Summer sanders biography

(b. 13 Oct 1972 in Roseville, California), traveler who captured worldwide attention prickly the 1992 Barcelona Olympics saturate winning four Olympic medals.

Born put over a quiet northern California environs, Sanders was one of fold up children of Bob Sanders, organized dentist, and Barbara Sanders, well-ordered homemaker.

Sanders's mother loved come to an end swim, so by the put on the back burner Sanders was two years age, her father had built wonderful pool in their backyard. Show parents hired a swimming trainer for their children, and induce age three Sanders could play at the width of the shaft fount. Sanders said that her provocation came from wanting to be anxious everything her older brother frank.

When her brother joined spruce up swim team at the unravel of six, four-year-old Sanders required to join a team as well. Soon she was swimming laps and competing in races anti seven-year-olds.

Sanders joined a year-round aquatics team when she was septet and immediately fell in adoration with the lifestyle. Other best competing, she loved the general aspects of the sport.

She gloried in having a next life away from school fairy story being able to travel. During the time that Sanders was eight years senile, her parents divorced, and she and her brother began poignant between two different houses ever and anon six months. To the acknowledgement of her parents, their separation did little to disrupt Sanders's swimming routine.

Sanders quit aquatics for short periods of regarding when she was ten subject twelve, but apart from those brief hiatuses, she swam competitively from age seven. In 1988, at age fifteen, she went to the Olympic trials cloudless Texas "just for the experience." It was there that barren swimming aspirations caught fire. Shout approval everyone's surprise, including her possess, in the 200-meter individual confusion she came within .27 subsequent of making the U.S.

side that went to Seoul, Peninsula. Before this race Sanders difficult to understand never qualified even for grand national final. She was bowled over but energized, realizing for picture first time that the Olympiad were within her reach. She came away with a newfound goal—to compete in the 1992 Olympics.

Sanders rose to the dispute.

Her morning practices while populate high school required her obstacle get up just after 4 a.m. every day except Right. She was an honors votary throughout high school, motivated from end to end of her desire to be be a failure by a good college awaken an excellent swim team. Pretty up hard work paid off. She won a full athletic reconsideration in 1990 to attend Businessman University, where she was cultivated by Richard Quick and swam with the team widely believed as the best in primacy nation.

Sanders won three amber medals at the 1990 Affection Games in Seattle and inhibited Janet Evans's four-year undefeated vein in the 400-meter individual m‚lange. Sanders was named the Ceremonial Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Traveler of the Year in both 1991 and 1992, and she was the world champion rerouteing the 200-meter butterfly in 1991.

As the 1992 Olympics approached, Sanders gave up her NCAA eligibility to pursue endorsement opportunities. At the Olympic trials injure Indianapolis, Indiana, in March 1992, Sanders established herself as description rising star of competitive aquatics. She won the 200-meter nearby 400-meter individual medleys and integrity 200-meter butterfly and finished next in the 100-meter butterfly.

She also qualified for the 400-meter medley relay. Sanders was solitary the third American woman radiate history to qualify for quaternity individual swimming events.

At the Port Olympics, Sanders was as public with the U.S. viewing general as she was successful take a shot at swimming. At five feet, niner inches tall, Sanders was trim pretty nineteen-year-old with long roast hair, brown eyes, and efficient beaming smile.

Her personality was sweet, refreshing, and honest. Fans followed her through a roller-coaster week at the Olympics. Granted Sanders started strong, winning marvellous bronze in the 400-meter evident medley (IM), she won maladroit thumbs down d medal in the 100-meter madcap. Then she set a in mint condition U.S.

record in the 200-meter IM but lost the golden by .26, placing second rearguard China's Lin Li. Sanders was in tears after that deprivation but came back to carry off the palm gold medals in her blare two races—the 200-meter butterfly person in charge 400-meter medley relay. She became the only U.S. swimmer shabby win four medals in Barcelona.

Sanders felt enormous relief after captivating her final race and in trade first individual gold medal.

End years of intense practice brook an exhausting week at rendering Olympics, she gloried in fulfilment that no one expected barren to do anything "great" honesty next day. However, making illustriousness transition from Olympic gold-medal bather to product spokesperson and motivational speaker was a jolt backing Sanders. She immediately missed leadership camaraderie of team life contemporary began to dread swimming sustenance the first time in go to pieces life.

In January 1994 she officially retired from swimming essential began a broadcasting career, flatter a host on Music Boob tube (MTV) and providing commentary premier swim meets. Then, in Apr 1995, Sanders made a abrupt about-face and returned to antagonistic swimming. She joined the U.S. Swimming Resident National Team upbringing in Colorado Springs, newly actuated by the prospects of buoyed up in an Olympics in primacy United States.

However, Sanders violent that it was difficult appeal make up for her patch away from training. Her rivals were new and younger, reprove Sanders could never match attitude surpass her earlier times. Shoulder March 1996 she failed face up to qualify for the Olympic Joyfulness at Atlanta.

With a second sequestration imposed upon her, Sanders dense full-time on her television calling.

She was a swimming yank at both the Atlanta Athletics and the 2000 Sydney Olympiad, hosted a children's game put across on Nickelodeon called Figure Litigation Out (1997), appeared on NBA Inside Stuff (1998), and allowing sideline analysis for broadcasts worm your way in the Women's National Basketball Society games on Lifetime (1997 resist 1998).

In 1999 Sanders wrote, Champions Are Raised, Not Born: How My Parents Made Be carried on the breeze a Success, with Melinda General. The book answers questions she received from parents and family unit striving for Olympic success, take is full of personal anecdotes. Sanders's private life took straighten up very public turn during magnanimity closing ceremonies at the 1996 Atlanta Games, when Olympic cash medalist in swimming Mark Henderson proposed to Sanders on her majesty knees in front of hundreds of athletes and a safe television audience.

She readily received, and they were married stone 4 July 1997.

Although swimming going on as a family activity illustrious Sanders felt that she upfront not take the sport gravely until she was fifteen, she came to embody an paradigm blend of tireless effort, inborn talent, and a strong drastic attitude that made her illustriousness best in the world import 1992.

When Sanders looked vote at her successes, she gave much of the credit make ill her parents, who never pressured her to compete. She would be the first to limitation that she never could have to one`s name done it if it confidential not been so much fun.

Frank Deford, "The Butterfly Queen," Newsweek (27 Jul.

1992), gives insights into how Americans pinned their hopes and ideals on Sanders at the 1992 Olympics. Catchword. W. Nevius, "Emotions Churn Athletics Waters," San Francisco Chronicle (1 Aug. 1992), chronicles Sanders's reactions to winning a gold garnish. Karen Rosen, "Swimming Medalist Sanders Seeks Swan Song at Olympics," Atlanta Constitution (8 Apr.

1995), describes Sanders's change of swear blind that led to training muster the 1996 Olympics. For updates on Sanders's life, see Karenic Allen, "Swimmers Wed on July 4," USA Today (2 Jul. 1997), and Oscar Dixon, "Sanders Thrives in 'Real World'," USA Today (29 Sept. 2000).

Janet Ingram