Margaret Josephine Hoelzer (born March 30, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Hoelzer competed in 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 ...

and the

2008 Olympic Games 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 fr ...

Biography

While in Huntsville, Hoelzer swam in the summer for Jones Valley Recreation Association, and swam for her high school, Huntsville High School. She also coached for JVRA. Hoelzer swam for the Auburn Tigers swimming and diving team while attending

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

, where she earned her degree in psychology with a minor in criminology. In 2007, Hoelzer moved to Charlotte, NC to train with Coach David Marsh and was sponsored by

Speedo Speedo International Limited is an Australian-British distributor of Swimsuit, swimwear and swim-related accessories based in Nottingham, England. Founded in Sydney, Australia in 1914 by Alexander MacRae, a Scottish emigrant, the company is n ...

. In 2008, Hoelzer relocated to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

and then to

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...

with coach Sean Hutchison to train at Fullerton Aquatics. Her grandfather Helmut Hoelzer invented the first fully electronic analog computer and was a member of the

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( ; ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German–American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and '' Allgemeine SS'', the leading figure in the development of ...

Operation Paperclip The Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the US for government employment after the end of World War I ...

team. Her sister Martha Hoelzer ran cross country and track for the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

and

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

Swimming career

Hoelzer swam on the international stage consistently from 2002 to 2009 with a podium swim at every major international meet except the Olympics in 2004, where she placed 5th. According to

SwimSwam ''SwimSwam'' is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012. History The news organization was founded by Braden Keith, Garrett ...

magazine, she is considered one of the top 10 women swimmers who did not win an Olympic gold medal. She was on the 1998 National Junior Team. She was a five-time National A Team member from (2002–06) and a member of the 2009-10 National Team. She was on the All-star Team from 2003-06. She won the 200 back National in 2006 SUM and 2005 SPG. At Auburn University, she was a six-time NCAA Champion, an SEC and NCAA record holder, and a 22-time All-American. During her tenure swimming for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

, they won the NCAA National swimming title 3 years in 2002, 2003 and 2004. At her high school, Huntsville High, she was an eight-time state champion and a 1999 Scholastic All-American.

2002 Pan Pacific Games

2002: Gold, 200m BK

2003 World Aquatics Championships

WORLD - 2 Final, 200m BK; 5 Semi, 200m BK

2004 Short Course Worlds

2004: Gold, 200m BK; Silver, 400m MR(pr)

2004 Olympics

' At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials, Hoelzer qualified to swim the 200-meter backstroke by placing first, with a time of 2:11.88. She also swam in the 100-meter backstroke, but did not qualify to swim that event at the Olympics. In the

in Athens, Greece, she placed 5th in the 200-meter backstroke, with a time of 2:10.70.

2005 World Aquatics Championships

WORLD - 2 Final, 200m BK

2006 Short Course Worlds

2006: Gold, 200m BK; Silver, 400m MR; Bronze, 800m FR-R(pr); t4, 400m FR-R; 6, 100m BK

2006 Pan Pacifics

2006: Silver, 200m BK; 6, 100m BK

2007 World Aquatics Championships

WORLD - 11 Semi, 50m BK; 1 Semi, 200m BK; 1 Final, 200m BK (American Record); 1 Final(pr), 800m FR-R

2008 Olympics

' At the U.S. Trials on July 1, 2008, Hoelzer qualified to swim in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2008 Olympics. On July 5, 2008, Hoelzer broke her former

roommate

Kirsty Coventry Kirsty Leigh Coventry Seward (née Coventry; born 16 September 1983) is a Zimbabwean politician, sports administrator and former competitive swimmer. She will become the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee in June 2025, being ...

's world record of 2:06.39 in the 200-meter backstroke, with a time of 2:06.09, ultimately qualifying for her second event in the 2008 Olympics. This record was broken in Beijing by Coventry. She also qualified for the women's 4×100-meter medley relay. Hoelzer won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke on August 12 in Beijing. She also won the silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke on August 16, and the silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay on August 17 after swimming in the qualifying heats for that event.

2008 Short Course Worlds

SC WORLDS - 14 Semi, 50m BK (SCM); 7 Semi, 100m BK (SCM); 6 Final, 100m BK (SCM); 100m BK (SCM); 3 Final, 200m BK (SCM); 14 Semi, 50m FL (SCM); 16 Semi, 100m FL (SCM); 1 Final, 400m MED-R (SCM) (WR)

2009 Short Course National Championships

2009: 3, 200y BK; 4, 100y BK; 6, 100y FL

Duel in the Pool History

2009: Gold, 400m MR(WR); Silver, 100m BK & 200m BK(AR) 2005: Gold, 200m BK; Silver, 100m BK; 6, 200m FL 2003: Gold, 200m BK; Bronze, 100m BK

Olympic Trials History

2008: 1, 200m BK; 2, 100m BK 2004: 1, 200m BK; 8, 100m BK

U.S. Nationals History

3, 100m BK/200m BK

Records

Former WR holder in the 400m medley relay, set at the 2009 MOO Duel in the Pool Former WR holder in 200m BK, set at 2008 Olympic Trials Former WR holder in 400m MED- R (SCM), set at 2008 SC Worlds Former AR in 200m BK, set at 2007 World Championships

Personal life

Hoelzer has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child. She said she shared her story to prevent future incidents of sexual abuse. Hoelzer is the national spokesperson for the National Children's Advocacy Center, and has received the "Voice of Courage" award from the Darkness to Light organization.

References

External links

* * * * * * *
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoelzer, Margaret 1983 births Living people American female backstroke swimmers American female freestyle swimmers Auburn Tigers women's swimmers World record setters in swimming Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Huntsville, Alabama Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics 20th-century American women 21st-century American sportswomen