Janet Evans

Janet Evans Profile

Five-time Olympic medalist Janet Evans is considered the greatest female distance swimmer of all time. At age 16 she surprised the world when she captured three gold medals, defeating her East German competitors who were believed to be “unbeatable.”

Significantly smaller than her competition, Janet nevertheless sped ahead of them time and time again. By the end of her career she had set seven records, three of which she held for almost two decades. To this day she holds 45 national titles, third only to Tracy Caulkins and Michael Phelps.

A few weeks after passing the Olympic torch to Muhammad Ali in the 1996 Olympic Opening Ceremony, she retired from swimming and embarked on a successful career as a spokesperson, speaker, and mother. She once again made history in 2010 when she returned to the pool to train for the 2012 Olympic trials, an unprecedented comeback due to the amount of time she’d been out of competitive swimming. Even though she didn’t make it to the Olympics, Janet’s courage to take a leap outside her comfort zone inspired people around the nation. Upon entering the pool area at the 2012 Olympic Trials she received a standing ovation by 10,000 people, a clear testimony to the respect that Janet still commands more than two decades after her historic victories in the 1988 Olympics.

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  • Despite her small size and unorthodox windmill stroke, Janet Evans was a natural-born swimmer who was swimming laps at the age of two. In 1987, when she was 15 years old, Janet broke the world record in both the 400,

   

  • 800m and the 1,500m freestyle. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she won her first gold medal in the 400m individual medley. Three days later, she won the 400m freestyle by more than two seconds and broke her own world record by 1.6 seconds. Janet added a third Olympic victory in the 800m freestyle. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics she easily defended her title in the 800m by leading from start to finish, winning by eight meters; she also won the silver in the 400m. Evans made one final appearance at the Olympics in 1996, but sites running the Olympic torch as the highlight of that Olympics over the actual competition.

  Considered the greatest female distance swimmer of all time, Janet’s record in the 400-meter freestyle stood for 18 years, her world record in the 1500 lasted 19 years, and she still holds the global mark in the 800. Since the end of her swimming career, Janet has made a name for herself as a commercial spokesperson, author, a reality television personality, and a highly sought after speaker.

  In 2007, she published her first book titled Total Swimming which offers fitness programs, workouts, and proper swim techniques to readers. In 2008, Janet was selected to star on NBC’s reality show Celebrity Circus where the competition reached new heights as she attempted death-defying stunts in a head-to-head competition in front of a live studio audience. Her career as a motivational speaker started at the young age of 16 and has turned her into one of the most requested keynotes in the country. Janet executes motivational speeches for top companies in varying fields including: Technology, Healthcare, Real Estate, Telecommunications, Apparel, Banking, Insurance, Trade Associations, packaged goods, non profits and many others. With her easy style and grace on a podium, Janet has helped veteran salesman and senior executives alike!