Born: 1971 (Fullerton, California)
Janet Beth Evans OLY (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
Born in Fullerton, California, Evans grew up in neighboring Placentia, where she started swimming competitively as a child. By the age of 11, she was already setting national age group records in distance events. Evans went on to swim for the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST Swimming) during her teenage years and graduated from El Dorado High School.
Evans’s remarkable talent in swimming caught the attention of Stanford University, where she attended and swam for the Stanford Cardinal swimming and diving team from 1989 to 1991. In 1988-89, she received the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of the year. However, when the NCAA imposed weekly hours limits on athletic training time, Evans made the difficult decision to quit the Stanford swim team to focus on her training. She later transferred to the University of Texas at Austin before ultimately graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1994.
Evans’s prowess in the pool was characterized by her unorthodox windmill stroke and her seemingly endless cardiovascular endurance. Despite her small stature, she consistently triumphed over larger and stronger athletes, some of whom were later revealed to have used performance-enhancing drugs.
Throughout her career, Janet Evans earned numerous accolades and awards. In 1989, she was honored with the James E. Sullivan Award, recognizing her as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Additionally, Swimming World Magazine named her the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1987, 1989, and 1990. In 1988, while still in high school, Evans was acknowledged as a Rising Star by the Los Angeles Times.
After a brief retirement, Evans made a remarkable return to competitive swimming in Masters events starting in 2010. Despite taking time away from the sport, she displayed her enduring passion and dedication to swimming.
Off the pool deck, Evans embarked on a personal journey and married Bill Willson in 2004. The couple has been blessed with two children. As of June 2012, they reside in Laguna Beach, California.
In recognition of her achievements and contributions to the world of sports, Evans was selected as one of the co-Grand Marshals for the 2017 Rose Parade. She continues her involvement in athletics as the chief athlete officer for the organizing committee of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Janet Evans’s impact on the world of swimming and women’s sports cannot be overstated. Her incredible accomplishments, unwavering determination, and perseverance in the face of challenges have inspired countless athletes, both male and female, to pursue their dreams and strive for excellence in the pool. Her legacy as a true icon of swimming is firmly secured in the annals of sports history.
Awards:
– Four-time Olympic gold medalist
– Recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award in 1989
– Named Female World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine in 1987, 1989, and 1990
– Recognized as a Rising Star by the Los Angeles Times in 1988