestyle (4:47.78) at the 2003 Metros Swimming and Diving Championships, breaking the then-15-year-old record in the 500 held by Pam Minthorn. She also anchored O'Connell's 200y freestyle (24.51 split) and 400 yd freestyle (53.65 split) to 7th and 6th place finishes, respectively. The following year, as a sophomore, she won both the 200y freestyle (1:46.15) and the 500y freestyle (4:41.91) in record time, and anchored the winning 200y freestyle (24.14 split) and 3rd place 400 yd freestyle (51.63 split) relays. Her times continued to drop rapidly, and as a junior she again won both the 200y freestyle (1:45.43) and 500y freestyle (4:37.67) in record time, the latter being an Independent National High School record. As a senior, she continued to excel, tying the National High School record in the 200y free (1:45.49) and breaking Janet Evans' National Record in the 500y free (4:35.35).
In December 2005, at the Tom Dolan Invitational Meet, she swam a 9:24.80 in the 1000y freestyle, breaking Evans' 17-year-old record in that event. Again in December 2006, she swam the Tom Dolan Invitational Meet, and broke Janet Evans' 16-year-old record in the 1650y freestyle, making the new American Record 15:37.17.

Nationals

* Olympic Trials: 0th 800 m free (8:30.92), 5th 400 m free (4:12.12), 41st 200 m free (2:04.65)
* Summer 2004: 0st 400 m free (4:12.06), 1st 1500 m free (16:22.03), 2nd 800 m free (8:33.24), 10th 200 m free (2:03.56)
* World Champs Trials: 0st 800 m free (8:34.83), 1st 1500 m free (16:26.59), 3rd 400 m free (4:12.09), 12th 200 m free (2:02.07)
* Summer 2005: 0st 800 m free (8:31.11), 1st 1500 m free (16:14.52), 2nd 400 m free (4:10.41), 9th 200 m free (2:01.49)
* Spring 2006: 0st 200 m free (2:00.43), 1st 800 m free (8:34.56)
* Summer 2006: 0st 400 m free (4:05.75, Championship Record), 2nd 800 m free (8:27.65), 10th 200 m free (2:00.35)

Total titles, including Trials: 9, 200 m free (SPR 06), 400 m free (SUM 04, SUM 06), 800 m free (WCT, SUM 05, SPR 06), 1500 m free (SUM 04, WCT, SUM 05)

International swimming

At the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, she swept the 800 meter and 1500 meter freestyle events.

In the summer of the 2006 at the Pan Pacific Championships, she swam the 1500 in 15:53 making her the second fastest swimmer of all time in that event and the second person to break the sixteen minute mark. The third person was Hayley Peirsol who finished the event just five seconds later.

In 2005, Ziegler won the 800 m (8:25.31) and 1500 m (16:00.41) at Worlds in Montreal. The latter time made her the third-fastest woman (and second American) in the history of the event, following only world-record holder Janet Evans's 15:52.10 and German Hannah Stockbauer's 16:00.18. She qualified for Worlds after winning the 800 m at World Trials in Indianapolis with a time of 8:34.83. She failed to qualify in the 400 m, finished 3rd in a time of 4:12.09.

She won the 400 m freestyle in the 2005 Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool with a time of 4:08.97.

In February 2005, at the FINA World Cup stop in New York, Ziegler won the 800 m in 8:16.32, breaking Sippy Woodhead's 25-year-old American Record in that event, which at the time was the oldest American record on the books.

At the 2004 Short Course Worlds, she placed 2nd to Japan's Sachiko Yamada in the 800 m freestyle with a time of 8:20.55. Her 400 m split would have placed her 4th in that event.

Recent Meets

Kate set the World Record in the 1500 m freestyle demolishing Janet Evans' old record by nearly 10 seconds.

In Essen, Germany, Kate broke both the 800 and 1500 short course meter world records on 0ctober 12, 2007. They were actually broken in the same race, as the record in the shorter distance was achieved at the 800 split in the 1500 event. She shattered Laure Manaudou's 1500 record by nearly ten seconds in the 1500 and Manaudou's 800 record by just under two seconds.

Rankings

* 2004: 26th, 400 m free; 11th, 800 m free; 1st, 1500 m free

* 2005: 72nd, 200 m free; 11th, 400 m free; 1st, 800 m free; 1st, 1500 m free

Her 2:00.35 200 m freestyle is just shy of placing her in the top 25 all-time Americans in that event, just shy of Lisa Jacob's 2:00.24 from 1996.

Her 4:05.75 400 m freestyle stands, as of 8/7/2006, the 9th fastest swim of all-time and puts her as the 4th fastest swimmer ever in this event, and the 2nd American behind Janet Evans.

Her 8:18.52 800 m freestyle is within 2 seconds from Janet Evans' world record in the event that dates back to 1989.

Records

On October 12, 2007 at an SCM meet in Essen Germany, Ziegler broke Laure Manaudou's world records in both the 1500 m and 800 m freestyles. Ziegler's new world record of 15:32.90 cut nearly 10 seconds off the previous world record of 15:42.39. She also set the 800 m freestyle WR in the process of taking out her 1500, in a time of 8:09.68, breaking the previous world record of 8:11.25. Later in the meet, she lowered the WR in the 800 m freestyle again, posting a final time of 8:08.00

World record in the Long Course 1500 m free (15:42.54 - June 17, 2007, Mission Viejo, CA), smashing Janet Evans' previous world record of 15:52.10. This time is only .15 seconds slower than Laure Manaudou's SCM 1500 record, making it the smallest margin between a Long Course record and a Short Course record in the same event.

American Record in 500y free (4:32.35), 800 m free (8:16.short course m), 1000y free (9:16.80), and 1650y free (15:26.17).

* NAG 15-16 1000y free (9:25.51), 1650y free (15:37.17)
* NAG 17-18 500y free (4:35.35), 1000y free (9:16.80)

Her most recent records were set at the 2006 Tom Dolan Invitational; there she broke both of Janet Evans' distance records (SCY). With her time of 15:37.17, she broke Janet Evans’ former record of 15:39.14, set on March 17, 1990 in Austin, Texas. Her time of 9:21.57 in the 1000y free shattered the previous mark of 9:24.80, which Ziegler set last year at this same meet. Her times was also a U.S. open records and the 17-18 age group records.Ziegler now owns all three of the distance records (SCY) previously held by Evans.this year 2008 she finished 2nd at the american trials behind world champion katie hoff by almost 5 seconds

External links

* Videos & Results on [http://www.swimpassion.net/Athletes/kateziegler.html SwimPassion.net]

References