Jana Kolukanova

Jana Kolukanova
Personal information
Full name Jana Kolukanova
National team  Estonia
Born (1981-08-04) 4 August 1981
Tallinn, Estonia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Club Kalevi Ujumiskool Tallinn
College team Auburn University (U.S.)
Coach Tiit-Urmas Reiter
David Marsh (U.S.)

Jana Kolukanova (born August 4, 1981) is an Estonian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events and ballet.[1] She is a two-time Olympian, a 19-time All-American champion, and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Kolukanova is a former member of the swimming team for Auburn Tigers under head coach David Marsh, and a psychology graduate at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.

Kolukanova made her official debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she competed in the women's 50 m freestyle. She reached the semifinals by winning the swimoff against Mette Jacobsen of Denmark and Ana Belén Palomo of Spain. She set a new Estonian record in two consecutive swims, first in the prelims (25.96) and then in the three-person swimoff a few hours later. Followed by an evening session, Kolukanova finished her semifinal run with a time of 26.03, just seven hundredths of a second (0.07) outside her record.[2]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Kolukanova qualified for the women's 100 m freestyle, by clearing a FINA standard entry time of 56.10 at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain.[3][4] She challenged seven other swimmers in heat four, including her college teammate Eileen Coparropa of Panama. She rounded out the field to last place by three tenths of a second (0.30) behind Israel's Anna Gostomelsky in 57.45. Kolukanova failed to advance into the semifinals, as she placed thirty-seventh overall in the prelims.[5][6]

At the FINA World Championships in Montreal, Canada, Kolukanova placed eighth in the 50 m freestyle (25.56), and fourteenth in the 100 m freestyle (55.81, a new Estonian record).[7][8] Earlier in the semifinals, she posted a time of 25.26 to earn a last coveted spot for the top 8 final in the 50 m freestyle, adding another Estonian record to her laundry list of accomplishments.[9]

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