Elizabeth Lyon Beisel (; born August 18, 1992) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in

backstroke Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...

and individual medley events. She has won a total of nine medals in major international competition, four gold, one silver, and four bronze spanning the Olympics, World Aquatics, and the Pan Pacific championships. Beisel competed in the 200-meter backstroke and 400-meter individual medley events at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, placing fifth and fourth, respectively, in the world. She won the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley and bronze in the 200-meter backstroke 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 ...

. She also finished sixth in the 400-meter individual medley 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 ...

. On September 25, 2021, she became the first woman to ever swim to Block Island. The 20 km swim raised funds for cancer research and clinical trials. In August 2020, SPIRE Institute and Academy signed Biesel to become a swimming ambassador. She will be joining Caeleb Dressel in representing the school. The goal of the partnership with SPIRE and the ambassadors is to emphasize the development of peak performance in athletics, academics, character and life.

Early life

Beisel was born in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, in 1992,U.S. Olympic Committee, Swimming, Athletes
Elizabeth Beisel
Retrieved August 7, 2010. the daughter of Ted and Joan Beisel. She graduated from

North Kingstown High School North Kingstown Senior High School (North Kingstown High School) is a public secondary school located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States. The school, which serves grades 9–12, is attended by residents of both North Kingstown and J ...

North Kingstown, Rhode Island North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, and is part of the Providence metropolitan area. Its population was 27,732 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. North Kingstown is the birthplace of American ...

in 2010. From the age of 12 through high school, she competed for the Bluefish Swim Club while training under coach Chuck Batchelor. Beisel became a member of the U.S. national swim team when she was 13 years old. Beisel's great uncle, Warren William Krech, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was called the "King of Pre-code Hollywood." He was also one of the original fourteen members of the Screen Actors Guild.

College career

Beisel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

, where she swam for coach Gregg Troy's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association 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. ...

(NCAA) competition from 2011 to 2014.GatorZone.com, Women's Swimming & Diving, 2011–12 Roster
Elizabeth Beisel
. Retrieved July 7, 2012. She won nine

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) individual championships, and was honored as the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 2012. Beisel also won the NCAA individual championships in the 200-yard backstroke in 2012, and the 400-yard individual medley in 2013, leading the Lady Gators to a seventh, tenth, sixth and sixth-place team finishes at the NCAA national championships. She received eighteen

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors and earned first-team Academic All-America recognition.

International career

2007 World Championships

At the age of 14, Beisel competed in the 2007 World Championships. She advanced to the semi-finals and placed twelfth overall in the 200-meter backstroke.

2008 Summer Olympics

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Beisel finished second to

Katie Hoff Kathryn Elise Hoff (born June 3, 1989) is a former American competitive swimming (sport), swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Hoff was known for the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley events. She represented the Uni ...

in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:32.87. Hoff went on to set the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

in that race. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished second to Margaret Hoelzer, who also set the world record. As a 15-year-old, Beisel was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic swim team at the

in Beijing, China. Beisel clocked the best time in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley, and finished fourth in the final with a time of 4:34.24. She had the second fastest time in the semi-finals of the 200-meter backstroke, and finished fifth in the final.

2009 World Championships

At the 2009 National Championships, Beisel competed in four individual events and qualified to swim in two finals. In the 400-meter individual medley, Beisel edged Julia Smit with a time of 4:36.31. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished first with a time of 2:08.80. Margaret Hoelzer, the Olympic silver medalist in Beijing, finished third. In her first event at the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships () or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. This was the second time the championships were held in the city after being previously hosted in 1994 World Aq ...

, the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished third in the final with a time of 2:06.39, just missing Hoelzer's American record of 2:06.09. In the 400-meter individual medley final, Beisel placed fifth.

2010 Pan Pacific Championships

At the 2010 National Championships, Beisel competed in two events. In the 400-meter individual medley, the defending national champion slipped to fourth place. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel successfully defended her national title, finishing first with a time of 2:08.50. At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Beisel won two gold medals. Her first gold medal came in the 400-meter individual medley, in which she finished first with a time of 4:34.69. It was three seconds faster than the second-place finisher and was Beisel's first international gold medal. In the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel won her second gold medal with a time of 2:07.83.

