Америкалық жүзуші Кате Зиглердің жетістіктері

American swimmer

Kate Marie Ziegler (born June 27, 1988) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle and long distance events. Ziegler has won a total of fifteen medals in major international competition, including eight golds, five silvers, and two bronzes spanning the World Aquatics and the Pan Pacific Championships. She was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, and competed in the 800 meter freestyle event at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Ziegler was born in 1988 in Fairfax, Virginia, the daughter of Don and Cathy Ziegler. She was a part of a local swim team, FISH, where she was coached under Ray Benecki. She attended Forestville Elementary School in Great Falls, Virginia and Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington County, Virginia. At O'Connell, she excelled throughout her four years, earning Washington Post All Met honors four straight years, including being named Swimmer of the Year on more than one occasion. As a freshman, she finished third in the 200 yard freestyle (1:51.59) and won the 500 yard freestyle (4:47.78) at the 2003 Metros Swimming and Diving Championships, breaking the 15 year old record in the 500 held by Pam Minthorn. She also anchored O'Connell's 200 yard freestyle relay (24.51 split) and 400 yard freestyle relay (53.65 split) to seventh and sixth place finishes, respectively. As a sophomore the following year, she won both the 200 yard freestyle (1:46.15) and the 500 yard freestyle (4:41.91) in record time, and anchored the winning 200 yard freestyle relay (24.14 split) and third place 400 yard freestyle relay (51.63 split). Her times continued to drop rapidly, and as a junior she again won both the 200 yard freestyle (1:45.43) and 500 yard freestyle (4:37.67) in record time, the latter being an independent national high school record. As a senior, she continued to excel, tying the national high school record in the 200 yard freestyle (1:45.49) and breaking the American record held by Janet Evans in the 500 yard freestyle (4:35.35). Ziegler initially attended George Mason University, and later transferred to Chapman University in 2011.

At the 2004 Short Course Worlds, she finished second to Japan's Sachiko Yamada in the 800 meter freestyle with a time of 8:20.55. Her 400 meter split would have placed fourth in the event at the meet. In February 2005, at the FINA World Cup stop in New York, Ziegler won the 800 meter freestyle in 8:16.32, breaking Cynthia Woodhead's 25 year old American record, which at the time was the oldest American record on the books. In 2005, Ziegler won the 800 meter freestyle (8:25.31) and 1,500 meter freestyle (16:00.41) at the World Championships in Montreal. The latter time made her the third fastest woman (and second fastest American) in the history of the event, following only world record holder Janet Evans's 15:52.10 and German Hannah Stockbauer's 16:00.18. She qualified for Worlds after winning the 800 meter freestyle at World Trials in Indianapolis with a time of 8:34.83. She failed to qualify in the 400 meter freestyle, finishing third in a time of 4:12.09.

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Ziegler made the U. S. Olympic team for the second time by placing second behind Katie Ledecky in the 800 meter freestyle with a time of 8:21.87. She also competed in the 400 meter freestyle and finished seventh in the final (4:09.17). At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ziegler swam in the fastest qualifying heat of 800 meter freestyle and posted a time of 8:37.38, behind Rebecca Adlington of the United Kingdom and Lauren Boyle of New Zealand. Only the top eight swimmers of all five qualifying heats advanced to the 800 meter finals (with 8:27.15 as the slowest times of those eight), and Ziegler did not advance.