Abbey Weitzeil is an accomplished American competitive swimmer renowned for her prowess in freestyle events, particularly the 50-meter and 100-meter distances.
Born on December 3, 1996, in Santa Clarita, California, she has emerged as one of the most dynamic sprinters in the sport, blending explosive speed with relay expertise.
Weitzeil’s journey into swimming began at age six with a recreational team in Sacramento, though she initially stepped away from the pool before recommitting at 12 upon her family’s return to Southern California.
A two-time Olympian as of the Tokyo Games in 2021, Weitzeil has since competed in Paris 2024, solidifying her status as a veteran leader on the U.S. national team.
Beyond the pool, she is an avid artist who enjoys drawing and shares a close bond with her family, including her husband, Michael Jensen, whom she married in September 2024.
Siblings
Abbey has two siblings, Alexa and Kaitlyn Weitzeil.
Raised in the sunny suburbs of Santa Clarita, the Weitzeil sisters grew up fostering a sense of camaraderie that has been instrumental in Abbey’s rise through the ranks of competitive swimming.
Unfortunately, details about Alexa and Kaitlyn’s personal pursuits remain largely private.
Career
Weitzeil’s competitive debut came at the 2014 Speedo Winter Junior National Championships, where she shattered the American record in the 100-yard freestyle with a blistering 46.29 seconds, a feat achieved just six years into her serious training.
This propelled her to the Phillips 66 Nationals, earning spots at the Pan Pacific Championships—her international bow—and setting the stage for the 2015 World Championships.
There, she claimed gold in the mixed 4×100-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the women’s version, announcing her arrival on the world scene.
The pinnacle arrived at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, where Weitzeil swept the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyles, qualifying for her Rio debut at just 19 years old.
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In Brazil, she anchored the silver-medal-winning 4×100-meter freestyle relay and contributed to the gold in the medley relay preliminaries.
After a brief collegiate detour at the University of California, Berkeley, where she dominated the PAC-12 Championships, winning multiple events and earning Swimmer of the Meet honors in 2019, she returned to the international circuit with renewed vigor.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her senior NCAA season, but Weitzeil channeled that setback into Tokyo 2020 preparation, securing silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle and bronze in the medley relay.
By Paris 2024, she had evolved into a relay anchor extraordinaire, leveraging her experience to guide younger teammates while posting personal bests that kept her at the forefront of American sprinting.
Post-collegiate, Weitzeil turned professional, training relentlessly and amassing a resume that includes world records and a Sullivan Award finalist nod in 2020, all while overcoming injuries like a 2019 elbow issue to remain a cornerstone of USA Swimming.
Accolades
Weitzeil’s Olympic haul stands at one gold, two silvers, and one bronze: the gold from Rio 2016’s 4×100-meter medley relay preliminaries, a silver in the same event’s Tokyo finals, another silver in Tokyo’s 4×100-meter freestyle, and a bronze in the freestyle relay there as well.
Beyond the Games, she has racked up six medals at the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi—two golds in the 4×50-meter and 4×100-meter freestyles, three silvers across various relays, and a bronze—showcasing her relay dominance.
Weitzeil’s record book brims with American benchmarks, including the 50-yard freestyle and her role in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay standard.
At the collegiate level, she etched her name into PAC-12 lore by breaking championship records in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles en route to Swimmer of the Meet in 2019, while her sub-21-second 50-yard free at the Minnesota Invitational remains a highlight.
Earlier accolades include junior national triumphs, like her 2014 American record, and international golds from the 2013 World Junior Championships.
Recognized as a Sullivan Award finalist in 2020 for her unparalleled amateur impact, Weitzeil’s blend of individual fire and team synergy has earned her spots on every major U.S. roster since 2014, affirming her as one of the most decorated sprinters of her era.
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