Eileen Coparropa

Eileen Mary Coparropa Alemán (born March 31, 1981 in Panama City) is a freestyle swimmer from Panama, who won a silver and a bronze medal in the women's 50m freestyle event at the Pan American Games. Nicknamed "La Sirena de Oro" she represented her native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996.

Eileen Coparropa
Eileen Coparropa
Personal information
Full nameEileen Marie Coparropa Alemán
Nationality Panama
Born (1981-03-31) March 31, 1981
Panama
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Panama
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1999 Winnipeg 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Santo Domingo 50 m freestyle
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Maracaibo 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Maracaibo 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 San Salvador 50 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 San Salvador 100 m freestyle

The Pan-American Games

In 1999, when she was 17 years old, Eileen participated in the 13th Pan-American Games celebrated in Winnipeg, Canada in the 50 meter free style where she achieved a historic silver medal. It was the first silver medal in the history of the Panamanian swimming team in these games and she registered her best personal mark up until that moment: 25.78 seconds. The gold medal was won by the American Tammie Spats with a 25.50 second mark.

In 2003, the games were celebrated in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. Coparropa Alemán won the bronze medal in the 50 meter free style with a time of 25.62 seconds. She was beaten by American Kara Lynn Joyce who won gold with a time of 25.24 seconds.

Olympic Games

Athens 2004

Coparropa competed in the 50 meter freestyle and qualified for the semifinals with a time of 25.57 seconds. Coming in equal 13th place, she did not qualify for the finals, however her time of 25.37 seconds was a new Panamanian record. It was also the closest a Panamanian swimmer had ever come to winning an olympic medal, either men's or women's.

Personal life

Coparropa is the oldest of two daughters of Pedro Coparropa and Guadalupe Alemán de Coparropa and began her swimming career at the age of 6.

In 2004 she graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in marketing from Auburn University in Auburn,Alabama. She also received a degree in logistics from the same university.

At the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, she finished 5th in the 50-meter freestyle.[1]

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Coparropa finished 32nd in the 50-meter freestyle.[2]

At the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, she won a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.[3] She also finished 9th in the 100-meter freestyle.[4]

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Coparropa finished 27th in the 50-meter freestyle, and 32nd in the 100-meter freestyle.[2]

At the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, she won a bronze medal in the 50-meter freestyle. She also finished 5th in the 100-meter freestyle.[5][6][7]

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Coparropa finished 14th in the 50-meter freestyle, and 30th in the 100-meter freestyle.[2]

References
  1. "Results at 1995 Pan" (PDF). USA Swimming. 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  2. "Sports Reference Profile". Sports Reference. 2013. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  3. "Results at 1999 Pan" (PDF). USA Swimming. 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. 1999 Full results by Swimnews
  5. "Results of the 2003 Pan Am Games" (PDF). USA Swimming. 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  6. "Results at 2003 Pan" (PDF). SwimNews. 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  7. ISHOF list with all medalists in Pan Am Games history Archived October 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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