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Mary Whipple facts for kids

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For the Virginia politician, see Mary Margaret Whipple.
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Mary Whipple
Personal information
Birth name Mary Rebecca Whipple
Born (1980-05-10) May 10, 1980 (age 45)
Sacramento, California, U.S.
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 2008 Beijing Women's eight
Gold 2012 London Women's eight
Silver 2004 Athens Women's eight
World Championships
Gold 2002 Seville Women's eight
Gold 2006 Eton Women's eight
Gold 2007 Munich Women's eight
Gold 2010 Karapiro Women's eight
Gold 2011 Lake Bled Women's eight

Mary Rebecca Whipple (born May 10, 1980) is an American athlete. She is famous for her success in rowing, especially as a coxswain. A coxswain is the person who steers the boat and helps the rowers work together. Mary Whipple won two gold medals at the Summer Olympics. She also earned a silver medal at another Olympic Games.

Mary Whipple's Early Rowing Career

Mary Whipple started her rowing journey at the University of Washington. As a first-year student in 1999, she helped her team win a national title. She was the coxswain for the women's varsity four boat.

In 2000, Mary coxed the varsity eight boat to a big win. They won the Henley Royal Regatta, taking home the first-ever Henley Prize. That same year, her team also earned a silver medal at the NCAA championships.

Mary continued her success in college rowing. In both 2001 and 2002, she coxed the varsity eight team to back-to-back NCAA championships. Her team also won the overall team title in 2001.

Olympic and World Championship Success

Mary Whipple is well-known for her achievements on the world stage. She competed in three Olympic Games.

Olympic Medals

  • At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she won a silver medal. This was with the women's eight rowing team.
  • At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Mary and her team won a gold medal. This was a huge achievement for the women's eight.
  • She won another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. This made her a two-time Olympic champion.

World Championship Medals

Mary also had great success at the World Rowing Championships. She won five gold medals with the women's eight team:

  • 2002 in Seville
  • 2006 in Eton
  • 2007 in Munich
  • 2010 in Karapiro
  • 2011 in Lake Bled

Mary's Family Life

Mary Whipple has an identical twin sister named Sarah Jeanine Whipple. Sarah is also involved in rowing. She used to be an assistant coach for Women's Crew at the University of California at Berkeley. Today, Sarah is the Head Coach for Varsity Women at Capital Crew in Sacramento, California. She has led her team to many regional and national championships.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mary Whipple para niños

External links

  • Official website: http://www.9thseat.com/
  • Mary Whipple at Olympics.com (archived: OlympicChannel.com and Olympic.org)
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