Jana Kolukanova

Jana Kolukanova
Personal information
National team  Estonia
Born 4 August 1981
Tallinn, Estonia
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Weight 65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Club Kalevi Ujumiskool Tallinn
College team Auburn Tigers (USA)
Coach Tiit-Urmas Reiter (EST)
David Marsh (USA)

Jana Kolukanova (born August 4, 1981) is a retired Estonian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.[1] She is a two-time Olympian, a 19-time All-American champion, and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Kolukanova is a former member of the swimming team for Auburn Tigers under head coach David Marsh, and a psychology graduate at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.

Kolukanova made her official debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she competed in the women's 50 m freestyle. She reached the semifinals by winning the swimoff against Mette Jacobsen of Denmark and Ana Belén Palomo of Spain. She set a new Estonian record in two consecutive swims, first in the prelims (25.96) and then in the three-person swimoff a few hours later. Followed by an evening session, Kolukanova finished her semifinal run with a slowest time of 26.03, just seven hundredths of a second (0.07) outside her record.[2]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Kolukanova qualified for the women's 100 m freestyle, by clearing a FINA B-standard entry time of 56.10 at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain.[3][4] She challenged seven other swimmers in heat four, including her college teammate Eileen Coparropa of Panama. She rounded out the field to last place by three tenths of a second (0.30) behind Israel's Anna Gostomelsky in 57.45. Kolukanova failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed thirty-seventh overall in the prelims.[5][6]

At the FINA World Championships in Montreal, Canada, Kolukanova placed eighth in the 50 m freestyle (25.56), and fourteenth in the 100 m freestyle (55.81, a new Estonian record).[7][8] Earlier in the semifinals, she posted a time of 25.26 to earn a last coveted spot for the top 8 final in the 50 m freestyle, adding another Estonian record to her laundry list of accomplishments.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Jana Kolukanova". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Semifinal 1" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 162. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 4)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  4. ↑ "2004 LEN European Aquatics Championships (Madrid, Spain) – Women's 100m Freestyle Heats" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 4". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Stephen (18 August 2004). "Women’s 100 Freestyle Prelims, Day 5: Inky Leads the Pack with a Swift 54.43". Swimming World Magazine. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Coventry Wins Fourth Medal at World Championships". Auburn Tigers. 31 July 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "2005 FINA World Championships (Montreal, Canada) – Women's 100m Freestyle Semifinals" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "2005 FINA World Championships (Montreal, Canada) – Women's 50m Freestyle Semifinals" (PDF). Omega Timing. Retrieved 19 April 2013.

External links