Full name Dean Kondziolka Name Dean Kondziolka Sport Swimming | National team Canada Nickname(s) "Kondo" Strokes Freestyle swimming | |
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Born April 14, 1972 (age 52) ( 1972-04-14 ) Mississauga, Ontario College team University of Lethbridge Education University of California, Berkeley | ||
Dean Kondziolka (born April 14, 1972) is a Canadian swimmer.
He is a 7 Time National Champion and Canadian record holder in the 50 meter sprint and 100 meter freestyle, and is the first Canadian born swimmer to break 23 seconds in the 50 meter freestyle event.
Kondziolka began his swimming career at the Lakeshore Swim Club at the age of 9, shortly thereafter moving to the Mississauga Aquatic Club at age 11. Kondziolka first broke on the national scene in 1986 at the age of 14, making national time standards in the sprint events, 50 and 100 meter freestyle. He was the youngest competitor (by two years) at the 1986 Canadian National Championships in Edmonton. He went on to compete in the Netherlands and Germany as a member of the Junior National Teams in 1987 and 1988.
His first National Championship was attained in 1990 at the age of 17 (Summer nationals in Etobicoke Ontario) and highest rankings in the world were 1st (LC season, 1993 documented at the Sprint eliminator meet in Nantes, France) and 4th in the 50m freestyle (Speedo World Rankings) respectively. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 1990 to 1996, winning numerous individual and relay medals at national and international competitions, and was the only swimmer to medal at both the World University Games and 1993 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in 1993.
Notable international and national swimming competitions include:
In the years 1991 and 1992 Kondziolka attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a full scholarship where he trained with Matt Biondi.
He also attended and swam at The University of Lethbridge during the years 1993-1995 under tutelage of longtime coach Bill Barton.
He was chosen as the City of Mississauga athlete of the year in 1991 and subsequently elected to the celebrity book stacks at the Mississauga Library system, and chosen swimmer of the year in 1993-94 by Canadian Interuniversity Sport. University of Lethbridge Athlete of the Year 1994-1995
Currently resides in Corpus Christi, Texas as a swim coach for the Coastal Bend All-stars and a professional photographer.