From the smallest state to the largest pool, learn about Olympic Swimmer Elizabeth Beisel!
Elizabeth Beisel grew up in Saunderstown, Rhode Island with her parents Ted and Joanie, along with her brother Danny. Beisel began swimming at 5 years old and once she turned 12, she began competing with the Bluefish Swim Club. She attended North Kingstown High School, competing on the swim team for all four years, and graduated there in 2010.
Beisel went to the University of Florida to study Telecommunications. Here she won nine Southeastern Conference individual championship titles. Additionally, Beisel was honored as the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and won an NCAA individual title in the 200-yard backstroke both in 2012. The next year, she won an NCAA individual title for the 400-yard medley and earned 18 All-American Honors as well as first-team Academic All-American recognition. In 2014, Beisel was selected as the University of Florida’s Academic Athlete of the Year.
In the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 World Championships, Beisel participated in the 400m Individual Medley. She won gold in 2011. She swam the 200m Women’s Backstroke in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015. In 2014, Beisel raced in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, the 400m Freestyle, 400m Individual Medley and 800m Freestyle. In 2013, she won bronze for the 400m Individual Medley and she won bronze in 2009 for the 200m Backstroke.
Not only was Elizabeth Beisel in the World Championships, but she also competed for Team USA in the Olympics. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she placed 4th in the 400m Individual Medley and 5th in the 200m Backstroke. Four years later in London, she won silver for the 400m Individual Medley and bronze in the 200m backstroke. At the next games in Rio de Janeiro, she placed 6th in the 400m Individual Medley.
Now retired, she volunteers with the Special Olympics and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Elizabeth Beisel wrote a book titled Silver Linings, which focuses on her time as a competitive swimmer. Additionally, she is the first woman to make the swim to Block Island. While making the swim, she was fundraising for cancer research after losing her father. Beisel was inducted into the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2024, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame. She isn’t simply a swimmer; there are many lanes to her life to dive into!
