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Allison Rodgers Schmitt (born June 7, 1990) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. She is a four-time Olympic Games and a ten-time .
In her Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Schmitt won a bronze medal as a member of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Four years later, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she won a total of five medals, three of them gold, in the 200-meter freestyle (in which she set a new Olympic record), in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and in the 4×100-meter medley relay (in which a new world record was set); and she also won a silver medal in the 400 meter freestyle, and a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics Schmitt won a gold medal in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. It was the first Olympics where she served as captain of the US Olympic swim team. Schmitt was the only second-time captain for the US Olympic swim team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2020 Olympics, Schmitt won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, swimming in the prelims of the race, and a silver medal swimming in the final of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
In total, Schmitt has won twenty-five medals in major international competitions: thirteen gold, nine silver, and three bronze spanning the Summer Olympics, the FINA World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games. She was a four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national champion in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle swimming events during college, and was a member of the Georgia Bulldogs team that won the NCAA Division I Women's team title in 2013.
Schmitt was named SwimSwam's Swammy Award-winner for Female Swimmer of the Year in 2012.
She has an older sister named Kirsten who earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, and her Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis. Her older brother, Derek, swam for the University of Pittsburgh, and is an assistant coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils swim team in Tempe, Arizona. Schmitt's younger twin sisters, Kari and Sara, played in the USA Hockey national championship games in 2008 and 2009, Varsity letter in Varsity team both basketball and swimming during their four years in high school, and played hockey at Ohio State University.
She started swimming at age eight, saying she followed her older sister, Kirsten, into it. "I thought about quitting," Schmitt said, "but stayed one more season and loved it." Prior to settling on swimming, she said she tried soccer, dance, basketball, volleyball, softball; and though she said she had the equipment for hockey, she decided to swim instead.
From ages 10 through 13, Schmitt swam with the Ann Arbor Swim Club (AASC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan (which, in 2006, merged into Club Wolverine). In an interview during the 2012 Summer Olympics, Josh Morgan, her then-AASC coach, said there was no indication in those years just how fast she would one day become. He said she started to show real potential, later, in the spring of her junior year in high school when she went to a 2007 Junior National Team competition. Calling it "her first real breakout swim," he said she went "from pretty fast to really fast," dropping four to five seconds off her 200-meter freestyle short course time of normally around a minute fifty-two seconds, down to around a minute forty-seven, thereby putting Schmitt in what Morgan called "elite company."
Schmitt went to Canton High School in Canton Township, Michigan, from which she graduated in the spring of 2008. During her senior year, as she continued to swim at what had, by then, become Club Wolverine on the University of Michigan campus in nearby Ann Arbor, she began training alongside Olympian Michael Phelps under the guidance of Phelps's long-time coach, Michigan Wolverines head coach Bob Bowman. Before the Summer Olympics in Beijing, having ended his tenure at University of Michigan, Bowman moved to Baltimore in anticipation of being named the head coach and CEO of the prestigious North Baltimore Aquatic Club the following September. Both Phelps and Schmitt followed, with Schmitt moving to Baltimore just after her spring 2008 high school graduation in order to train full-time with Phelps and Bowman during the weeks leading-up to the 2008 Olympics (at which Schmitt won her first Olympic medal, a bronze in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay).
After the Summer Olympics, in the fall of 2008, Schmitt moved to Athens to become a freshman at the University of Georgia, majoring in psychology, and minoring in childhood and family development. She joined coach Jack Bauerle's Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team, following her competition in the Summer Olympics under Bauerle, who was the women's swimming head coach. She participated in NCAA competition during her freshman, sophomore and junior years,GeorgiaDogs.com, Swimming & Diving, Allison Schmitt . Retrieved July 14, 2012. ultimately becoming a four-time NCAA national champion by winning the 500-yard freestyle in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and the 200-yard freestyle in 2010." NCAA Division I Women's Championships: Allison Schmitt Threepeats in 500 Free," Swimming World (March 17, 2011). Retrieved July 14, 2012. While at college in Athens, Schmitt also became involved in Athens Bulldog Swim Club (ABSC) competitions on the University of Georgia campus.
During her first three years at the university, she trained with Phelps and Bowman in Baltimore only during summers. However, in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she took the 2011–2012 school year (her senior year) off and moved to Baltimore to train full-time with Bowman and Phelps at the NBAC;Kristin Leigh Porter, " Schmitt looking for return to Olympics," NCAA.com (June 26, 2012). Retrieved July 14, 2012. which consisted of at least four hours in the pool and one hour on dry land six days a week.
After the 2012 Summer Olympics, Schmitt returned to the University of Georgia to complete her senior year of college, She was the recipient of the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of 2012–13. Following her return from London, Schmitt started suffering from depression, finding the increased public attention to be overwhelming. Her anguish led to bad swimming results, leading her to not qualify for various international competitions. After sharing her feelings with Phelps and Bowman in January 2015, Schmitt decided to attend therapy sessions but did not disclose her depression to her family. Once Schmitt's cousin April Bocian took her own life in May, she opted to reveal herself to her family and also make her emotional issues public, feeling it would help others in the same situation.
Schmitt wrote on the bio form for her USA Swimming organization membership that she enjoys scrapbooking, photography, playing outdoor sports and board games; and that her ultimate way to relax is watching a movie or getting a massage. Whenever she returns home to Canton she likes to visit the local youth swim clubs and high school swim teams, as a role model and mentor by swimming and talking with the young swimmers. "I love motivating these kids when they're just starting to pave their own paths in life," she said.
