Josh Davis (swimmer)

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Josh Davis

| image = Josh Davis (swimmer) c. 2005.jpg

| image_size = 200

| alt =

| caption = Davis signing autographs, c. 2005

| fullname = Joshua Clark Davis

| national_team = United States

| strokes = Freestyle

| club =

| collegeteam = University of Texas

| coach = Eddie Reese, Kris Kubik
(U. of Texas)

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|9|1|mf=y}}

| birth_place = San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|185|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry |{{USA}}}}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

Joshua Clark Davis (born September 1, 1972) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. Davis represented the United States at two consecutive Summer Olympics.

College and international career

He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he swam for coach Eddie Reese and Associate Coach Kris Kubik's Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition.{{cite web|url=https://texassports.com/news/2016/7/18/mens-swimming-and-diving-kris-kubik-announces-retirement-after-34-seasons-at-texas.aspx|title=Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Kris Kubik|publisher=Texas Sports Hall of Fame|access-date=}}

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, he won gold medals by swimming for the winning U.S. teams in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He earned a third gold medal by swimming for the first-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also competed in the 200-meter freestyle, and finished seventh in the event final with a time of 1:48.54.

Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he served as the captain of the U.S. swimming team. At the 2000 Olympics, he won silver medals swimming for the second-place U.S. teams in the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and the final of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. He again competed in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing in fourth place in the final with a time of 1:46.73.

He also swam for the U.S. national team at:

World Championships: 1994, 1998
Pan American Games: 1995
Pan Pacific Championships: 1993, 1997, 1999
World University Games: 1995
Short Course Worlds: 2000

Life outside competitive swimming

Completed in 2001, the Josh Davis Natatorium, one of the two natatoriums part of North East ISD's Virgil T. Blossom Athletic Center (the district where Davis attended school) in San Antonio was named in his honor.[http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/2505.asp?q=Josh+Davis+Natatorium+To+Be+Dedicated Josh Davis Natatorium to be Dedicated] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829144444/http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/2505.asp?q=Josh+Davis+Natatorium+To+Be+Dedicated|date=August 29, 2012}} Lane 9 News, May 10, 2001 Swimming World

In February 2009 four of Davis' Olympic medals—three gold medals and one silver medal—were stolen from his car after he returned from a swim clinic in St. Louis.{{Cite magazine |date=February 11, 2009 |title=U.S. Olympic swimmer Davis reports four stolen medals |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/02/11/olympic.medals.missing.ap/index.html |magazine=Sports Illustrated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214140151/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/02/11/olympic.medals.missing.ap/index.html |archive-date=2009-02-14}} On February 13, 2009, cleanup crews found the medals outside one of the Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Clubs in San Antonio. The medals were returned to Davis at a news conference later that night.[https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-missingswimmedals&prov=ap&type=lgns US Swimmer Josh Davis Olympic Medals Found and Returned] sports.yahoo.com, February 13, 2009

On June 1, 2016, Davis was named as the first coach of Oklahoma Christian University's swimming programs, charged with building men's and women's teams for competition that will begin with the 2017-18 season. It is Davis' first collegiate coaching job.{{Cite web |title=Josh Davis - Head Coach - Staff Directory |url=http://www.oceagles.com/staff.aspx?staff=62 |website=Oklahoma Christian Eagles}}{{cite web |url=http://www.oc.edu/stories/content/oc-adds-swimming-olympic-champ-to-coach-teams |title=OC adds swimming; Olympic champ to coach teams {{!}} Vision {{!}} Oklahoma Christian University |website=www.oc.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921000426/http://www.oc.edu/stories/content/oc-adds-swimming-olympic-champ-to-coach-teams |archive-date=2016-09-21}} Oklahoma Christian University is currently the only college in Oklahoma offering intercollegiate swimming.{{Cite web|url=http://www.talon.news/sports/new-swim-coach-brings-olympic-podium-to-campus/|title = New swim coach brings Olympic podium to campus|date = September 2016}}

Davis and his wife Shantel live in Edmond, Oklahoma, and have six children.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20080517070603/http://www.usoc.org/132_49362.htm US Olympic Committee]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080827174244/http://www.sanantoniosports.org/halloffame/inductees.html SanAntonioSports.com]
[http://www.joshdavis.com Josh Davis homepage]