Women Swimmers

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Throughout history, there have been many women swimmers who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great female swimmers such as Natalie Coughlin, Dawn Fraser, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Diana Nyad, Summer Sanders.The women swimmers featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & Australia and many more countries.
Vote for Your Favourite Women Swimmers
 1 
Katie Ledecky
(One of the Greatest Female Swimmers of All Time)
Katie Ledecky
16
Birthdate: March 17, 1997
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky has also won 15 world championship gold medals, creating a record. At 15, she was the youngest American Olympic swimming team member at the 2012 London Olympics. The 6-foot-tall athlete is also a Stanford graduate and was the youngest Time 100 member in 2016.

 2 
Rebecca Adlington
(British Former Competitive Swimmer)
Rebecca Adlington
4
Birthdate: February 17, 1989
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England

Rebecca Adlington made headlines with her double-gold win at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in which she aced both the 400m and 800m freestyle events. After retiring at 23, she has worked for BBC as a sports pundit and participated in shows such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

 3 
Katinka Hosszu
(Swimmer)
Katinka Hosszu
6
Birthdate: May 3, 1989
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Pécs, Hungary
 4 
Natalie Coughlin
(The First Woman Ever to Swim the 100-meter Backstroke (Long Course) in Less Than One Minute)
Natalie Coughlin
4
Birthdate: August 23, 1982
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vallejo, California, United States

Natalie Coughlin is an American retired competitive swimmer. A 12-time Olympic medalist, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in the history of the modern Olympics to win six medals in one Olympics event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also became the first woman to win gold medals in two successive Olympics, she won the mdeals in the 100-meter backstroke event.

 5 
Dara Torres
(Swimmer, Model)
Dara Torres
6
Birthdate: April 15, 1967
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Beverly Hills

Dara Torres is an American retired competitive swimmer. A 12-time Olympic medalist, Torres won four gold medals in three different Olympic Games. In 2008, she became the first swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games, representing the United States. At the age of 41, Dara Torres was also the oldest swimmer to be a part of the U.S. Olympic team. 

 6 
Sarah Sjöström
(Swimmer)
Sarah Sjöström
4
Birthdate: August 17, 1993
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Salem, Stockholm County, Sweden
 7 
Dawn Fraser
(Australian Freestyle Champion Swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Dawn Fraser
10
Birthdate: September 4, 1937
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Balmain, Australia

Dawn Fraser is an Australian freestyle champion swimmer. She won the Olympic individual event the women's 100-meter freestyle three times in her career. She also won six Commonwealth Games gold medals. Much respected for her athletic abilities, she was also known for her controversial behavior. She became a swimming coach after her retirement. She is also a former politician.

 8 
Shane Gould
(Australian Former Competition Swimmer and Three-Time Olympic Gold Medal Winner)
Shane Gould
5
Birthdate: November 23, 1956
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shane Gould was 15 when she participated in the Munich Olympics. She stunned everyone with her early retirement at 16 and stayed away from the limelight for 25 years, eventually re-emerging after raising her four kids on an Australian farm and then breaking records at the 2000 Sydney Games.

 9 
Janet Evans
(American Former Competitive Swimmer and Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist)
Janet Evans
3
Birthdate: August 28, 1971
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Fullerton, California, United States

Janet Evans is an American retired competitive swimmer who won three gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. A former world record-holder, Evans went on to win another gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The winner of the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award, Evans was adjudged Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1987, 1989, and 1990.

 10 
Federica Pellegrini
(Swimmer, gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics)
Federica Pellegrini
4
Birthdate: August 5, 1988
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Mirano, Italy
 11 
Stephanie Rice
(Australian Swimmer Who Won Three Gold Medals at the 2008 Olympics)
Stephanie Rice
4
Birthdate: June 17, 1988
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brisbane, Australia

Stephanie Rice is an Australian retired swimmer best known for winning three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. In the same year, she was named Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year. Rice also won two silver medals and five bronze medals at the World Championships during her career. In 2019, she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

 12 
Amanda Beard
(American Swimmer and Seven-Time Olympic Medalist)
Amanda Beard
3
Birthdate: October 29, 1981
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Newport Beach, California, United States

At 14, Amanda Beard was still in high school when she walked away with 2 Olympic silver medals and a relay gold, becoming the second-youngest swimmer to win an Olympic medal. The 7-time Olympic medalist later also modeled for Playboy and co-authored a New York Times bestseller.