About it all, Schmitt has said: "I didn't start swimming competitively until I was 10 and didn't really focus on it until I was 12, yet it's such a huge part of my life and I can't imagine my life without it. It's been an amazing journey, but more than that, it's shaped who I am as a person. The best part is all the friends I have made. I believe that I literally have the best friends anyone could ever imagine hoping for, and I met almost all of them because of swimming. Taking in all the memories with these amazing people, I feel pretty lucky with the paths I have crossed, and the people I have met because of swimming."
Schmitt is a good friend of Michael Phelps. Allison Schmitt: How Training with Michael Phelps Elevated Her Career. Retrieved November 1, 2016 Olympians Michael Phelps, Allison Schmitt embrace move to Arizona. Retrieved November 1, 2016
At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Schmitt won a total of five medals: three gold, one silver, and one bronze.Mercedes, Mejia; White, Jennifer (August 15, 2012). "Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt happy to be home in Canton". Michigan Radio. Retrieved July 23, 2021. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Schmitt won bronze with Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Lia Neal, with the U.S. team finishing third behind the women's relay teams from Australia and the Netherlands. Swimming the anchor leg, Schmitt had a split of 53.54 seconds and the team finished with a total time of 3:34.24, an American record. Schmitt won the first individual Olympic medal of her career, a silver, in the 400-meter freestyle, and in doing so, set the American record for the event.Uhlmann, Steve (July 29, 2012). "2012 London Olympics: Allison Schmitt Wins Silver In Women's 400m Freestyle". SB Nation. Retrieved July 23, 2021. Her time of 4:01.77 was just 0.32 seconds behind winner Camille Muffat. In her second and last individual event, the 200-meter freestyle, Schmitt won gold while setting a new Olympic record of 1:53.61, which was also a new American record. In the race, Schmitt won by a margin of 1.97 seconds over Muffat. In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Schmitt earned her second gold after passing Australian Alicia Coutts and topping the field with a split of 1:54.09 as the anchor leg. Also on the winning 4×200-meter relay team were Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer and Shannon Vreeland. In her final event, the 4×100-meter medley relay, Schmitt won gold with Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni, and Dana Vollmer. Swimming the freestyle leg, Schmitt recorded a time of 53.25, and the American team went on to set the world record with a time of 3:52.05, bettering the Chinese-owned record of 3:52.19 set in 2009.
On day five of competition, Schmitt swam in the morning prelims of the 100-meter freestyle finishing with a time of 54.78, ranking 11th, and qualifying for the semifinals. "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 100m Freestyle Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.Anderson, Jared (June 17, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 5 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 17, 2021. In the semifinals, Schmitt placed 6th swimming a 54.08 and qualifying for the final. "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 100m Freestyle Semifinals Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021. She swam a 54.12 in the final, finishing in sixth place, and giving her the potential of swimming on the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics for Team USA. "2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wave II: Women's 100m Freestyle Final Results Summary". Omega Timing. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.Sutherland, James (June 18, 2021). "2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II: Day 6 Finals Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
On day one of competition at the Olympic Games, Schmitt swam in the prelims of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, helping the relay finish fifth overall and advance to the final.Sutherland, James (July 24, 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 24, 2021. In the final, the relay finished third and Schmitt won a bronze medal for her efforts on the relay in the prelims. "Local swimmers Allison Schmitt, Catie DeLoof take bronze in 4x100 freestyle". The Detroit News. July 24, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
In the prelims of the 200-meter freestyle on July 26, Schmitt qualified in 12th place for the semifinals with her time of 1:57.10.Anderson, Jared (July 26, 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 26, 2021.Murphy, Bryan (July 26, 2021). "Ledecky Advances to Semifinals in 200m, Finals in 1500m Freestyle". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved July 26, 2021. The next day, Schmitt finished tenth overall with a time of 1:56.87 in the semifinals and did not qualify for the final.Hart, Torrey (July 26, 2021). "2012 Olympic champion Allison Schmitt misses out on 200m freestyle final in Tokyo". NBC Olympics. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
On day six of competition, Schmitt swam the first leg of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay in the final of the event and helped the relay set a new Americas record of 7:40.73 and win the silver medal.Mizoguchi, Karen (July 29, 2021). "Katie Ledecky, Allison Schmitt Lead U.S. Women's 4x200m Relay Team to Silver Medal at Tokyo Olympics". People. Retrieved July 29, 2021.Omega Timing; Atos (August 1, 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Swimming Results Book" . International Olympic Committee. Retrieved October 25, 2021. Schmitt's employment of a slow lead-off tactic, that is purposefully swimming a slower first leg of a relay to motivate the second, third, and fourth swimmers to split faster times than the first swimmer, caught the attention of People magazine who made her one of the headliners in an article published about the race as well as the USA Swimming Foundation who nominated her for a Golden Goggle Award for "Relay Performance of the Year" as part of the relay team. "Olympic Stars Headline USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards Nominees". USA Swimming. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
| Event | Time | Meet | Date | Note(s) |
| 53.80 | 2020 TYR Pro Swim Series - Des Moines | March 5, 2020 | ||
| 1:53.61 | 2012 Summer Olympics | July 31, 2012 | AM, NR | |
| 4:01.77 | 2012 Summer Olympics | July 29, 2012 |
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