Siobhan Cropper

Siobhan Trichelle Cropper (born April 13, 1978) is a 2-time Olympian and swimmer from Trinidad and Tobago, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events.[1] Cropper represented Trinidad and Tobago in two editions of the Olympic Games (1996 and 2000), and eventually captured the 100 m butterfly title at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She also holds three Trinidadian records in a sprint freestyle and butterfly double (both 50 and 100 m), two NCAA championship titles and fourteen All-American honors, while attending Stanford University.

Siobhan Cropper
Personal information
Full nameSiobhan Trichelle Cropper
National team Trinidad and Tobago
Born (1978-04-13) 13 April 1978
Saint James, Trinidad and
Tobago
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, butterfly
College teamStanford Cardinal (U.S.)
CoachRichard Quick (U.S.)
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Trinidad and Tobago
Central American and Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Maracaibo 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1993 Ponce 50 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Ponce 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Maracaibo 50 m freestyle

Career

Early years and education

Cropper was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, the daughter of Anthony and Vilma Cropper. Started her sporting career at age six, she produced numerous age group and meet records in all swimming strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly). In 1993, she attained silver medals in both 50 m freestyle (26.93) and 100 m freestyle (58.78) at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[2] As a teenager, Cropper attended St. Joseph's Convent in Port of Spain, where she swam and trained for Hayden Newallo.[3]

Cropper accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Stanford University in Stanford, California, where she swam for Richard Quick as a member of the Stanford Cardinal swimming and diving team from 1997 to 2001.[4][5] While swimming for the Cardinal, she held school records in the 50-yard freestyle (22.54), 100-yard freestyle (49.65), and 100-yard butterfly (54.46), and received a total of fourteen All-American honors in her entire college career.[4][6][7] At the 1998 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, during her freshman season, Cropper helped the Cardinals set meet records and capture two titles each in the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.80), and in the 400-yard medley relay (3:33.61).[8][9]

International career

Cropper made her first Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team, as an eighteen-year-old junior, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. There, she missed reaching the top 16 final in one of her individual events, finishing nineteenth in the 50 m freestyle (26.29), and twenty-sixth in the 100 m freestyle (57.30)[10][11] Cropper and her training partner leading up to the 1996 Olympic Games, Leah Martindale, were both coached by Anil Roberts for the 1996 Olympic Games.

At the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, Cropper made the final and established a Trinidad and Tobago national record of 25.68, placing eighth in the 50 m freestyle.[12] The following year, at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Cropper collected a total of two medals: a gold in the 100 m butterfly (1:03.01; a meet record), and a silver in the 50 m freestyle (26.40).[2][13]

Cropper competed in three individual events at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She qualifies for the Olympic Games with 26.54 (50 m freestyle), 58.44 (100 m freestyle), and 1:02.76 (100 m butterfly) at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[14][15][16] On the first day of the Games, Cropper placed fortieth in the 100 m butterfly. Swimming in heat three, she completed the event with a personal best of 1:02.34.[17][18] Four days later, in the 100 m freestyle, Cropper lowered her lifetime record to 57.91 from heat two, finishing slightly behind leader Leah Martindale of Barbados, a finalist in Atlanta four years earlier.[19][20] In her third event, 50 m freestyle, Cropper posted a time of 26.36 from heat six for a thirty-second overall seed, but missed the semifinals by just half a second (0.50).[21][22]

Life after swimming

In the spring of 2001, Cropper graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, ending her swimming career with two Olympic editions and a top eight finish at the World Swimming Championships.[2] In 2004, Cropper was inducted into the Trinidad and Tobago's Sports Hall of Fame. She then added to her achievements an Ivy League MBA degree (Master of Business Administration) from the prestigious Columbia University in New York City in 2007, and eventually worked as a financial consultant with the World Bank in Washington, D.C.[3][23]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Siobhan Cropper". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  2. "Trinidad and Tobago Sports Hall of Fame: Siobhan Cropper". Trinidad and Tobago Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  3. "Cropper gets her Masters". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  4. "Stanford Is Rich In Olympic Heritage" (PDF). Stanford Cardinal. Stanford University. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  5. "Stanford Announces Skip Kenney's Retirement After Trials". Swimming World Magazine. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  6. "A Cardinal History of NCAA and Olympic Champions" (PDF). Stanford Cardinal. Stanford University. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  7. "Women's Swimming and Diving Wins Eight National Titles". Stanford Cardinal. 21 March 1998. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  8. "Day 2: 1998 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships". Swimming World Magazine. 21 March 1998. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  9. Dryden, Nikki (19–21 March 1998). "Women's NCAA Championships: Stanford Sparked By Fox And Hyman's Record Swims". Swim News. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  10. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 7" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  11. "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 2" (PDF). Atlanta 1996. LA84 Foundation. p. 37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  12. "Caribbean swimmers make history". Kingston Gleaner. 19 April 1997. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  13. "TT Hockey girls swamp Bermuda 6-0". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  14. "Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 6)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  15. "Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 2)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  16. "Swimming – Women's 100m Butterfly Startlist (Heat 3)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  17. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 100m Butterfly Heat 3" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 224. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  18. Newberry, Paul (16 September 2000). "Thompson anchors U.S. relay win; Thorpe wins 400 free". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  19. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 2" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 174. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  20. "Results from the Summer Olympics – Swimming (Women's 100m Freestyle)". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  21. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 165. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  22. "Results from the Summer Olympics – Swimming (Women's 50m Freestyle)". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  23. "Olympian turns World Bank consultant". Trinidad and Tobago Guardian. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
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