Margaret Hoelzer’s athletic career
Born on 30th of March, 1983 in Huntsville, Alabama, Margaret is an American swimmer who has contended in almost all the mega International sports events. Including, the 2004 Summer Olympic Games that took place in Athens, Greece and the 2008 Beijing Olympics China, to name just a few.
Margaret Hoelzer specialises in backstroke and is a part of the FAST Swim Team Clun of America, her college team in the team of the Auburn University. She is 5 feet and 11 inches in height.
As a young athlete, Margaret used to swim for Jones Valley Recreation Association in her summers at Huntsville. She later swam for her high school which was called Huntsville High School. Margaret also coached for JVRA. She went to the Auburn University to earn a degree in psychology as her major while her minor subject during her undergraduate programme was criminology. In 2009, Margaret moved to Fullerton, California, where she was trained by coach Sean Hutchison at Fullerton Aquatics.
Margaret competed in the World Aquatics Championships of 2003, 2005 and 2007. She represented the American women’s team in these championships and won home a number of medals in backstroke and relay meets.
Amidst the World Aquatics Championships, of which she was an integral part, she participated in the Summer Olympics of 2004. She finished in the first place at the US Olympic Trials 2004, in the 200 metre backstroke race, qualifying for the Olympics. She finished the 200 metre distance in 2 minutes and 11.88 seconds. However, she was unsuccessful in qualifying for the 100 metre backstroke at the Olympics. In the actual Summer Olympics 2004 that took place in Athens, Greece, she landed on the fifth spot in the 200 metre backstroke. Margaret finished this race with a time of 2 minutes and 10.70 seconds, which was a cut down on her timings in the US Trials.
The next US Trials for the Olympics started on the 1st of July for the Summer Olympics at Beijing in 2008. Margaret, this time qualified for the 100 metre backstroke in the Olympics. On the 5th of July the same year, she managed to break the World Record set by her own roommate at the Auburn University in the 200 metre backstroke event. Margaret finished the race in 2 minutes and 6.09 seconds, while the record set by Kirsty Coventry was a time of 2 minutes and 6.39 seconds. This record set by Margaret was again met by Coventry in the Summer Olympics of 2008. Margaret also swam in the women’s 4 into 100 metre medley relay race at the Beijing Olympics.
On the 12th of August, Margaret went on to win a bronze medal in the 100 metre backstroke at Beijing. Moreover, she also clinched the silver medal in the 200 metre backstroke event that took place on the 16th of August. She qualified for the heats of the 4 into 100 metre medley relay that took place the day after at the Beijing Olympics 2008 and took away the silver medal in the meet.
Recently, on the 14th of September, Margaret visited the Napa Valley Swim Team and displayed her medal winning techniques to the swimmers and their families, who were genuinely delighted at her presence. She also answered any questions put forward by the young swimmers and also signed autographs for her fans.
She also spoke to the swimmers of NVST after her demonstration of the swimming techniques and told them that her most memorable meet was the one in 2007 World Aquatic Championships in which she managed to surpass the World Record set in the 200 metre backstroke. She was talking to the swimmers of NVST, who were of the age group of 6 to 17. Boosting the moral of such athletes, she said that you should make the most of what you have and look at the brighter side of everything. She also said that when you are doing a sport you should give it your best shot. As for her personal experience during her swimming career of about 20 years, she said that she gained more than she lost in every respect during this time.
Tags: