Stephanie Rice (born
17 June 1988 in Queensland), is a swimmer from Brisbane, Australia, who
holds the
world record in the 200 m individual medley. Rice is trained
by Michael Bohl from the St Peters Western Swimming Club.
Career She
is a Commonwealth Gold medalist in the 200 metres Individual Medley
from the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia where she
defeated Olympians Brooke Hanson and Lara Carroll to claim the gold
medal in the event in a time of 2:12.90, a personal best by 1.19sec.
She also won the 400m individual medley.
At the 2007 Melbourne
World Championships she won a bronze medal in the 200m individual
medley in a time of 2 minutes 11.42 seconds, breaking the previous
Australian record by a second. American Katie Hoff won the gold in
2:10.13, with Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe in second place. Rice once
again placed third, earning her second bronze medal in the 400m
individual medley final. In a new personal best time Rice finished in
4:41.19, taking .54sec off her previous best.
Rice continued her
strong performance, setting a new personal best time in the 400m
individual medley at an Italian meet in June 2007. Rice went a 4:40.79,
edging closer to the elusive 4:40 barrier in the event. At the 2007
Japanese Open Championships, Rice smashed her personal best time in the
400m individual medley and finally cracked the 4:40 barrier. In placing
second to Zimbabwean champion, Kirsty Coventry, Rice set a new
Australian and Commonwealth record of 4:37.18 - a personal best by
3.61sec.
At the 2008 Australian Olympic trials, Rice broke the
world record in the 400m individual medley. Rice stopped the clock at 4
minutes 31.46 seconds to carve 1.43 seconds off American Katie Hoff's
mark of 4:32.89. Rice claimed her second world record of the meet, when
she broke the 200m individual medley world record, clocking 2 minutes
8.92 seconds to slash almost a full second off the previous record held
by China's Wu Yanyan.
At the Olympic Games in Bejing Rice will
swim the 200m and 400m individual medley and will most likely earn a
berth in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Her main rivals in the events are
expected to be Kirsty Coventry and Katie Hoff.
Personal Life As
of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Rice has been dating 50m Freestyle
world record holder Eamon Sullivan. Recently Rice and Sullivan have
become the new faces and bodies in a six digit deal with underwear
giant Davenport