Megan Jendrick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Megan Jendrick

Personal information
Birth name	Megan M. Quann
Nickname(s)	"MJ"
Born	(1984-01-15) January 15, 1984 (age 41) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	140 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Coach	Nate Jendrick
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the United States Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 100 m breaststroke Gold 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley Silver 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley relay World Championships (LC) Silver 2001 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley Silver 2007 Melbourne 200 m breaststroke Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1999 Sydney 4×100 m medley Silver 1999 Sydney 100 m breaststroke Silver 2006 Victoria 100 m breaststroke Summer Universiade Gold 2005 Izmir 50 m breaststroke Gold 2005 Izmir 100 m breaststroke Gold 2005 Izmir 4×100 m medley

Megan M. Jendrick (born January 15, 1984), whose maiden name was Quann, is a famous American swimmer. She used to hold world records in swimming. Megan won two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

During her amazing career, Megan set 27 American records and four world records. She also became a national champion 13 times. She won the U.S. Open ten times and holds many Masters world and national records. Megan is married to author Nathan Jendrick.

Megan's Swimming Career Highlights

Megan Jendrick first became well-known in the swimming world in 1998. That year, she placed third in the 100-meter breaststroke at the national championships in California. Later, she won her first national championship in the same event in Minnesota. She even received a special award there called the Phillips 66 Performance Award.

At the U.S. Open in Texas that same year, Megan won both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke races. In the 100-meter event, she broke an American record that had stood for 17 years! She also won a gold and a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games in New York.

Olympic Success and World Records

In 2000, Megan was the youngest swimmer on the U.S. Olympic team. She was only 16 years old! She won two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, setting a new American record. She also won gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay, where her team set a new world record.

After her Olympic wins, Megan was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. This is a very special honor for athletes. She also appeared on the covers of major newspapers like The Seattle Times and The New York Times.

In 2001, Megan earned a silver medal at the World Championships in Japan. She was part of the 4×100-meter medley relay team.

Returning to the Pool

After missing out on the 2004 Athens Olympic team by a tiny bit, Megan decided to stop swimming for a while. She was then honored by being added to the Pacific Northwest Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004.

But Megan didn't stay retired for long! She made a big comeback at the 2005 World University Games in Turkey. There, she won three gold medals and set two new records for the games. She was the only American woman to win two individual gold medals at those games. Megan also became one of only two women in history to swim the 100-yard breaststroke in under a minute.

In 2006, Megan was even a question on the TV game show Jeopardy!! The question was about her winning the 100-meter breaststroke gold medal at the 2000 Olympics.

In 2007, Megan won a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 12th FINA World Championships.

More Olympic Medals

On July 1, 2008, Megan qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. This was eight years after her first Olympic gold! She officially won the 100-meter breaststroke event at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Megan finished fifth in the 100-meter breaststroke final. She also won a silver medal as part of the 4×100-meter medley relay team. She competed as Megan Jendrick, her married name, in 2008. She had competed as Megan Quann in 2000. This made her one of only a few people to win Olympic swimming medals under two different names!

In 2009, Megan set her 27th American record. She swam the first 50 meters of a 200-meter breaststroke race very fast, beating a record that had been held since 2007.

Megan continued to swim even after becoming a mom. In 2012, just seven months after her first child was born, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2013, she won a bronze medal in the 50-meter breaststroke at the U.S. National Championships. On September 24, 2013, Megan announced she was retiring from international swimming.

Megan's Life Outside the Pool

Megan Jendrick at a swim clinic.

Megan Jendrick went to Emerald Ridge High School in Washington. She also attended Pacific Lutheran University and later graduated from Arizona State University.

In December 2004, Megan married author Nathan Jendrick. While some people still call her Quann or Quann-Jendrick, her official name is Megan Jendrick.

In 2006, Megan received the Henry Iba Citizen Athlete Award. This award honors athletes who are also great citizens. She also donated $10,000 from the award to Children's Hospital in Seattle. Megan has also been nominated twice for a Golden Goggle Award, which is a very high honor for American aquatic athletes.

In late 2008, Megan started writing a weekly fitness column online. She answered questions about fitness for a website called FitnessRxMag.com.

Megan and Nathan have two children. Their son, Daethan, was born in 2011, and their daughter, Sydney, was born in 2014.

In 2019, Megan Jendrick was inducted into the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame. Megan and her family live in Buckley, Washington.

See also

In Spanish: Megan Quann para niños

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of Pacific Lutheran University alumni
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay