Haley Cope

Haley Cope

Personal information
Full name	Haley Cope
National team	United States
Born	April 11, 1979 Chico, California
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	139 lb (63 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke
College team	University of California, Berkeley
Medal record Women's swimming Competitor for the United States Olympic Games 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley World Championships (LC) 2001 Fukuoka 50 m backstroke 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley World Championships (SC) 2002 Moscow 100 m backstroke 2004 Indianapolis 50 m backstroke 2004 Indianapolis 100 m backstroke 2002 Moscow 50 m backstroke 2002 Moscow 4×100 m medley 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley Goodwill Games 2001 Brisbane 50 m backstroke 2001 Brisbane 4×100 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships 2002 Yokohama 100 m backstroke

Haley Cope (born April 11, 1979), also known by her married name Haley Clark, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. She won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, eight world championship medals, and held a world record in the 50-meter backstroke.

College career

Cope attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she swam for coach Teri McKeever's California Golden Bears swimming and diving team from 1998 to 2001.^[1] In 2000, she was named the Pacific-10 Conference swimmer of the year, and helped lead California to a fourth-place finish nationally. At the 2000 NCAA national championships in Indianapolis, she swam the 50-meter backstroke in 27.25 seconds, breaking Sandra Völker's short-course world record. She graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in mass communications. In 2001, she won a gold medal in the 50-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championship, and two medals at the final Goodwill Games. Her 50-meter backstroke performance at the Goodwill Games was a record time for the competition.

Olympics, World and Short Course World Championships

After graduating from Berkeley, Cope continued her swimming career, winning her second short course worlds title at the 2002 Short Course World Swimming Championships held in Moscow. She won gold medal in the 100 backstroke,^[2] and two silver medals in the 50 backstroke,^[3] and the 4×100-meter medley relay,^[4] in which she swam the backstroke leg. In 2003, she swam at her second long course World Championships in Barcelona, where she won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay.<ref name=USA/.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece, Cope swam the backstroke in the preliminary heat of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay. In the finals, the American team took second place, and Cope was awarded a silver medal.^[5]

Cope's last major international competition was in October 2004, at the 2004 Short Course World Swimming Championships in Indianapolis. In Indianapolis, she repeated as champion in the 100-meter backstroke,^[6] as well as winning the 50 backstroke.^[7] As part of the American team, she won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay.^[8]

Personal life

Cope married her former coach, Brian Clark, in 2002, and has four children.^[9] She is currently operating a swimming school in Chico called Water Sprites Swim School.^[9] She posed nude for the September 2004 issue of Playboy magazine.^[10]

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 50 metres backstroke

References

1. "Friends of Cal Aquatics- Where Are They Now?". Retrieved December 27, 2009.
2. "2002 Short Course Results; 100m backstroke" (PDF). Retrieved December 25, 2009.
3. "2002 Short Course Results; 50m backstroke" (PDF). Retrieved December 25, 2009.
4. "2002 Short Course Results; 4x100 Medley" (PDF). Retrieved December 25, 2009.
5. "Official Report of the 2004 Olympics" (PDF). Retrieved December 27, 2009.
6. "2004 Short Course Results; 100m backstroke". Retrieved December 25, 2009.
7. "2004 Short Course Results; 50 m backstroke". Retrieved December 25, 2009.
8. "2004 Short Course Results; 4x100 Medley". Retrieved December 25, 2009.
9. Nugent, Mary (December 24, 2009). "Former Olympian is a happy swim teacher; in InnerView, Haley Clark talks about latest pursuit in the water". Chico, CA: The Enterprise Record. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
10. Drape, Joe (August 12, 2004). "Lots of Skin but Not Much Fuss As Olympians Strike Pinup Pose". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2010.