 13 
Dana Vollmer
(Former American Competition Swimmer, Five-Time Olympic Gold Medalist, and Former World Record-Holder)
Dana Vollmer
3
Birthdate: November 13, 1987
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Syracuse, New York, United States

Apart from winning 5 Olympic gold medals, swimmer Dana Vollmer also created history when she became the first female to swim under 56 seconds in the 100m butterfly event. Diagnosed with a heart condition at age 15, she went through surgery and later carried a defibrillator around with her.

 14 
Jenny Thompson
(American Former Competition Swimmer and Anesthesiologist)
Jenny Thompson
9
Birthdate: February 26, 1973
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Danvers, Massachusetts, United States

Known for winning more Olympic medals than any other female in the swimming category, Jenny Thompson had started swimming at age 7. She grew up to win swimming medals for Stanford University. She is also a qualified doctor and has practiced as an anaesthesiologist and surgeon.

 15 
Leisel Jones
(Iconic Australian Swimmer Who Has Won 3 Olympic Gold Medals)
Leisel Jones
5
Birthdate: August 30, 1985
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Katherine, Australia

Three-time Olympic gold medal-winning Australian swimmer Leisel Jones is also known by her nicknames Diesel and Lethal Leisel. Known for her signature breaststroke technique, she has also won 7 World Championship titles. Post-retirement, she has penned a memoir, been a sports commentator, and qualified as a nutrition coach.

 16 
Missy Franklin
(American Former Swimmer and Five-Time Olympic Gold Medallist)
Missy Franklin
8
Birthdate: May 10, 1995
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States

Missy Franklin is an American retired competitive swimmer. A five-time Olympic gold medalist, Franklin also held the world records in both the 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. After winning four gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Franklin went on to help her team win a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

 17 
Amy Van Dyken
(Former Swimmer)
Amy Van Dyken
0
Birthdate: February 15, 1973
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States

Amy Van Dyken is an American radio presenter and retired competitive swimmer. Van Dyken was the most successful sportsperson at the 1996 Olympics where she won four gold medals. In 1995 and 1996, she was named American Swimmer of the Year. Amy Van Dyken went on to win two more gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

 18 
Ariarne Titmus
(Australian Swimmer Who Won Two Gold Medals at the 2020 Olympics)
Ariarne Titmus
5
Birthdate: September 7, 2000
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

Ariarne Titmus is an Australian swimmer best known for her performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, where she won two gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze medal. Ariarne Titmus has also won two gold medals in the long course and two gold medals in the short course at the World Championships so far.

 19 
Cate Campbell
(Australian Competitive Swimmer)
Cate Campbell
0
Birthdate: May 20, 1992
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Blantyre, Malawi
 20 
Inge de Bruijn
(Former Dutch Competitive Swimmer and Four-Time Olympic Gold Medalist)
Inge de Bruijn
3
Birthdate: August 24, 1973
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Barendrecht, Netherlands
 21 
Rebecca Soni
(American Former Competition Swimmer and Breaststroke Specialist Who is a Six-Time Olympic Medalist)
Rebecca Soni
3
Birthdate: March 18, 1987
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Freehold, New Jersey, United States

The winner of 6 Olympic medals, 3 of which were gold medals, swimmer Rebecca Soni is a breaststroke specialist. She also became the first female swimmer to complete the breaststroke event in less than 2:20 minutes. Initially trained as a gymnast, she had switched to swimming at age 10.

