Cohen, Tiffany

Tiffany Lisa Cohen

Sport:
swimming

Country Represented:
United States

Years Competed:
1984

Medals Received:
gold

Olympic Info:
A member of the United States swimming team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Cohen won a pair of gold medals in individual events, and set two Olympic records in the process. In the 400-meter freestyle, she won her preliminary heat in 4:11.49, the fastest time in the prelims. In the final, she won the gold medal with a time of 4:07.10, the second fastest in history at the time and an Olympic record! In the 800-meter freestyle, Cohen won her preliminary heat in 8:41.86, the fifth fastest in the preliminaries. In the final, Tiffany easily won the gold medal by four seconds with a time of 8:24.95, which set another Olympic record.

Career Highlights:
Cohen was one of the top American swimmers in the early 1980s. A terrific distance swimmer, she joined the Mission Viejo swim team in 1980 and won her first national title in the outdoor 400-meter freestyle the following year. For the next four years, Cohen would be ranked among the top three in the world in both the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle. In 1982, she won the U.S. National Championship in the 500-, 1000-, and 1650-meter freestyle indoor, and finished third in the 400-meter freestyle at the World Championships. The following year, Cohen dominated the distance events as she maintained her three U.S. titles, and added the 200-meter indoor freestyle, and the 800-meter and 1500-meter outdoor titles. At the Pan American Games that year, Tiffany also won the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle events.

Following her Olympic triumph in 1984, Cohen enrolled at the University of Texas in the fall and won the NCAA and U.S. National indoor titles in the 500-meter and 1650-meter freestyle; she also won the national championship in the 1000-meter freestyle. In 1986, Tiffany continued won the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle events and added the butterfly to her list of national titles, winning the 200-meter at the U.S. outdoor championships. After finishing second at the U.S. Nationals to her successor, Janet Evans, in the 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle distance events, Cohen retired from competition in 1987. Following her retirement, Cohen concentrated on her fight with bulimia, which began when she was in high school. She now speaks to teenagers about her struggles with the eating disorder. Cohen is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. June 11, 1966

Origin:
Culver City, California

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