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| National team |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-06-01)June 1, 1989 (age 35) Federal Way, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 141 lb (64 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Breaststroke,freestyle,individual medley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | FAST Swim Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ariana Kukors (born June 1, 1989) is an American former competitionswimmer and formerworld record holder in the 200-meter individual medley (long course). Ariana now works in private coaching related to athletic performance. Kukors has won a total of seven medals in major international competition, two golds, three silvers, and two bronze spanning theWorld and thePan Pacific Championships. She placed fifth in the 200-meter individual medley event at the2012 Summer Olympics.
Kukors was born inFederal Way, Washington, in 1989, the daughter of Peter and Jaapje Kukors. Kukors began swimming at the age of five because of the influence of her older sister,Emily, who swam forAuburn University. Kukors also has one younger sister, Mattie, who previously swam for theUniversity of Michigan from 2009 to 2011, and now swims forArizona State University. Kukors is a 2007 graduate ofAuburn Mountainview High School inAuburn, Washington. Kukors swam for theWashington Huskies swim team at theUniversity of Washington for one year, but left the university the year before the swim teams were cut as a cost-saving measure by the UW athletic department. In August 2009, Kukors relocated toFullerton, California to train with the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST), after her coachSean Hutchison was named head coach.[1] Kukors trains alongsideKatie Hoff,Margaret Hoelzer, andCaroline Burckle. Kukors is sponsored byTYR.[2] Kukors graduated fromChapman University with abachelor's degree in business in 2012.
As a fifteen-year-old, Kukors competed at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 200-meter individual medley but did not advance past the semi-finals, finishing 10th overall.[3] The following year, Kukors competed at the 2005 World Championship Trials but did not qualify for the2005 World Aquatics Championships. Her best results came in the 200 and 400-meter individual medley where she finished fifth.[4][5]
At the 2006 National Championships, Kukors qualified to swim at the2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the2007 World Aquatics Championships by finishing in second place in the 400-meter individual medley.[6] Kukors also placed fourth in the 200-meter individual medley and fifth in the 100-meter backstroke.[7][8]
At the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, Kukors earned the first international medal of her career by finishing in second place behind compatriotKatie Hoff in the 400-meter individual medley.[9] The following year, Kukors competed at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, and placed fifth in the 400-meter individual medley.[10]
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Kukors placed third in the 200-meter individual medley behind Katie Hoff andNatalie Coughlin, who edged her out by eight hundredths of a second.[11] Kukors also placed sixth in the 400-meter individual medley and the 200-meter breaststroke.[12][13]
At the 2009 National Championships, Kukors only qualified to swim in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay at the2009 World Aquatics Championships by finishing in third place in the 200-meter freestyle.[14] In the 200-meter individual medley, Kukors placed third behindJulia Smit andElizabeth Pelton.[15] Only the top two finishers qualify to compete in one event at the FINA World Championships. However, Pelton withdrew from the event and was replaced by Kukors. Kukors also placed fourth in the 400-meter individual medley.[16]
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Kukors won one gold and one silver medal. In her first event, the 200-meter individual medley, Kukors won gold in world record time. In the heats of the 200-meter individual medley, Kukors posted anAmericas and championship record time of 2:08.53, just offStephanie Rice's world record of 2:08.45.[17] In the semi-finals, Kukors broke Rice's world record with a time of 2:07.03, over a second better than the previous mark.[18] In the final of the 200-meter individual medley, Kukors won the gold and broke her own world record with a time of 2:06.15.[19][20] In her second event, Kukors won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay withDana Vollmer,Lacey Nymeyer, andAllison Schmitt.[21]
For her performance in 2009, she was named the American Swimmer of the Year bySwimming World Magazine.[22]
At the 2010 National Championships, Kukors qualified to compete at the2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships by finishing first in the 200-meter individual medley and second in the 400-meter individual medley.[23][24] At the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Kukors won silver in the 200-meter individual medley, finishing behind AustralianEmily Seebohm.[25] Kukors also finished ninth overall in the 400-meter individual medley.[26]
At the end of 2010, Kukors competed at the2010 FINA Short Course World Championships in Dubai, where she won one gold and one bronze medal. In the 100-meter individual medley, Kukors broke the championship record twice. In the final, her time of 58.95 was slightly behind her championship record time of 58.65 set in the semi-finals, but was still good enough for gold.[27] In the 200-meter individual medley, Kukors placed third behind SpaniardMireia Belmonte and Chinese swimmerYe Shiwen.[28] Kukors also competed in the 400-meter individual medley, where she finished sixth.[29]
At the2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, Kukors competed in one event, the 200-meter individual medley. She was not able to defend her 2009 crown, and finished in third place behind ChineseYe Shiwen, and AustralianAlicia Coutts with a time of 2:09.12.
At the2012 United States Olympic Trials, the U.S. qualifying meet for the Olympics, Kukors qualified for the U.S. Olympic team by finishing second in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:11.30.[30] At the2012 Summer Olympics in London, she placed fifth in the finals of the200-meter individual medley.[31]
Kukors officially announced her retirement from competition on September 26, 2013. She now works as the director of health inspiration for LifeWise Health Plan of Washington and writes for their online magazine Actively Northwest.[32]
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | Women's 200-meter individual medley world record-holder (long course) July 26, 2009 – August 3, 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Swimming World American Swimmer of the Year 2009 (Shared withRebecca Soni) | Succeeded by Rebecca Soni |
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