 22 
Laure Manaudou
(Swimmer)
Laure Manaudou
3
Birthdate: October 9, 1986
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Villeurbanne, France
 23 
Mireia Belmonte
(Swimmer)
Mireia Belmonte
3
Birthdate: November 10, 1990
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Badalona, Spain
 24 
Allison Schmitt
(American Competition Swimmer, Four-Time Olympian and Ten-Time Olympic Medalist)
Allison Schmitt
5
Birthdate: June 7, 1990
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Swimmer Allison Schmitt, a freestyle expert, has won 10 Olympic medals. She had started swimming at the tender age of 8 and had qualified for her first Olympics at 18. She also has 25 other medals from various international contests and has been named to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

 25 
Emma McKeon
(Australian Swimmer and 5-Time Olympic Gold Medalist)
Emma McKeon
2
Birthdate: May 24, 1994
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Australian swimmer Emma McKeon is a 5-time Olympic gold medalist and once held 4 world records. She is now one of 2 Australian athletes with the most Olympic gold medal wins. Known for her freestyle and butterfly strokes, she is also a Member of the Order of Australia.

 26 
Krisztina Egerszegi
(Swimmer)
Krisztina Egerszegi
5
Birthdate: August 16, 1974
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
 27 
Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir
(An Olympian Swimmer Who Later Became an Actor and Starred in Vikings)
Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir
4
Birthdate: October 24, 1984
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Reykjavík, Iceland

Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir, or Ragga Ragnars, was 19 when she became Iceland’s youngest swimmer at the Olympics. After making multiple national records in freestyle, she retired and started studying acting. She later gained fame as Gunnhild, an Icelandic Saga figure, in the popular historical drama TV series Vikings.

 28 
Summer Sanders
(American Sports Commentator, Reporter, Former Competition Swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Summer Sanders
4
Birthdate: October 13, 1972
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Roseville, California, United States

Summer Sanders is an American television personality, reporter, sports commentator, actress, and former competitive swimmer. Sanders won two gold medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. She then established herself as a sports commentator, covering swimming events for NBC in several Olympic Games.

 29 
Diana Nyad
(American Motivational Speaker and Long-Distance Swimmer)
Diana Nyad
4
Birthdate: August 22, 1949
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States

Diana Nyad is an American journalist, author, long-distance swimmer, and motivational speaker. She achieved national recognition when she swam around Manhattan in 1975. Nyad made headlines again in 1979 when she swam from Bimini to Juno Beach. In 1986, Diana Nyad was inducted into of the US National Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

 30 
Shirley Babashoff
(American Former Competition Swimmers and Olympic Gold Medalists)
Shirley Babashoff
3
Birthdate: January 31, 1957
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Whittier, California, United States

Shirley Babashoff is an American retired competitive swimmer who won three gold medals at two different Olympic Games. A former world record-holder, Babashoff set six world records and 37 national records during her illustrious career. In 1982, Shirley Babashoff was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. After retiring from the sport, Babashoff began a coaching career.

 31 
Kristin Otto
(Olympic athlete)
Kristin Otto
3
Birthdate: February 7, 1966
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Leipzig, Germany
 32 
Kornelia Ender
(Swimmer)
Kornelia Ender
3
Birthdate: October 25, 1958
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Plauen, Bezirk Karl-Marx-Stadt, Germany
 33 
Tracy Caulkins
(American Former Competition Swimmer and Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist)
Tracy Caulkins
3
Birthdate: January 11, 1963
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Winona, Minnesota, United States

Tracy Caulkins is an American retired competitive swimmer. A former world record-holder, Caulkins won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics. A celebrated swimmer, Caulkins was honored with the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award in 1978; at age 15, she became the youngest-ever recipient of the award. Caulkins also won several FINA World Aquatics Championships during her illustrious career.

 34 
Gertrude Ederle
(American Competition Swimmer, Olympic Champion, and World Record-Holder in Five Events)
Gertrude Ederle
3
Birthdate: October 23, 1906
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: November 30, 2003

Gertrude Ederle made history when she became the first female to cross the English Channel. Unfortunately, she lost her sense of hearing while achieving the feat and later devoted herself to coaching deaf swimmers. She also won 2 bronze medals and a relay gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

 35 
Princess Charlene of Monaco
(Former Olympic Swimmer and Princess Consort of Monaco (Since 2011))
Princess Charlene of Monaco
2
Birthdate: January 25, 1978
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Charlene, Princess of Monaco, was once an Olympic swimmer and represented South Africa at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She met her husband, Prince Albert, at a swimming competition. She now owns the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation and works for causes related to AIDS, sports, and underprivileged children.
 36 
Victoria Arlen
(Former American Paralympian Swimmer)
Victoria Arlen
0
Birthdate: September 26, 1994
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Victoria Arlen is an American television personality currently working for ESPN. Apart from being a television personality, Arlen is also an actress, model, speaker, and former Paralympian swimmer. She is best known for overcoming two rare conditions that stripped her of her ability to walk, speak, eat, and move. In 2012, she participated in the Summer Paralympics, representing the USA.

