Dana Whitney Vollmer (born November 13, 1987) is an American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and world record holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece 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 won gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay and 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

Vollmer has won a total of thirty medals in major international competitions, including eighteen gold medals, eight silver, and four bronze, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan American Games, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Goodwill Games.

Personal 
Vollmer was born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region in Granbury, Texas. As a girl, Vollmer swam for the coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team (FAST).

In college, Vollmer first enrolled in the University of Florida and swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition. She later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she finished her NCAA swimming career.

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 hercardiologists that she might have the Long QT Syndrome. Then, further testing ruled out this condition. In any case, her physicians recommend that she always have a defibrillator at the poolside whenever she swims in case of a heart emergency.

Vollmer is an avid ambassador of the American Heart Association's program called "Go Red for Women."

She is married to Andy Grant, a former swimmer for Stanford University.

Swimming career 
Early career
At the age of 12, she was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, but did not qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. She was also the youngest swimming competitor a year later at the 2001 Goodwill Games.

2004 Summer Olympic Games 
See also: Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Vollmer won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in 4×200-meter freestyle relay, together with Natalie Coughlin, Carly Piper and Kaitlin Sandeno. In addition to winning the gold medal, the U.S. relay team broke the previous world record in the event that had stood for 17 years.

2005–2008
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Vollmer won a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She also won the silver medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×100-meter medley relay.

Dana Vollmer just missed making the 2008 Olympic team, placing seventh at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in the 200-meter freestyle with 1:58.67, 0.51 seconds behind the 6th place finisher, 5th in the 100-meter butterfly with 58.64, and 9th in the 100-meter freestyle with 54.84, 0.03 seconds behind 8th place qualifier Amanda Weir.

2009–2011 
On February 25, 2009, she set her first individual American record, breaking Natalie Coughlin's 200-yard freestyle record with a time of 1:41.53.
At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Italy, Vollmer won two medals a silver and a bronze. In the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer set an American record in the semifinal with a time of 1:55.29. In the final of the 200-meter freestyle, Vollmer placed third, and her American record was broken by Allison Schmitt. In the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, Vollmer swam the leadoff leg in 1:55.29. The American team finished in second place behind China with a time of 7:42.56.

At the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, Vollmer won a total of three medals, two gold medals and one silver. In her first event, the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, Vollmer won a silver medal with Natalie Coughlin, Jessica Hardy, and Missy Franklin. After setting the national record in the semifinals of the 100-meter butterfly (56.47), Vollmer won the gold medal in the final with a time of 56.87. In the 4×100-meter medley relay, Vollmer the gold medal along with Natalie Coughlin, Rebecca Soni, and Missy Franklin with a time of 3:52.36, better than three seconds ahead of second place finisher China (PRC). Swimming the butterfly leg, Vollmer had a split of 55.74.

The final time of 3:52.36 for the medley relay was the second-fastest mark of all time, just behind the Chinese-held world record of 3:52.19.

2012 Summer Olympic Games 
See also: Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics
At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the U.S. qualifying meet for the Olympics, Vollmer qualified for the U.S. Olympic team for the second time (the first being in 2004) by finishing first in the 100-meter butterfly and third in the 200-meter freestyle. In the final race of the 100-meter butterfly, Vollmer won in a time of 56.50 seconds, better than one second ahead of second-place Claire Donahue. In the semifinal, Vollmer had broken her own American record of 56.47 with her time of 56.42. Vollmer also competed in the 100-meter freestyle, but just missed a spot on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay by finishing seventh (54.61).

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she again broke her American record and set an Olympic record with a time of 56.25 seconds in her 100-meter butterfly qualifying heat. In the 100-meter butterfly final, she won the gold medal and set a new world record with her time of 55.98. Vollmer also competed 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She swam the second leg with a time of 1:56.02, as the U.S. team won gold with a time of 7:42.94. In her final event, the 4×100-meter medley relay, Vollmer won another gold with Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt. Swimming the butterfly leg, Vollmer recorded a split time of 55.48, as the U.S. team set a new world record with a time of 3:52.05, bettering the previous record of 3:52.19 set by China in 2009.

Personal best times