2011 World Aquatics Championships

At the

2011 World Aquatics Championships The 14th FINA World Aquatics Championships, FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming ...

in Shanghai, China, Beisel competed in two events, the 200-meter backstroke and the 400-meter individual medley. After qualifying third in both the heats (2:08.40) and semi-finals (2:07.82) of the 200-meter backstroke, Beisel finished in fifth place in the final with a time of 2:08.16. In her second and final event the 400-meter individual medley, Beisel won the gold in a time of 4:31.78. In the heats, Beisel posted the top qualifying time with a 4:34.95. Her nearest competitor, Hannah Miley, was over two seconds behind. This was Beisel's first individual title at a World Aquatics Championships.

2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, Beisel qualified for the U.S. Olympic team by placing first in the women's 400-meter individual medley. In the final, Beisel posted a personal best time of 4:31.74, finishing more than two seconds ahead of teammate Caitlin Leverenz. She also qualified in the 200-meter backstroke by placing second, behind Missy Franklin, with a time of 2:07.58. In her third event, the 400-meter freestyle, Beisel placed fifth in a time of 4:07.29. At the

in London, Beisel posted a time of 4:31.68 in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley. She was seeded first going into the finals, and received a silver medal for finishing second behind China's Ye Shiwen with a time of 4:31.27 to Ye's 4:28.46. She also won a bronze medal by placing third in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:06.55, behind American Missy Franklin and Russian Anastasia Zuyeva.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials held in Omaha, Nebraska, Beisel qualified for her 3rd Olympic team in the women's 400-meter individual medley. In the finals, Beisel swam a 4:36.81 for 2nd place behind Maya Dirado, who won the event with a 4:33.73. In

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Beisel finished sixth in the final of the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:34.98.

2020 coaching career

In August 2020, SPIRE Institute and Academy signed Biesel to become a swimming ambassador. As an ambassador she will lead and instruct select classes.

Personal bests (long course)

Involvement in LEAD Sports Summit

Since retiring from her swimming career, Elizabeth has become extremely involved in the LEAD Sports Summit. She has been a part of this organization since 2017 and is currently active. LEAD is a yearly summit that connects young female athletes with Olympic champions and experts through an all-inclusive, 4-day event.

''Survivor''

Beisel was one of 20 castaways to compete on ''Survivor:'' ''Island of the Idols'''','' the 39th edition of the reality TV show. After starting off as a member of the Lairo tribe, she was selected as the first player to go to the eponymous Island of the Idols, where former players

Sandra Diaz-Twine Sandra Diaz-Twine (born July 30, 1974) is an Americans, American television personality who became known for her appearances on the reality game show ''Survivor (American TV series), Survivor''. She won the first two seasons she appeared on, '' ...

and "Boston" Rob Mariano acted as mentors to the competing castaways using their past knowledge of the game. In Beisel's case, they offered her a chance to receive an advantage if she beat Mariano in a fire making challenge. After losing the challenge to Mariano, she subsequently lost her vote at the first Tribal Council. Then, she was voted out on day 30 in the game. The initial vote resulted in a one-one tie between her and Janet Carbin, due to Karishma Patel playing a hidden immunity idol on herself. Beisel was then voted off in a 7-0 vote, making her the twelfth player voted out, placing 9th out of 20. Beisel eventually voted for runner up Dean Kowalski to win the game. However, this season is marred by several controversies. One of which is for instances of "inappropriate touching" from contestant Dan Spilo. The production crew strongly mishandled the situation, sparking a lot of controversy that ultimately got Spilo ejected from the game. After the incident, several female players, including Beisel, received backlash from the audience for using this scenario to further their game. Many fans speculate it was due to this drama that Beisel did not attend the season's reunion show. Beisel is also married to fellow Survivor 39 contestant Jack Nichting. Coincidentally, Beisel and Nichting were never on the same tribe during the game, due to Nichting being voted out of the game before the merge.

Bibliography

* Beisel, Elizabeth with Beth Fehr. ''Silver Lining''. United States, Nico 11 Publishing & Design, January 22, 2020. .

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beisel, Elizabeth 1992 births Living people American female backstroke swimmers American female medley swimmers Florida Gators women's swimmers Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming People from North Kingstown, Rhode Island Politicians from Washington County, Rhode Island Sportspeople from Washington County, Rhode Island Survivor (franchise) contestants Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming 21st-century American sportswomen