 37 
Debbie Meyer
(American Former Competition Swimmer and Three-time Olympic Champion)
Debbie Meyer
3
Birthdate: August 14, 1952
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Annapolis, Maryland, United States

Debbie Meyer made history when she became the first female swimmer to earn gold medals in three individual events at the same Olympics. Though the freestyle expert suffered for asthma since childhood, her condition never hampered her swimming career. She later launched her own swimming school.

 38 
Camille Muffat
(Swimmer)
Camille Muffat
3
Birthdate: October 28, 1989
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: March 9, 2015
 39 
Mary T. Meagher
(American Former Competition Swimmer, Olympic Champion, and World Record-Holder)
Mary T. Meagher
2
Birthdate: October 27, 1964
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Mary T. Meagher is an American retired competitive swimmer. Meagher clocked the 100-meter butterfly in 57.93 and the 200-meter butterfly in 2:05.96 in 1981; this performance is counted among the greatest achievements in sports. After winning three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, Meagher went on to compete in the 1988 Olympics where she won a bronze medal.

 40 
Kirsty Coventry
(Zimbabwean Politician and Professional Swimmer)
Kirsty Coventry
0
Birthdate: September 16, 1983
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Harare, Zimbabwe
Kirsty Coventry is a Zimbabwean politician and professional swimmer. She is the current Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in Zimbabwe. A former Olympic swimmer, Kirsty Coventry is best known for winning a gold medal each at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics in Athens and Beijing respectively. Kirsty Coventry is one of the most decorated Olympians from Africa.  
 41 
Lynne Cox
(First Person to Swim Between the United States and the Soviet Union)
Lynne Cox
3
Birthdate: January 2, 1957
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Lynne Cox is an American swimmer, speaker, and writer. She is best known for swimming in the Bering Strait in an attempt to ease the Cold War tensions between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. By doing so, Cox became the first person to swim between the Soviet Union and the United States and earned praises from both Reagan and Gorbachev.

 42 
Britta Steffen
(Swimmer)
Britta Steffen
3
Birthdate: November 16, 1983
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Schwedt, Germany
 43 
Libby Trickett
(Former Australian Competitive Swimmer)
Libby Trickett
5
Birthdate: January 28, 1985
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Libby Trickett is an Australian former swimmer best known for winning gold medals at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympics. A former world record holder, Trickett also won eight gold medals in the long course and seven gold medals in the short course at the World Championships. In 2016, Libby Trickett was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

 44 
Jessica Long
(Russian-American Paralympic Swimmer)
Jessica Long
1
Birthdate: February 29, 1992
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bratsk, Russia
 45 
Ranomi Kromowidjojo
(Dutch Retired Swimmer and Olympic Gold Medalist)
Ranomi Kromowidjojo
3
Birthdate: August 20, 1990
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Sauwerd, Netherlands
 46 
Estella Warren
(Actress, Model and Swimmer Known for Her Roles in Films: ‘Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Tangled’)
Estella Warren
0
Birthdate: December 23, 1978
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Peterborough, Canada

Pin-up girl Estella Warren had been a Canadian swimming champion before she was scouted by an agent and sent to New York. An international model who has topped Maxim’s Hot 100 Women of 2000 list, Warren has also appeared in films such as Planet of the Apes.

 47 
Siobhán Haughey
(First Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal)
Siobhán Haughey
1
Birthdate: October 31, 1997
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Hong Kong
 48 
Rūta Meilutytė
(Swimmer)
Rūta Meilutytė
3
Birthdate: March 19, 1997
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kaunas, Lithuania
 49 
Franziska van Almsick
(German Swimmer)
Franziska van Almsick
0
Birthdate: April 5, 1978
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
 50 
Penelope Heyns
(South African Former Swimmer)
Penelope Heyns
0
Birthdate: November 8, 1974
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Springs, South Africa