Matt Biondi
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2008-05-12T05:18:06Z
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 211077957 by [[Special:Contributions/24.34.164.239|24.34.164.239]] ([[User talk:24.34.164.239|talk]])
{{Citations missing|date=March 2008}}
{{MedalTableTop|Replace this image male.svg|150px}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men’s [[Swimming]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | 4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | 50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1988 Seoul | 100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1988 Seoul | 4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1988 Seoul | 4x200 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | 1988 Seoul | 4x100 m Medley}}
{{MedalSilver| 1988 Seoul | 100 m Butterfly}}
{{MedalBronze| 1988 Seoul | 200 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 100 metre Freestyle Relay|4x100 m Freestyle]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1992 Barcelona | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 4 x 100 metre Medley Relay|4x100 m Medley]]}}
{{MedalSilver| 1992 Barcelona | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Men's 50 metre freestyle|50 m Freestyle]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships - Long Course]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|4x100 m Medley}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|100 m Butterfly}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|200 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1986 World Aquatics Championships|1986 Madrid]]|4x200 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]]|100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]]|4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]]|4x100 m Medley}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1991 World Aquatics Championships|1991 Perth]]|50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|Pan Pacific Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1985 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1985 Tokyo]] | 50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1985 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1985 Tokyo]] | 100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1985 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1985 Tokyo]] | 200 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1985 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1985 Tokyo]] | 100 m Butterfly}}
{{MedalGold | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 4x100 m Medley}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | [[1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1987 Brisbane]] | 100 m Butterfly}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Brisbane]] | 100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Brisbane]] | 4x100 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Brisbane]] | 4x100 m Medley}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Brisbane]] | 100 m Butterfly}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1991 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1991 Brisbane]] | 50 m Freestyle}}
{{MedalBottom}}
'''Matthew ("Matt") Nicholas Biondi''' (born [[October 8]], [[1965]] in [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]], [[California]]) is a three-time U.S. Olympic swimmer in the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984]], [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]], and [[1992 Summer Olympics]], winning a total of 11 medals. In the [[1988 Summer Olympics]], Biondi equalled [[Mark Spitz]] as the second swimmer to win seven medals in one Games. [[Michael Phelps]] would later break this record by winning eight medals at the [[2004 Athens Olympics]]. Biondi left Seoul with five golds, setting world records in four of those events.
== Biography ==
Biondi started his aquatics career as a swimmer and [[water polo]] player in his hometown of [[Moraga, California]]. As he moved into his teens, his incredible abilities as a swimmer -- specifically a sprinter -- began to emerge. Though he did not start swimming year-round until he started at [[Campolindo High School]], by his senior year Biondi was the top schoolboy sprinter in America with a National High School record of 20.40 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle. He accepted a scholarship to the [[University of California, Berkeley]] to swim and play water polo, and enrolled in 1983. In his freshman year he played on Berkeley's NCAA Championship water polo team and made the consolation finals at the 1984 NCAA Swimming Championships.
That summer, Biondi surprised the swimming community by qualifying for a spot on the U.S. 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles Olympics]]. The team won the gold medal in a world record time. Returning to Berkeley, Biondi once again played on an NCAA Champion water polo team in the fall and in the winter of 1985 won the first of his 8 individual swimming titles at NCAAs. He would be named NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 1985, 1986, and 1987, and would set several American and NCAA records.
Biondi set the first of his twelve individual swimming world records in 1985. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle faster than 49 seconds, and by 1988 he owned the ten fastest times swum in that event. He won a total 24 U.S. Championships in the 50, 100, and 200-meter freestyle events, as well as the 100-butterfly. In two World Championships (1986 and 1991), Biondi won 11 medals including six gold. During his career, he was a [[James E. Sullivan Award]] Finalist, the [[UPI]] Sportsman of the Year, the [[USOC]] Sportsman of the Year, and twice the [[Swimming World magazine]] Male Swimmer of the World (1986 and 1988). He is a member of the [[United States Olympic Hall of Fame]] and the [[International Swimming Hall of Fame]].
He graduated from Berkeley in 1988 with a BA degree in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies (PEIS). He lives in [[Kamuela, Hawaii]], where he teaches math, U.S. History, personal excellence, and swimming at [[Parker School]], a small private prep school.
Biondi married his wife Kirsten in 1995, and their son Nathaniel (Nate) was born in 1998.
== Training ==
Matt Biondi made a point of being the slowest person in the pool during warm up, no matter the skill level of the other swimmers surrounding him.{{Fact|date=March 2008}}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== See also ==
* [[World record progression 50 metres freestyle]]
* [[World record progression 100 metres freestyle]]
* [[Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_37838.htm Matt Biondi's U.S. Olympic Team bio]
* [http://www.ishof.org/honorees/97/97mbiondi.html Matt Biondi's Entry on the International Swimming Hall of Fame website]
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{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Jager]]|title=[[World record progression 50m freestyle|Men's 50 metre freestyle<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[June 26]], [[1986]] – [[August 13]], [[1987]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Jager]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Jager]]|title=[[World record progression 50m freestyle|Men's 50 metre freestyle<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[September 24]], [[1988]] – [[August 20]], [[1989]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Tom Jager]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Rowdy Gaines]]|title=[[World record progression 100m freestyle|Men's 100 metre freestyle<br>world record holder (long course)]]|years=[[6 August]] [[1985]] – [[18 June]] [[1994]]|after={{flagicon|RUS}} [[Alexander Popov (swimmer)|Alexander Popov]]}}
{{s-awards}}
{{succession box|title=[[Swimming World Swimmers of the Year|World Swimmer of the Year]]|before={{flagicon|FRG}} [[Michael Gross (swimmer)|Michael Gross]]|after={{flagicon|HUN}} [[Tamás Darnyi]]|years=[[1986 in sports|1986]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Swimming World Swimmers of the Year|World Swimmer of the Year]]|before={{flagicon|HUN}} [[Tamás Darnyi]]|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Mike Barrowman]]|years=[[1988 in sports|1988]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|CAN}} [[Ben Johnson (runner)|Ben Johnson]]|title=[[United Press International Athlete of the Year Award#Male winners|United Press International Athlete of the Year]]|after={{flagicon|FRG}} [[Boris Becker]]|years=[[1988 in sport|1988]]}}
{{end box}}
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{{Footer Olympic Champions 50 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Freestyle Relay Men}}
{{Olympic Champions Swimming 4x200 m Men Freestyle Relay}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Medley Relay Men}}
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME=Biondi, Matthew Nicholas
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Biondi, Matt
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[United States|American]] [[swimming|swimmer]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[October 8]], [[1965]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]], [[California]], [[United States]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biondi, Matt}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Italian-American sportspeople]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers of the United States]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimming World World Swimmers of the Year]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:Former world record holders in swimming]]
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