Tom Dolan
Thomas Fitzgerald Dolan is an American former competition swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
Dolan grew up in Arlington, Virginia. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he swam for coach Jon Urbanchek's Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association competition from 1994 to 1997. During his college swimming career, he won individual NCAA national championships in the 500-yard freestyle, 1,650-yard freestyle, and 400-yard individual medley, and was a member of three of Michigan's winning teams in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
Dolan represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, he won a gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley, finishing with a time 4:14.90. He also competed in the men's 200-meter individual medley, placing seventh in the event final with a time 2:03.89.
Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Dolan again won a gold medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley, and setting a new world record of 4:11.76 in the final. He also received the silver medal for his second-place performance in the men's 200-meter individual medley.
Dolan was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 2006, and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. He now runs the Tom Dolan Swim School in Northern Virginia, teaching infants to adults—solid fundamentals that are essential for water-safety, recreational and competitive swimming.
