Allison Schmitt

Bio:
Allison Schmitt (born June 7, 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American competitive swimmer. She made her Olympic debut as an incoming college freshman at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She won a bronze medal as a member of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. As a swimmer for University of Georgia, Allison became a 4-time NCAA national champion in freestyle. She would train in the summers with Michael Phelps and his coach in Baltimore during the summers. Going into her senior year at UGA, Allison decided to take the year off and train full time in Baltimore for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Allison won five medals in the London Summer Olympics: three gold, one silver and one bronze. She won the first individual medal of her career, a silver in the 400-meter freestyle, and set the American record for the event. After the Olympics, she returned to UGA to complete her senior year, but her swimming career suffered after she began to struggle with depression upon her return from the games. She came public with her emotional issues after her cousin committed suicide. Allison qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio to compete in the relay. She is the ninth American female swimmer to attend three Olympics. She is one of the team captains and earned her fourth gold medal in the 4 x 200 m freestyle relay.

Best Known For:
Allison is best known for her award-winning Olympic and collegiate swimming careers.

Personal Life:
Allison began swimming at the age of 9 and started to compete at 11 years old. She has written that she enjoys scrapbooking, photography, outdoor games and board games, and that she relaxes by watching a movie or getting a massage. She visits several local youth swim clubs and high school teams to talk to them about swimming and swim with them.