Allison Schmitt is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Schmitt has won a total of six medals in major international competition, three gold, two silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships is a long course swimming event first held in 1985. The meet was initially staged biennially , to allow for an international championship-level meet in the non-Olympic and non-World Championships years...

.

Personal life

Schmitt was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

 in 1990, the daughter of Ralph and Gail Schmitt. Her father is a financial analyst

Financial analyst

A financial analyst, securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, or investment analyst is a person who performs financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core part of the job.-Job:...

 and her mother is a system project manager

Project management

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...

. Schmitt is a 2008 graduate of Canton High School

Plymouth-Canton Educational Park

The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park encompasses three public secondary schools—Salem High School, Canton High School, and Plymouth High School—in Canton Township, Michigan, United States. PCEP is located on a campus in Wayne County...

 in Canton Township, Michigan

Canton Township, Michigan

The Charter Township of Canton, usually referred to as Canton, is an affluent charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The commuter town is located west of Detroit and east of Ann Arbor. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 90,173, making it Michigan's...

. During her senior year of high school, she swam for Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, and trained alongside Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps

Michael Fred Phelps is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions...

.

Schmitt currently attends the University of Georgia

University of Georgia

The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

, where she is a member of the Bulldogs'

Georgia Bulldogs

The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...

 swim team. Individually, Schmitt is a four-time NCAA champion, having won the 500-yard freestyle in 2009, 2010, and 2011 and the 200-yard freestyle in 2010.

International career

At the 2007 Japan Invite, Schmitt placed fourth in the 800 m freestyle relay, ninth in the 200 m freestyle, eleventh in the 400 m freestyle, and eighteenth in the 100 m freestyle. Schmitt took bronze in both the 200 m and 100 m freestyle at the 2007 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

, Schmitt was part of the bronze medal winning team of the 4x200 m freestyle relay

Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay

The following new world and Olympic records were set during this competition.-Qualification summary:-Heats:-Final:...

. She also finished ninth in the 200 m freestyle at the Olympics, barely missing a place in the final.

At the 2009 World Championships

2009 World Aquatics Championships

The 2009 World Aquatics Championships or the XIII FINA World Championships were celebrated in Rome, Italy in 2009 from July 17 to August 2. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines: diving, swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming and water polo.Rome won...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, Schmitt competed in three events, the 200 and 400 m freestyle, and the 4x200 m freestyle relay. In her first event, the 400 m freestyle, Schmitt recorded the second best time in the heats with a time of 4:02.80. However, in the final she placed 4th with a time of 4:02.51. In her second event, the 200 m freestyle, she won a silver medal finishing behind world record holder Federica Pellegrini

Federica Pellegrini

Federica Pellegrini is an Italian swimmer. A native of Mirano, in the province of Venice, she is currently the women's 200 m freestyle and 400 m freestyle world record holder...

 by 1.98 seconds. Schmitt's time of 1:54.96 was good enough for the American record. In the 4x200 m freestyle relay, she swam the final leg in 1:54.21 as the American team placed second to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. The final time of 7:42.56 was just behind China's time of 7:42.08 but was good enough for the American record.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships

2011 World Aquatics Championships

The 14th FINA World Championships were held at July 16–31, 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchronised swimming...

 in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

, Schmitt won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Missy Franklin

Missy Franklin

Melissa "Missy" Jeanette Franklin is an American swimmer. She is a five-time medalist at the World Aquatics Championships and a two-time silver medalist at the World Short Course Championships...

, Dagny Knutson

Dagny Knutson

Dagny Knutson is an American swimmer of Norwegian heritage. Knutson is a former American record holder in 400-yard individual medley and holds several high school national records....

, and Katie Hoff

Katie Hoff

Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff is an American swimmer. Hoff is strongest in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley, though she is a very capable swimmer in many events, ranging from the four 200 meter events to the 800 meter freestyle...

, with the team finishing ahead of Australia and China. As the anchor leg, Schmitt had a 1:56.49 split.

Personal bests (long course)

.

Event	Time	Venue	Date
200 m freestyle	1:54.96	Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...	July 29, 2009
400 m freestyle	4:02.51	Rome	July 26, 2009

External links

• USA Swimming athlete bio: Allison Schmitt
• University of Georgia profile for Allison Schmitt