Dana Vollmer

Dana Denise Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is an American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece she won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, and Carly Piper that set the world record in the event.

She has won a total of twenty-seven medals in major international competition, fifteen gold, eight silver, and four bronze spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Goodwill Games.

Personal

Though born in Syracuse, New York, she was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Granbury, Texas. As a child, Vollmer swam for coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST).

Collegiately, she initially swam for the University of Florida, before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2003, Dana underwent heart surgery to correct a condition called Supra Ventricular Tachyardia, which produces a quickened pulse rate of about 240 beats per minute. After that surgery, an EKG indicated that she might have Long QT Syndrome; however, further testing indicated that she did not have the syndrome. Nonetheless, her heart conditions demand that a defibrillator be kept poolside when she swims as a precautionary measure.

Dana is engaged to Andy Grant.

Swimming career

At age 12, she was the youngest swimmer competing at the 2000 U.S....
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