Leila Vaziri
| thumb|Leila Vaziri Swimming World Championship 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Lei | |||||||||||||||
| Nationality |
 United States | |||||||||||||||
| Born |
June 6, 1985 New York City | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 5'6 | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||
| Stroke(s) | Backstroke | |||||||||||||||
| Club | Coral Springs Swim Club | |||||||||||||||
| College team | Indiana Hoosiers (2003-2007) | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Leila Vaziri (Persian: لیلا وزیری, born June 6, 1985) is an American swimmer, the 2007 world champion and a former world record holder in the 50 m backstroke.
Swimming career
Collegiate career
Vaziri completed her collegiate swimming career at Indiana University where she was majoring in communication and culture. She was 2005 Big Ten Champion in the 100 yard backstroke and the 2007 NCAA bronze medalist in the 100 yard backstroke. Vaziri earned 15 All-America certificates during her Hoosier career, the most in school history, and was the 2007 Indiana University Female Athlete of the Year.[1]
Leila won the 100m backstroke at the US National Championships in 2006, earning a spot at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia. After turning in the second-fastest time in the nation, she earning a spot on the U.S. World Championship Team.
Professional Career
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships held in Melbourne, Vaziri won a gold medal in the 50 meter backstroke and earned a silver medal by swimming the 100 back in the heats of the 4x100 meter medley relay. Going into the final of the 50 m backstroke, Vaziri was the clear favorite for gold. In the heats of the 50 m backstroke, Vaziri broke Natalie Coughlin's Championship record of 28.30 with a time of 28.25 establishing a new American Record.[2] In the semifinals of the 50 m backstroke, she broke Janine Pietsch's world record of 28.19 with a time of 28.16.[3][4] In the final of the 50 m backstroke, she equalled her own world record en route to winning gold.[5][6]
Vaziri came short of making the 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team when she finished in 7th place in the final of the 100 m backstroke at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.[7]
Personal
She has an Iranian father and a mother of German ancestry.[8]
See also
- List of Iranian Americans
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
- World record progression 50 metres backstroke
References
- ↑ Vaziri Wins World Championship, Matches Own World Record, IU Hoosiers website; published 2007-03-29; retrieved 2009-07-13.
- ↑ "Women’s 50 m backstroke results (heats)". Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ↑ "Women’s 50 m backstroke results (semifinals)". Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ↑ "Vaziri breaks backstroke world record", Pippa Davis, Eurosport, 28 March 2007
- ↑ "Women’s 50 m backstroke results (final)". Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ↑ American Vaziri equals record to win 50 backstroke gold, Guardian Unlimited, March 29, 2007
- ↑ "Women’s 100 m backstroke results (final)". Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ↑ "Iranian - American Vaziri Wins World Championship". IranSportsPress. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
External links
| Records | ||
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Preceded by Janine Pietsch |
Women's 50 m backstroke world record holder (long course) March 28, 2007 – October 19, 2007 |
Succeeded by LI Yang |
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