Jenny Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jenny Thompson

Personal information
Born	(1973-02-26) February 26, 1973 (age 52) Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9.5 in
Weight	152 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, freestyle
Club	Seacoast Swimming Association, Stanford, Badger Swim Club
College team	Stanford University
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 8 3 1 World Championships (LC) 7 5 2 World Championships (SC) 11 5 2 Pan Pacific Championships 25 7 2 Pan American Games 2 0 1 Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m medley Gold 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1996 Atlanta 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1996 Atlanta 4×100 m medley Gold 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2000 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley Silver 1992 Barcelona 100 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 1991 Perth 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1998 Perth 100 m freestyle Gold 1998 Perth 100 m butterfly Gold 1998 Perth 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1998 Perth 4×100 m medley Gold 2003 Barcelona 100 m butterfly Gold 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1994 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1994 Rome 4×100 m medley Silver 1998 Perth 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2003 Barcelona 50 m butterfly Silver 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley Bronze 1994 Rome 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2003 Barcelona 100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 1997 Gothenburg 100 m freestyle Gold 1997 Gothenburg 100 m butterfly Gold 1997 Gothenburg 4×100 m medley Gold 1999 Hong Kong 100 m freestyle Gold 1999 Hong Kong 50 m butterfly Gold 1999 Hong Kong 100 m butterfly Gold 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m medley Gold 2000 Athens 50 m butterfly Gold 2000 Athens 100 m butterfly Gold 2004 Indianapolis 50 m butterfly Gold 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1997 Gothenburg 50 m freestyle Silver 1999 Hong Kong 50 m freestyle Silver 2000 Athens 100 m freestyle Silver 2000 Athens 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley Bronze 2000 Athens 4×100 m medley Bronze 2004 Indianapolis 100 m butterfly Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1989 Tokyo 50 m freestyle Gold 1989 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1991 Edmonton 50 m freestyle Gold 1991 Edmonton 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1993 Kobe 50 m freestyle Gold 1993 Kobe 100 m freestyle Gold 1993 Kobe 100 m butterfly Gold 1993 Kobe 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1993 Kobe 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1993 Kobe 4×100 m medley Gold 1995 Atlanta 100 m freestyle Gold 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1995 Atlanta 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 100 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 100 m butterfly Gold 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley Gold 1999 Sydney 50 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 100 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 100 m butterfly Gold 1999 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 4×100 m medley Gold 2002 Yokohama 50 m freestyle Silver 1989 Tokyo 100 m freestyle Silver 1995 Atlanta 50 m freestyle Silver 1995 Atlanta 100 m butterfly Silver 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m medley Silver 1997 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m medley Bronze 2002 Yokohama 100 m freestyle Bronze 2002 Yokohama 100 m butterfly Pan American Games Gold 1987 Indianapolis 50 m freestyle Gold 1987 Indianapolis 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1987 Indianapolis 100 m freestyle

Jennifer Beth Thompson (born February 26, 1973) is a famous American former swimmer. She is known for winning many medals at the Summer Olympics.

Jenny Thompson has won twelve Olympic medals in total. Eight of these are gold medals. She earned these medals at the Olympic Games in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. This makes her one of the most successful Olympic swimmers ever!

Jenny Thompson's Early Life and Swimming Start

Jenny Thompson grew up in Massachusetts and considers Dover, New Hampshire, her hometown. She started swimming when she was just 7 years old at a summer club.

As she got older, she swam for different YMCA teams. When she was 12, she joined the Seacoast Swimming Association. She moved to Dover when she was 13.

First Big Competitions

Jenny first became known internationally at age 14 in 1987. She won the 50-meter freestyle and took third place in the 100-meter freestyle at the Pan American Games.

In 1991, she won her first world championship. This was as part of the USA's 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. By the time of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, she held world records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events.

Jenny Thompson's College Years

Jenny Thompson went to Stanford University. She swam for the Stanford Cardinal swimming and diving team. This team competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

In 1995, she received the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving. This award recognized her as the best college female swimmer of the year. During her four years at Stanford, her team won four NCAA championships. Jenny herself won nineteen individual and relay NCAA titles.

Jenny Thompson's Olympic Journey

1992 Barcelona Olympics

At the 1992 Olympics, many expected Jenny to win several gold medals. She won two gold medals as part of the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relay teams. She also won a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle.

After the 100-meter freestyle race, the U.S. team felt that the rules for testing athletes needed to be improved. They believed that the Olympic champion should always be tested. This rule was changed a few months later to make testing fairer for all athletes.

1996 Atlanta Olympics

Jenny Thompson continued to be one of the world's top swimmers. At the 1996 Olympics, she won three more gold medals. These were all in relay events: the 4×100-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley, and 4×200-meter freestyle.

Between 1997 and 1999, Jenny won eight more world championship titles. This included winning the 100-meter freestyle three times in a row.

2000 Sydney Olympics

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Jenny won a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle. She also helped the USA win gold medals in three relay events.

The 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley teams even set new world records!

2000 to 2004 Swimming Career

After the 2000 season, Jenny seemed to retire from swimming. She had already won 10 Olympic medals and 12 gold medals at World Championships. In 2001, she moved to New York City to start studying at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

However, while in medical school, she returned to competition in 2002. At the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Japan, she won five medals in just two days. She even set her best time ever in the 50-meter freestyle. In 2003, she won five more medals at the World Championships, including two gold.

2004 Athens Olympics

At 31 years old, Jenny Thompson was the oldest member of the U.S. Swimming and Diving team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. This was her fourth time competing in the Olympics.

She helped the 400-meter freestyle relay team win a silver medal and set a new national record. She also earned another silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay. During her amazing Olympic career, Jenny Thompson won twelve medals. Eight of these were gold medals in relay races. This is the most for any female Olympic swimmer in history!

Jenny Thompson's Life After Swimming

In 2006, Jenny Thompson earned her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her medical training to become an anesthesiologist.

Jenny married Daniel Richard Cumpelik on September 5, 2010. She has also volunteered for Swim Across America since 1995. This is a charity that raises money for cancer research.

Awards and Recognition

Jenny Thompson has received many awards for her incredible swimming career.

• She was named the USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year in 1993 and 1998.
• Swimming World Magazine named her the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1998.
• She was also named Female American Swimmer of the Year in 1993, 1998, and 1999.
• In 2000, she was the Women's Sports Foundation's Athlete of the Year.

Her adopted hometown of Dover, New Hampshire, has a public swimming pool named in her honor.

See also

In Spanish: Jenny Thompson para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic medalists
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
• List of Stanford University people
• List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)