Nathan Adrian

Nathan Ghar-jun Adrian, born December 7, 1988, is an American competitive swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist who formerly held the American record in the long course 50-meter freestyle event. Across major international competitions—including the Summer Olympics, the FINA World Aquatics Championships, and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships—Adrian has won thirty-two total medals, consisting of twenty gold, seven silver, and five bronze.

Adrian was born in Bremerton, Washington, to Cecilia, a school nurse from Hong Kong, and James Adrian, a retired nuclear engineer. Influenced by his older siblings, Donella and Justin, who both swam at the collegiate level, Adrian began swimming at age five. He graduated from Bremerton High School in 2006 and enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he competed under Head Coach Dave Durden while majoring in public health. He graduated with honors in 2012 as a five-time individual NCAA champion in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.

Adrian achieved early international success in 2008. At the Short Course World Championships, he won gold in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, as well as silver in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he trained under coach Mike Bottom with The Race Club. In his Olympic debut, Adrian swam in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, earning a gold medal when the U.S. team finished first in the final.

Continuing his international career, Adrian captured two relay gold medals at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome. In 2010, he won four gold medals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, spanning the 50-meter and 100-meter individual freestyles along with two relays. At the 2011 World Championships, he earned a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay and a bronze in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, while also retaining his national title in the 50-meter freestyle.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Adrian won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle, becoming the first American male to win the event since 1988. He added a second gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay and a silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. In August 2012, a street in his hometown of Bremerton was renamed "Nathan Adrian Drive" in recognition of his accomplishments. He continued to compete at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships, setting an American record of 21.37 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle semifinals in 2015.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Adrian won four medals: gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×100-meter medley relay, as well as bronze in both the 50-meter and 100-meter individual freestyles. After receiving treatment for testicular cancer, he returned to international competition at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, winning gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Later that year, he earned five medals at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.