| Haley Cope | |
| Full Name: | Haley Cope |
| Strokes: | Backstroke |
| Collegeteam: | University of California, Berkeley |
| Birth Date: | April 11, 1979 |
| Birth Place: | Chico, California |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in |
| Weight: | 139 lb |
| Children: | 4--> |
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.
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.
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.
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]
Cope married her former coach, Brian Clark, in 2002, and has four children. 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]