Dan Kutler

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Dan Kutler (born May 2, 1970 in Mountain View, California) is a former butterfly swimmer from Israel, who was born in the United States.

Kutler began his swimming career after falling into a pool as a youngster, and swam his first race at the age of eight.

Growing up in California, Kutler was a seven-time All-America while attending the University of California.

In 1991, he won a gold medal in the medley relay and a bronze in the 100m butterfly at the World University Games.

In 1995 Kutler began competing for Israel internationally in preparation for the Olympics. At the European Championships in Vienna, he finished in 16th place in the 100m butterfly (56.39), and helped the 4x100 m medley relay team finish in 6th place with a time of 3:44.94.

That year, he also broke the Israeli national record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 55.16, a record he would break at the 1996 Olympics.

[edit] Olympics

Kutler was part of the Israeli swimming team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. At those Games, Kutler was a member of the 4x100-meter medley relay team – alongside breaststroker Vadim Alexeev, freestyler Yoav Bruck and backstroker Eithan Urbach – which advanced to the final after finishing fourth in their preliminary heat with a time of 3:42.24. It was the first time an Israeli team competed in an Olympic swimming final. Kutler and his teammates finished in 8th place with a time of 3:42.90.

In Atlanta, Kutler also competed in the 100m butterfly, finishing 31st with a time of 55.11 – breaking his own national record.