Dana Whitney Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is a former American competition swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United States team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay that set the world record in the event. Eight years later at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Vollmer set the world record on her way to the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, and also won golds in the 4×100-meter medley relay and 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She won three medals including a gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Vollmer won a total of thirty two medals in major international competitions, including nineteen gold medals, eight silver, and five bronze, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Goodwill Games, making her one of the most decorated female Olympian in swimming discipline. Early years Vollmer was born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region in Granbury, Texas. As an age group swimmer, Vollmer swam for coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST). In 2003, Vollmer underwent heart surgery to correct a condition called supraventricular tachycardia, which produces a quickened pulse rate of about 240 beats per minute. After that surgery, an electrocardiogram indicated to her cardiologists that she might have Long QT syndrome. Further testing ruled out the condition. Her physicians recommended that she always have a defibrillator at the poolside whenever she swims in case of a heart emergency. College career Vollmer first enrolled in the University of Florida, and swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team under coach Gregg Troy in 2006. As a freshman, she earned four honorable mention All-American honors. After her first year, she transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she finished her NCAA career competing for the California Golden Bears swimming and diving team under coach Teri McKeever from 2007 to 2009. Vollmer was the Golden Bears' most valuable swimmer for three consecutive years, the Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year in 2009, and the 2008–09 recipient of the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving, recognizing her as the outstanding college female swimmer of the year. She earned 20 All-American honors as a Golden Bear swimmer, won individual NCAA championships in the 100-yard butterfly in 2007