Pilar Shimizu (born May 27, 1996 in

Tamuning, Guam Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon ( ch, Tamuneng) is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Indus ...

) is a Guamanian breaststroke swimmer. While qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics she broke the 20-year-old national record set by Tammie Kaae, another Olympian from Guam. At these Olympics she became the youngest Olympian ever from Guam at age 16. She finished 42nd in the 100 meter breaststroke event and did not advance to the semifinals. Shimizu also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Internationally, Shimizu has earned three bronze medals at the Oceania Games and two silver medals at the

Pacific Games The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2019 in Apia, Samoa. The Games wer ...

Early life and education

Pilar Shimizu was born in the

Guamanian The Chamorro people (; also CHamoru) are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, signifi ...

city of

on May 27, 1996. She attended Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. Shimizu learned to swim at age four and started training at age seven. Shimizu is studying public health at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, with a goal of working in public health administration.

Collegiate career

Shimizu swam for Johns Hopkins University for two seasons, from 2013 to 2015. During her freshman season, she was part of the 200 yard medley relay team that won the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship and the NCAA championship. The team received First Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors as well, and holds the school record, with a time of 1:41.94. In her second season, the 200 yard medley team took home bronze at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship, and competed for the NCAA Championship.

Olympic career

Shimizu participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

at the age of 16. She was the youngest Guamanian Olympian in history at the time of competition. Shimizu established the national record for the 100 meter breaststroke (set 20 years prior by Tammie Kaee) during the Games, with a time of 1:15.76. Shimizu placed 42nd in the event. After swimming for Johns Hopkins for two years, Shimizu decided to train with a private club that would better prepare her for the Olympics. Shimizu competed in the 100 meter breaststroke during the 2016 Summer Olympics in

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, with the goal of setting a personal and national record. She held the Guamanian national record for the event at the time of competition. She finished her event with a time of 1:16.65, which was not sufficient to advance. She set a personal best for the year, but did not surpass the national record. Shimizu said that although this was her second Olympics, she was just as nervous as the first time. Following the 2016 Olympiad, Shimizu returned to Guam and was a project coordinator at the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence. Her project was to increase infrastructure for sexual assault victims in colleges in the Pacific. Shimizu decided to put her swimming career on hiatus while she finishes her degree. She volunteers at a summer camp as a swimming instructor.

International career

Shimizu's first international appearance was at the

2009 East Asian Games ) , Host city = Hong Kong , Teams participating = 9 , Athletes participating = 2,377 , Events = 262 events in 22 sports , Opening ceremony = December 5, 2009 , Closing ceremony = December 13, 2009 , Officially opened by = State Councilor ...

. Her first international success came in 2010, when she won the first medal for Guam at the

Oceania Swimming Championships The Oceania Swimming Championships are currently held every 2 years, in even years. They are organized by the Oceania Swimming Association, and feature teams representing countries and islands from that region.2015 Pacific Games The 2015 Pacific Games, also known as Port Moresby 2015 or POM 2015, was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 4 to 18 July 2015. It was the fifteenth staging of the Pacific Games as well as the third to be hosted in Port Moresby. More tha ...

, Shimizu earned the 50 meter silver medal with a time of 33.35. She also earned a silver medal in the 100 meter breaststroke, with a time of 1:16.05. Adeline Williams won the 100 meter breaststroke with a Pacific Games record time of 1:11.05.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shimizu, Pilar 1996 births Living people Guamanian women Guamanian female breaststroke swimmers Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers of Guam People from Tamuning, Guam Guamanian people of Japanese descent 21st-century American women