Nicole Zahnd

Nicole Zahnd (born 22 September 1980) is a retired Swiss swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. She was born in Bern.[2] She is a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2004), and a top 8 finalist in the 200 m freestyle at the 2001 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.[3] Zahnd played for two swimming clubs in Geneva, before she trained under head coach Dirk Reinecke as part of the Swiss national team. Zahnd is also the wife of former medley swimmer and two-time Olympian Yves Platel (2000 and 2004).[4]

Nicole Zahnd
Personal information
Full nameNicole Zahnd
National team  Switzerland
Born (1980-09-22) 22 September 1980[1]
Bern, Switzerland
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubVevey Natation
Genève Natation 1885
CoachDirk Reinecke

Zahnd made her own swimming history, as a 16-year-old, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, finishing seventeenth as part of the Swiss relay team in the 4×100 m freestyle (3:53.30), and sixteenth in the 4×200 m freestyle (8:21.55).[5][6]

After an eight-year absence, Zahnd competed in all relays from the swimming program at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[7][8][9] On the first day of the Games, Zahnd teamed up with Dominique Diezi, Marjorie Sagne, and 16-year-old Seraina Prünte in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Swimming the anchor leg, Zahnd recorded a split of 56.50, the fastest in Swiss history, and her team finished the race in seventh place and fifteenth overall in a final time of 3:48.61.[10][11] Four days later, in the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Zahnd placed twelfth, along with Chantal Strasser, Hanna Miluska, and Flavia Rigamonti, in 8:10.41.[12][13] In her final event, 4×100 m medley relay, Zahnd swam the anchor freestyle leg, with Diezi (backstroke), Carmela Schlegel (breaststroke), and Carla Stampfli (butterfly), to pull off another fifteenth-place effort for the Swiss team in a time of 4:15.54. In the race, Zahnd lowered her personal best to 56.07 seconds.[14][15]

References
  1. "Nicole Platel-Zahnd". Mitgleider (in German). Swiss Olympians. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Nicole Zahnd". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  3. Lord, Craig (16 December 2001). "Four European Records Fall, Moravcova Steals the Show and Klochkova Upset on Final Day of Euro SC Champs". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  4. "Jahresbericht Zentralpräsident Frank Lutz" [Annual report from executive president Frank Lutz] (in German). Swiss Swimming Federation. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  5. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 4×100m Freestyle Relay Heat 2" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  6. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heat 1" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 52. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  7. "Swimming – Women's 4×100m Freestyle Relay Startlist (Heat 2)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  8. "Swimming – Women's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Startlist (Heat 2)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  9. "Swimming – Women's 4×100m Medley Relay Startlist (Heat 1)" (PDF). Athens 2004. Omega Timing. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  10. "Women's 4×100m Freestyle Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  11. Thomas, Stephen (14 August 2004). "Women's 400 Freestyle Relay Prelims: Aussie Women Qualify Fastest Ahead of Team USA; Germans and Dutch in the Mix". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  12. "Women's 4×200m Freestyle Relay Heat 2". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  13. Thomas, Stephen (18 August 2004). "Women's 800 Freestyle Relay, Day 5 Prelims: Team USA Posts the Fastest Time, Brits and Aussies Next". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 December 2005. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  14. "Women's 4×100m Medley Heat 1". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  15. Thomas, Stephen (20 August 2004). "Women's 400 Medley Relay, Prelims Day 7: Aussies Qualify Ahead of USA in Two-Way Battle for Gold". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
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