Jana Kolukanova (born August 4, 1981) is a retired Estonian swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.[1] She is a two-time Olympian, multiple-times champion of Estonia and one of the top European sprinters of her generation.
Kolukanova made her Olympic debut as a 19-year-old at the 2000 Summer OlympicsinSydney where she competed in the women's 50 m freestyle. She reached the semifinals by winning the swim-off against European champion Mette Jacobsen of Denmark and Ana Belén Palomo of Spain. She set a new Estonian record in two consecutive swims, first in the prelims (25.96) and then in the three-person swim-off a few hours later. Followed by an evening session, Kolukanova finished her semifinal run with a time of 26.03, just seven hundredths of a second (0.07) outside her record.[2]
After her performances in Sydney, Kolukanova was heavily recruited by U.S. universities and decided to attend Auburn UniversityinAuburn, Alabama to swim for Auburn Tigers under head coach David Marsh. She studied psychology and graduated as a 19-time All-American, All-SEC selection, SEC Academic Honor Roll member as well as an Academic All-American. She also won 3 NCAA team championships while at Auburn.
At the 2005 FINA World ChampionshipsinMontreal, Quebec, Canada, Kolukanova placed 8th in the 50 m freestyle (25.56), and 14th in the 100 m freestyle (55.81, a new Estonian record).[7][8] Earlier in the semifinals, she posted a time of 25.26 to reach the final in the 50 m freestyle, adding another Estonian record to her long list of accomplishments.[9]
Estonia
