Aaron Peirsol

Aaron Wells Peirsol (born July 23, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who is a former world champion and world record-holder.

He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist (five gold, two silver).

Individually, he currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke event (long course).

Peirsol was born in Newport Beach, California, in 1983, the son of Scott and Wella Peirsol.

His father is a captain and his mother is a retired dental hygienist.

He has one younger sister, Hayley, who is also a swimmer.

In his Olympic debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at the age of 17, Peirsol won a silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke.

Peirsol qualified for his first Olympics at the age of seventeen after finishing second to Lenny Krayzelburg in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Peirsol also competed in the 100-meter backstroke, but did not qualify for the event finals At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Peirsol finished second to Krayzelburg in the 200-meter backstroke.

Afterwards Peirsol said, "I think I'm getting to a point where I'm becoming more of a threat to (Lenny) and I think he knows that."

Combined with Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps, and Jason Lezak, Peirsol set the world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay to break the previous record set in 2000.

At the 2001 National Championships, with Krayzelburg not competing, Peirsol qualified for the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter backstroke, and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Peirsol's time in the 200-meter backstroke was the second-fastest ever, with only Krayzelburg's world record faster.

At the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, Peirsol won gold in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:57.13, a championship record.

He is a 2002 graduate of Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California.

Peirsol started off 2002 with the first world record of his career in the 200-meter backstroke, bettering Krayzelburg's mark set in 1999.

In his first major competition of 2002, Peirsol won five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze) at the 2002 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Moscow.

In Moscow, he was a part of the American team that broke the world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay and he broke the 200-meter backstroke world record.

At the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Japan, Peirsol won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

In 2003, Peirsol and his sister became the first sibling duo to medal at the same FINA World Championships.

He was the 2003 NCAA Swimmer of the Year.

After finishing his second year of collegiate eligibility, Peirsol signed with Nike, Inc., thus turning professional.

Peirsol trained under the guidance of Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik.

Peirsol is also involved in a number of charities.

He is an ambassador for the Global Water Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation.

He is also a spokesman for Oceana, which is the largest international ocean conservation and advocacy organization.

At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Peirsol won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

He also won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

In his first event, the 100-meter backstroke, Peirsol won gold in a time of 53.61, a championship record.

His time was just 0.01 s off Lenny Krayzelburg's world record.

Peirsol participated in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Nate Dusing, and Klete Keller to win silver behind Australia.

Peirsol then competed in the 200-meter backstroke and won gold in a time of 1:55.92, almost two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Gordan Kožulj of Croatia.

Peirsol also competed in the 50-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Four years later, at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Peirsol won gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke (sweeping the backstroke events) and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Peirsol attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated in 2006, majoring in Political Science.

In his third Olympics (2008 Summer Olympics), Peirsol won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

He came short of his success he had in Athens by winning silver in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing behind Ryan Lochte.

In February 2011, Peirsol announced his retirement, saying, "I ended up doing everything I set out to do."

Peirsol's successes have earned him the American Swimmer of the Year Award once.

He has won a total of thirty-six medals in major international competition: twenty-nine gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, Pan American, and the Pan Pacific Championships.