Scott Goldblatt

(1976 - )

Scott Goldblatt was born on July 12, 1979, in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He attended the University of Texas-Austin, and has become one of the United States' best freestylers in the past few years. At the 1997 World University Games, he placed second in the 200-meter freestyle. In 1998, he was the Big-12 Conference Champion in the 500-yard freestyle (4:20.65), and was a member of the Big-12 champion 800-yard freestyle relay team (6:30.88). At the NCAA Championships, the relay team won the championship with a time of 6:23.78 and Texas finished in third place overall. In 1999, Scott repeated as Big-12 500-yard freestyle champion (4:20.42); he finished in eighth place in the event at the NCAA Championships with a time of 4:20.22.

In 2000, Goldblatt recorded his most successful season. At the NCAA Championships, finishing in fifth place in the 200-meter freestyle (1:46.84), and in fourth place in the 400-meter freestyle (3:44.44). He was also a member of the winning 800-meter freestyle relay team (7:05.05), as Texas won the NCAA Championship. At the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, Scott placed second in the 200-meter freestyle (1:48.23) to qualify for the Sydney Games. It was the first time he had ever finished better than fifth in the 200-meter at a major national meet.

A member of the United States swimming team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Goldblatt competed in two events. He won a silver medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay (7:12.64), and finished ninth in the 200-meter individual freestyle (1:48.83).

In 2001, Scott was successful both for his Texas team and as an individual. He helped lead the Longhorns to their second straight NCAA Championship, competing in four events during the Championships. Goldblatt finished 4th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:16.41), sixth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:55.42), and 24th in the 1,650-yard free (15:23.11); he also swam the lead leg of Texas' first-place 800-yard relay team.

In March 2001, Goldblatt earned a spot on the U.S. National team by finishing second in the 200-meter freestyle at the U.S. Championships. At the World Championships, Scott qualified for the finals of the 200-meter freestyle and finished in eighth place with a time of 1:49.54. He also helped lead the U.S. team to a bronze medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.

In 2002, Goldblatt finished in fifth place in the 200-meter freestyle at the U.S. Championships. Earlier in the year, he won his first national title in the 400-meter freestyle at the Spring Nationals. Scott ended the year ranked No. 5 in the U.S. in the 200-meter freestyle (1:49.07) and No. 7 in the 400-meter free (3:52.59).

At the 2003 World Championships, Scott was a member of the U.S. 4x200-meter freestyle relay team that captured the silver medal. He swam in the semifinals, but not in the final.

At the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials, Goldblatt qualified for his second Olympic games by finishing sixth in 200-meter freestyle. Scott swam the opening leg in the heats for the U.S Olympic 4x200-meter freestyle relay team at the 2004 Athens Games. He finished his leg with a 1:49.53 time, as the U.S.won the heat, clocking in at 7:12.80. He did not compete in the final, in which the U.S. won gold (7:07.33).

Sources: Jews In Sports