Erin Phenix
Encyclopedia
Erin Phenix is an American swimmer who won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
.
, a suburb of Cincinnati, by her mother, Laurie. She had her first swimming lessons at the age of eight. In 1997, at Ursuline Academy
, she won the state championship as part of the 200 yard freestyle relay team. The next year, she earned individual state championships in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle, while participating in the championships relay teams at both 200 and 400 yard distances. In her final year at Ursuline, she would repeat as champion in those four races, and be named the GGCL swimmer of the year, and the Cincinnati Enquirer swimmer of the year.
on an athletic scholarship. At the U.S. Olympic Trials
on August 14, 2000, she placed sixth in the 100 metre freestyle, earning a spot on the 4×100 metre relay squad in Sydney
. Her mother, Laurie, was working two jobs at the time, and could not afford the trip to Australia, so her friends and neighbours worked together to raise the $3,500 for her to go to Sydney. Their efforts were rewarded, as in Sydney, Phenix swam in the preliminary heat, and when the U.S. team won the finals, she was awarded a gold medal.
The next year, Phenix won two silver medals at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
in Fukuoka
, in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, and swimming the anchor freestyle leg in the 4×100 m medley relay. Though she would swim at the Olympic Trials again in 2004, she failed to qualify for the Athens games
, effectively ending her swimming career in international competitions.
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Early life
Phenix was raised in Greenhills, OhioGreenhills, Ohio
Greenhills is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,103 at the 2000 census. It is a planned community that was established by the United States federal government during the Great Depression.-Geography:...
, a suburb of Cincinnati, by her mother, Laurie. She had her first swimming lessons at the age of eight. In 1997, at Ursuline Academy
Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Ursuline Academy is a four-year college-preparatory private girls’ Catholic high school founded by the Ursuline sisters of Brown County, Ohio in 1896...
, she won the state championship as part of the 200 yard freestyle relay team. The next year, she earned individual state championships in both the 50 and 100 yard freestyle, while participating in the championships relay teams at both 200 and 400 yard distances. In her final year at Ursuline, she would repeat as champion in those four races, and be named the GGCL swimmer of the year, and the Cincinnati Enquirer swimmer of the year.
Texas and the Olympics
In 1999, Phenix enrolled at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
on an athletic scholarship. At the U.S. Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (swimming)
The United States Olympic Team Trials in Swimming are held before every Summer Olympics to select the participators for the USA's swimming team. The event is overseen by the United States Olympic Committee and run/operated by USA Swimming....
on August 14, 2000, she placed sixth in the 100 metre freestyle, earning a spot on the 4×100 metre relay squad in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Her mother, Laurie, was working two jobs at the time, and could not afford the trip to Australia, so her friends and neighbours worked together to raise the $3,500 for her to go to Sydney. Their efforts were rewarded, as in Sydney, Phenix swam in the preliminary heat, and when the U.S. team won the finals, she was awarded a gold medal.
The next year, Phenix won two silver medals at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
2001 World Aquatics Championships
rightThe 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001....
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, and swimming the anchor freestyle leg in the 4×100 m medley relay. Though she would swim at the Olympic Trials again in 2004, she failed to qualify for the Athens games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, effectively ending her swimming career in international competitions.