He towers over the competition at 6’8� tall and boasts a massive 6’11� wingspan. If that doesn’t impress you, just watch him race.

At the most recent  2009 World Championships held in Rome, Italy, Matt Grevers helped aid the men’s 400-meter freestyle relay to capture the coveted gold medal. Splitting 47.61 going third for the U.S., he caught and passed the French relay and left the anchor in perfect position to secure the win. The relay broke the championship record by over two full seconds. Grevers also placed in the top eight of the men’s 100m backstroke.

Grevers joined the nation’s greats the summer prior as a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team. In Beijing, he broke Aaron Piersol’s Olympic Record set in 2004 during the preliminary round of the 100-meter backstroke, and went on to capture his first Olympic individual medal in the finals, earning silver with a time of 53.11. He added two gold medals to his neck as a member of both the 400-meter medley relay and 400-meter freestyle relay, the later of which in world record time with Matt as the anchor.

USA Swimming nominated Grevers for the 2008 Golden Goggles Breakout Performance of the Year Award after his standout showing at the games, and he closed the year as the fifth fastest swimmer in the world in the 100-meter backstroke.

Although new to the Olympic scene, 24-year-old Grevers has been immersed in the swimming world his entire life. With a former swimmer and water polo player as parents, there was little chance that he would not find his way to water. His mother was the head coach of his swim club and he spent his free time swimming in the family’s indoor pool in the suburban Chicago area. Currently the only Grevers still competing, his mother, brother, and sister continue to coach on the club and college level.

It was the supportive environment his family provided and his true compassion for swimming that allowed him to develop into a stand-out collegiate swimmer and a presence on the international level.

A 2007 graduate of Northwestern University, Grevers is a four-time NCAA Champion, taking his first title in the 100-yard backstroke in 2005. He repeated in the event during his junior campaign, and finished his collegiate career with victories in the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard medley relay in 2007. During his time at Northwestern, Grevers earned 27 All-American honors.

Following his success during his undergraduate career, Grevers became a member of the United States’ 2007 World University Games team, where he contributed to the squad’s victory in the 400-meter freestyle relay and a silver-medal performance in the 400-meter medley relay. In the winter of 2008, Grevers was the fastest swimmer during the  ConocoPhillips Short Course National Championship, winning the 50y freestyle in a blazing 18.95.

Whether in the water or on land, Grevers continues to be a presence. A strong advocate of bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago in 2016, he embodies what it is to be an ambassador of the sport. Traveling to make guest appearances and signings, he very rarely appears without an Olympic gold medal for his fans to try on. He is one of the many elite swimmers to join Mutual of Omaha’s “Gold Medal Team,� where he further promotes and enhances the visibility of swimming to younger generations across the country.