Maya DiRado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Maya DiRado

DiRado in Santa Clara, California in 2016
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Maya
Born	(1993-04-05) April 5, 1993 (age 32) Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in
Weight	143 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, medley
Club	Santa Rosa Neptunes
College team	Stanford University
Coach	Greg Meehan
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m backstroke Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m medley Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 200 m medley World Championships (LC) Gold 2013 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 400 m medley Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2014 Gold Coast 200 m medley Silver 2014 Gold Coast 400 m medley

Madeline Jane "Maya" DiRado-Andrews (born April 5, 1993) is a retired American swimmer. She was a top competitor in different swimming styles. These included freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley events. Maya swam for Stanford University and won national titles. She earned four medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. After the Olympics, she decided to retire from competitive swimming.

Maya's Early Life

Maya DiRado was born on April 5, 1993. Her parents are Marit and Ruben DiRado. Her father's family came from Argentina after World War II. Maya got her nickname from her sister, who found it hard to say "Madeline."

Maya started swimming when she was six years old. She joined the Santa Rosa Neptunes team. She swam with Molly Hannis, who also became an Olympic teammate. Maya went to Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa, California. There, she became a three-time state champion in the 200-yard individual medley (IM). In 2010, her senior year, she set a California state record in the 200-yard IM. She also won the 100-yard freestyle.

College Swimming Career

Maya followed her family's tradition and attended Stanford University. In her first year, she placed second in the 200-yard IM. She also finished third in the 400-yard IM at the NCAA Championships. The next year, she continued to do well in IM events. She also placed second in the 200-yard backstroke.

Maya set an age group record for female swimmers aged 17–18. She became one of the few women to swim the 400 IM in under four minutes. In her final year at Stanford, she won her first individual titles. She took home wins in both the 200 and 400-yard IM events. She also finished second in the 200-yard butterfly. For her amazing performance, she was named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year.

Maya's Swimming Journey

2012 Olympic Trials

In 2012, Maya competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. This event decides which swimmers go to the Olympics. She swam in the 200-meter IM, 400-meter IM, and 200-meter backstroke. She finished fourth in both IM events. Only the top two swimmers in each event qualified for the Olympics. So, Maya did not make the team that year.

2013 World Championships

Maya qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona. She competed in three events there. She won the 400-meter IM at the U.S. National Championships to earn her spot. She also gained a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly.

Maya swam in the early heats of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. The team that swam in the finals won the gold medal. Because Maya helped in the early heats, she also received a gold medal. She finished fourth in the 400-meter IM. She also placed twelfth in the 200-meter butterfly.

2014 Pan Pacific Championships

Maya won two medals at the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in 2014. She earned a gold medal in the 200-meter IM. She also got a silver medal in the 400-meter IM. In the 200-meter IM, she beat Australian swimmer Alicia Coutts for the gold. This win tied a meet record. She finished second in the 400-meter IM. Maya also placed ninth in the 200-meter butterfly.

2015 World Championships

Maya competed in two individual medley events at the 2015 World Championships. In the 200-meter IM, she just missed a medal, finishing fourth. However, she won her first individual World Championship medal in the 400-meter IM. She finished second in this race, earning a silver medal.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Maya qualified for the U.S. Olympic team. This was her first time making the Olympic team. She won the 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter individual medley, and 200-meter backstroke events.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maya won four medals!

• On the first night, she won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley.
• She also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley. This was her personal best time.
• Even though she didn't swim the 200-meter freestyle at Trials, coaches put Maya in the final relay team. With her teammates, she won her first gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
• In her last event, the 200-meter backstroke, Maya won another gold medal. She made a strong surge at the end of the race to win by a tiny amount.

DiRado visiting a U.S. military base in Afghanistan in December 2016

Retirement and New Paths

Maya DiRado retired from competitive swimming after the 2016 Olympics. She decided to stay involved in the swimming world. She became a board member for the United States Swimming Foundation and USA Swimming.

In 2020, Maya spoke to the leadership council at the University of Minnesota. She talked about being a good team player and leader in swimming. As of August 2021, she was still retired from competitive swimming.

Maya's Personal Life

Maya DiRado married Rob Andrews on September 19, 2015. Rob was also a swimmer at Stanford University. They met while they were both on the Stanford swim team. In August 2021, Maya announced that she and Rob were expecting a baby boy. In January 2022, they welcomed their son, Charlie Alan Andrews.

After retiring from swimming, Maya started a new career. In March 2017, she joined a company called McKinsey & Company. She worked as a Business Analyst. She helped improve healthcare and banking systems. As of May 2018, she worked for King Philanthropies, an organization that gives grants. Maya earned a degree in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford.

Maya's Best Times

See also

In Spanish: Maya Di Rado para niños

• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)