Pan American Games Gold Medalist Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace Announces Retirement

Jul 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of the Bahamas celebrates on the podium after winning the women's 50m freestyle final the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Aquatics UTS Centre and Field House. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel/USA Today Sports ImagesA

2015 Pan American Gold Medalist as well as 2012 Olympic finalist Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace has officially announced her retirement from the sport of swimming on Thursday. Vanderpool-Wallace is perhaps the most successful swimmer out of the Bahamas as she was the first and only swimmer to this day from the Bahamas to reach an Olympic final, which she did in 2012 in the 50 free.

Vanderpool-Wallace was the gold medalist in the 2015 Pan American Games in the 50 free where she swam a 24.38 to win the gold medal. She set the Games Record in the heats with a 24.31 that stands as her personal best. In those same Games in Toronto she swam to a bronze in the 100 free (54.15) behind Canada’s Chantal Van Landeghem and American Natalie Coughlin.

Vanderpool-Wallace’s highest finish at the Olympic Games was eighth in the 50 in 2012 (24.69). She also placed tenth in the 100 at those London Olympics (54.12) after setting a Bahamian Record in the heats at 53.73 that still stands.

Vanderpool-Wallace also competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where she was 18th in the 100 free (54.56) and ninth in the 50 (24.60).

Vanderpool-Wallace also enjoyed a nice career at Auburn University under Brett Hawke where she won three individual NCAA titles, winning two in the 100 free and one in the 50, and thirteen total SEC titles. She still owns the Auburn school record in the 50 (21.34) and the 100 free (46.61), as well as a member of the 200 free (1:27.45), 400 free (3:11.49), 200 medley (1:36.11) and 400 medley relay teams (3:30.32).

Vanderpool-Wallace has not competed much since the 2016 Olympics. She showed glimpses of a comeback to racing when she swam a 47.61 SCY 100 free in November 2017 in North Carolina, as well as when she reached the A-final a couple times at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Austin this year.

Ultimately, she decided to call it a career after her last meet was at the TYR Derby Pro Swim Meet in Louisville.

Overall Vanderpool-Wallace still holds five individual Bahamian records in long course meters.

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Jim Bowser
5 years ago

Thanks for all the good times! Good luck.

Montserrat Hidalgo
5 years ago

Amazing swimmer

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