| Kathleen Baker | |
| Nicknames: | Thleen, ThleenBean, Little Bean[1] |
| National Team: | United States |
| Strokes: | Backstroke, Freestyle |
| Club: | SwimMAC Carolina |
| Collegeteam: | University of California, Berkeley |
| Birth Date: | February 28, 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight: | 149 lb |
Kathleen Baker (born February 28, 1997) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in freestyle and backstroke events. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay and a silver medal in the individual 100-meter backstroke. She is the former world-record holder in 100 meter backstroke, set on July 28, 2018, in 58.00 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, CA. Baker is also the former world-record holder in the 4x100 meter medley relay with Lilly King, Dana Vollmer, and Simone Manuel.
Baker attended Forsyth Country Day School until the tenth grade and then was home-schooled, so it would be easy to travel back and forth between Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina to swim and train with SwimMAC Carolina. Her mother swam for the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, and her older sister, Rachel, currently swims for Washington and Lee University.[2] [3]
In 2010, Baker was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.[4]
Baker attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she competed for the California Golden Bears swimming and diving team for three years from 2015 to 2018.[5]
At the 2014 Phillips 66 Nationals, the qualification meet for the 2014 Pan Pacifics, Baker finished second in the 200-meter backstroke and qualified for the team. She finished ninth in the 200-meter backstroke at Pan Pacifics, just outside the final.
Baker was also selected to the 2015 World Championships roster in the 100-meter backstroke. She placed eighth in the final of the 100-meter backstroke. She also swam in the prelims for the 4x100-meter medley relay, but did not receive a medal as the final squad finished fourth.[6]
See also: Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
At the 2016 Olympic Trials, Baker qualified for her first Olympics in the 100-meter backstroke by finishing second with a time of 59.29.
In Rio, she won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 58.75, three tenths behind the winner Katinka Hosszú. She was not considered by many to be a medal threat since she had never broken 59 seconds prior to the Olympics.[7] Baker also won a gold medal alongside Lilly King, Dana Vollmer, and Simone Manuel as the lead off of the 4x100-meter medley relay.
At the 2017 World Championships, Baker won three medals. She won silver in the 100-meter backstroke,[8] bronze in the 200-meter backstroke,[9] and gold in the 4x100-meter medley relay.[10] Though she did not medal in the 50-meter backstroke, Baker broke Natalie Coughlin's American record in the event in the semifinals with a time of 27.48.[11] Baker led off the women's 4x100-meter medley relay, with the team winning with a time of 3:51.55. The team of Baker, Lilly King, Kelsi Worrell, and Simone Manuel broke the 2012 world record of 3:52.05 set by Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, and Allison Schmitt.[12] [13]
In July 2021, Baker announced her engagement to her long-time boyfriend and United States Marine, Sean Dowling.[14] [15]