Amanda Jo Weir (born March 11, 1986) is an American competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, Olympic silver medalist, world champion, and former world record-holder. She was a member of the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and 2012 United States Olympic teams, winning two silver medals at the 2004 Games and a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and a silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Career

Born in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

, Weir started swimming while the family lived in

Apple Valley, Minnesota Apple Valley is a city in northwestern Dakota County, Minnesota, and a suburb of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities. The population was 56,374 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Minnes ...

. Weir holds many of the sprint freestyle age-group records for

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overa ...

, setting her first record at age 12 in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.17 seconds. She attended Brookwood High School in

Snellville, Georgia Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. Its population was 20,573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and ...

, and led the Brookwood swim team to four consecutive Georgia Class 5A state championships. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, Weir swam the third leg for the U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Leading after her leg of the relay, the U.S. team finished second to the Australians, setting an American record with their finishing time. Weir also earned a silver medal by swimming in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay and helping her team qualify for the final. Weir enrolled as a freshman at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 2004, where her team dominated the 2005

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

championships; Weir anchored four of the unprecedented five winning Georgia relay teams. She was recognized as the Atlanta Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2005. Weir left the University of Georgia after her first year and transferred to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 2006. After a single semester at USC, Weir decided to end her college swimming career to begin swimming professionally. At the 2006 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championship, Weir broke the American record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 53.58. At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Weir made the U.S. Olympic team for the second time by finishing fifth in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 54.41, which qualified her to swim in the 4×100-meter freestyle as a member of the U.S. relay team. At the

in London, she earned a bronze medal as a member of the U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In 2016, she won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Relation to Burl Ives

Amanda Weir is the great niece of

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Amanda 1986 births Living people American female freestyle swimmers Georgia Bulldogs women's swimmers Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Snellville, Georgia Sportspeople from Davenport, Iowa Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics USC Trojans women's swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming World record holders in swimming Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Apple Valley, Minnesota Swimmers at the 2003 Pan American Games Swimmers at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming 21st-century American sportswomen

Career

Relation to Burl Ives

See also

References

External links