Aaron Wells Peirsol (born July 23, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who swam for the University of Texas and is a former world champion and world record-holder. He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist with five gold, and two silver medals. Individually, he has held the world record in the 100-meter backstroke event and is the current record holder in the 200-meter backstroke (long course). In his long career, Peirsol captured a total of thirty-six medals in major international competition: twenty-nine gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, Pan American, and the Pan Pacific Championships.
Peirsol was born July 23, 1983 in Newport Beach, a suburb of Irvine, California, the son of Scott and Wella Peirsol. His younger sister, Hayley, was also a competitive swimmer. In 2003, Peirsol and his sister became the first sibling duo to medal at the same FINA World Championships. He attended Irvine's Venado Middle School, and was a 2002 graduate of Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, California. He began swim training at the age of five, eventually competing at the nearby Newport-Costa Mesa YMCA where he came under the direction of Coach Stacy Zapolski. Zapolski was a four-year competitor for Pepperdine University's women's swim team where she specialized in backstroke, and from 1991-1992 coached Peirsol, likely improving his backstroke technique. By eight, he participated in a competitive summer swim league that included water polo with Coach Ted Bandaruk in Corona del Mar. Bandaruk, who was a Professor at Orange Coast College, where Dave Salo would coach, was aquatics director and coached a large age-group swim team currently known as the Harbor View Swim Team Dolphins at the Harbor View Community Association, from 1978-2014.
By 12, Peirsol's most intensive training was with the Irvine Novaquatics under Hall of Fame Coach Dave Salo, with more frequent training from youth and age group Coach Brian Pajer. Through July, 1996, Peirsol held an age group record for ten and under boys in the 100-meter backstroke of 1:12.13. Swimming at 12 for the Novaquatics at Golden West College on July 14, 1996, Peirsol set the national age group record for Boys 11-12 in the 100-meter backstroke with a time 1:03.6. At 14, on August 6, 1997, Peirsol broke the national age-group record for the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:05.42 at the Juniors West Championship at Clovis West High School. Not having yet reached his full potential at 14, Peirsol placed sixth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.32 at the U.S. Junior West National Championships on August 8, 1997 at Clovis West High.
Peirsol swam for the University of Texas at Austin in the Big 12 Conference under Hall of Fame Coach Eddie Reese and Associate Coach Kris Kubik. Swimming for Texas, he was the NCAA 2003 and 2004 backstroke champion, and was the 2003 NCAA Swimmer of the Year. He graduated Texas in 2006, majoring in Political Science.
After finishing his second year of collegiate eligibility, Peirsol signed with Nike, Inc., thus turning professional.
Peirsol is involved in a number of charities, and has served as an ambassador for the Global Water Foundation and the Surfrider Foundation. He has also served as a spokesman for Oceana, an organization that addresses international ocean conservation. He is also a spokesman for Oceana, which is the largest international ocean conservation and advocacy organization.
Peirsol qualified for his first Olympics at the age of seventeen after finishing second to Lenny Krayzelburg in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. At the finals of the Sydney Olympics, Peirsol won a silver medal in the 200 meter backstroke finals with a time of 1:57.35, taking a close second to Lenny Krazelburg's 1:56.76 who took the gold medal. Peirsol also competed in the 100-meter backstroke, but did not qualify for the event finals.
At the finals of the Sydney Olympics, Peirsol finished second in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:57.35 finishing second to rival Lenny Krayzelburg who took the gold with a 1:56.76.
At the 2001 National Championships, with Krayzelburg not competing, Peirsol qualified for the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in the 100-meter backstroke, the 200-meter backstroke, and the 4×100-meter medley relay. Peirsol's time in the 200-meter backstroke was the second-fastest ever, with only Krayzelburg's world record faster. At the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, Peirsol won gold in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:57.13, a championship record.
Peirsol started off 2002 with the first world record of his career in the 200-meter backstroke, bettering Krayzelburg's mark set in 1999. In his first major competition of 2002, Peirsol won five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze) at the 2002 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Moscow. In Moscow, he was a part of the American team that broke the world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay and he broke the 200-meter backstroke world record. At the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Japan, Peirsol won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. Combined with Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps, and Jason Lezak, Peirsol set the world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay to break the previous record set in 2000.
At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Peirsol won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also won a silver medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. In his first event, the 100-meter backstroke, Peirsol won gold in a time of 53.61, a championship record. His time was just 0.01 s off Lenny Krayzelburg's world record. Peirsol participated in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Nate Dusing, and Klete Keller to win silver behind Australia. Peirsol then competed in the 200-meter backstroke and won gold in a time of 1:55.92, almost two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Gordan Kožulj of Croatia.
Peirsol competed in the 50-meter backstroke and the 4×100-meter medley relay. In the 50-meter backstroke, Peirsol finished out of medal contention with an 8th-place finish. In his last event, Peirsol competed in the 4×100-meter medley relay with Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, and Jason Lezak. The final time of 3:31.54 was a new world record, bettering the old mark from 2002.
At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Peirsol won individual titles in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke. Four years after finishing in 4th place at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Peirsol won the 100-meter backstroke title, beating Lenny Krayzelburg. Peirsol was the only individual in the field to break 54 seconds and was just off Krayzelburg's world record.
In the 200-meter backstroke, Peirsol won in a world record time of 1:54.74, bettering his previous record of 1:55.15 set in 2002. He beat his closest competitor, Michael Phelps, by more than a second.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Peirsol won gold in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke, sweeping the backstroke events, and also took gold in the Men's 4×100-meter medley relay.
In his first event, the 100-meter backstroke, Peirsol won gold in a time of 54.06, 0.29 s ahead of second-place finisher Markus Rogan of Austria. In his second event, the 200-meter backstroke, Peirsol won gold in an Olympic record time of 1:54.95 and completed a clean sweep of the backstroke events. Rogan again finished second to Peirsol, 2.40 s back. An initial disqualification alleged that Peirsol had made an illegal turn during the 200-meter backstroke race. Having been improperly entered, the disqualification was eventually overturned. In his last event, the 4×100-meter medley relay, Peirsol combined with Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, and Jason Lezak to win gold in a world record time of 3:30.68, 2.94 s ahead of second-place finisher Germany. While leading off the relay, Peirsol broke the world record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 53.45, bettering Krayzelburg's time of 53.60 set in 1999.