Dana Vollmer (born November 13, 1987 in Syracuse, New York) is an Olympic and former World-Record-holding swimmer from the United States, who swam for the USA at the 2004 Olympics. Collegiately, she initially swam for the University of Florida, before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley. Though born in New York, she was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Granbury, Texas. As a child, Vollmer swam for coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST). At age 12, she was the youngest swimmer competing at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials; she failed to make the team. She was also the youngest competitor to swim at the 2001 Goodwill Games. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she was a member of the United States' gold medal winning 4 x 200-Meter Freestyle Relay team; as well as attaining the gold medal, the team broke the previous World Record that had stood for 17 years. On February 25, 2009, she set her first individual American Record, breaking Natalie Coughlin's 200-yard Freestyle record with a 1:41.53. In 2003, Dana underwent heart surgery to correct a condition called Supra Ventricular Tachyardia, which produces a quickened pulse rate of about 240 beats per minute. After that surgery, an EKG indicated that she might have Long QT Syndrome; however, further testing indicated that she did not have the syndrome. Nonetheless, her heart conditions demand that a defibrillator be kept poolside when she swims as a precautionary measure. ==See also== *Pan American Games records in swimming (via Wikipedia)