Kaitlin Shea Sandeno (born March 13, 1983 in Mission
Viejo, California) is an American swimmer, and was
part of the team that set the world record in the
4x200 m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
At a younger age, Sandeno swam for the Nellie Gail
Gators in Orange County, California, coached by Vic
and Renee Riggs. She swam as one of the top
competitors in freestyle events, and helped the
Gator team.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia,
Sandeno won the bronze medal in the 800 m freestyle
event, along with 4th place in the 400 m individual
medley (IM) and 6th place in the 200 m butterfly. In
2003, while enrolled at the University of Southern
California, she won the US national championship in
the 200m butterfly, 200 m IM, and 400 m IM events.
The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece saw
Sandeno win three more Olympic medals: a silver
medal in the 400 m IM, a bronze medal in the 400 m
freestyle, and a gold medal in the 4x200 m freestyle
relay. The American team of Natalie Coughlin, Carly
Piper, Dana Vollmer, and Sandeno also broke the
seventeen-year-old world record (previously held by
East Germany)by more than two seconds with their
victory in the 4x200 m freestyle relay.
She currently trains at the University of Michigan
under Bob Bowman.
On FOX Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period,
Sandeno revealed that she has a tattoo of the
Olympic rings on her backside.
