Aaron Peirsol

Aaron Wells Peirsol (born July 23, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who swam for the University of Texas and is a former world champion and world record-holder. He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist with five gold, and two silver medals. Individually, he has held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke event (long course). In his long career, Peirsol captured a total of thirty-six medals in major international competition: twenty-nine gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, Pan American, and the Pan Pacific Championships.

Peirsol was born July 23, 1983 in Newport Beach, a suburb of Irvine, California, the son of Scott and Wella Peirsol. His younger sister, Hayley, was also a competitive swimmer. In 2003, Peirsol and his sister became the first sibling duo to medal at the same FINA World Championships. He attended Irvine's Venado Middle School, and was a 2002 graduate of Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California. He began swim training at the age of five, eventually competing at the nearby Newport-Costa Mesa YMCA where he came under the direction of Coach Stacy Zapolski. Zapolski was a four-year competitor for Pepperdine University's women's swim team where she specialized in backstroke, and from 1991-1992 coached Peirsol, likely improving his backstroke technique. By eight, he participated in a competitive summer swim league that included water polo with Coach Ted Bandaruk in Corona del Mar. Bandaruk, who was a Professor at Orange Coast College, where Dave Salo would coach, was aquatics director and coached a large age-group swim team currently known as the Harbor View Swim Team Dolphins at the Harbor View Community Association, from 1978-2014.

By 12, Peirsol's most intensive training was with the Irvine Novaquatics under Hall of Fame Coach Dave Salo, with more frequent training from youth and age group Coach Brian Pajer. Through July, 1996, Peirsol held an age group record for ten and under boys in the 100-meter backstroke of 1:12.13. Swimming at 12 for the Novaquatics at Golden West College on July 14, 1996, Peirsol set the national age group record for Boys 11-12 in the 100-meter backstroke with a time 1:03.6. At 14, on August 6, 1997, Peirsol broke the national age-group record for the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:05.42 at the Juniors West Championship at Clovis West High School. Not having yet reached his full potential at 14, Peirsol placed sixth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.32 at the U.S. Junior West National Championships on August 8, 1997 at Clovis West High.

Peirsol swam for the University of Texas at Austin in the Big 12 Conference under Hall of Fame Coach Eddie Reese and Associate Coach Kris Kubik. Swimming for Texas, he was the NCAA 2003 and 2004 backstroke champion, and was the 2003 NCAA Swimmer of the Year. He graduated Texas in 2006, majoring in Political Science.

In his Olympic debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at the age of 17, Peirsol won a silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke. Four years later, at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he won gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. In his third Olympics in 2008, Peirsol won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. In the 2008 Olympics, he came short of the success he had at the 2004 Athens Olympics by winning silver in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing behind Ryan Lochte.

After finishing his second year of collegiate eligibility, Peirsol signed with Nike, Inc., thus turning professional.

Peirsol is involved in a number of charities, and has served as an ambassador for the Global Water Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation. He has also served as a spokesman for Oceana, an organization that addresses international ocean conservation. He is also a spokesman for Oceana, which is the largest international ocean conservation and advocacy organization.

Peirsol qualified for his first Olympics at the age of seventeen after finishing second to Lenny Krayzelburg in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. At the finals of the Sydney Olympics, Peirsol won a silver medal in the 200 meter backstroke finals with a time of 1:57.35, taking a close second to Lenny Krazelburg's 1:56.76 who took the gold medal. Peirsol also competed in the 100-meter backstroke, but did not qualify for the event finals.