Lara Heinz

{{short description|Luxembourgish swimmer (born 1981)}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Lara Heinz

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = Lara Heinz

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{LUX}}

| strokes = Freestyle

| club = SSF Bonn 1905

| coach =

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|5|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

| death_date =

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| height = {{convert|1.74|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|66|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates=

| show-medals = yes

| updated =

}}

Lara Heinz (born 27 May 1981 in Luxembourg City) is a retired Luxembourgish swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events.{{cite sports-reference|title = Lara Heinz|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/lara-heinz-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417102830/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/lara-heinz-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 17 April 2020|access-date = 9 November 2012}} She is a two-time national record holder for both the long and short course freestyle (50 and 100 m).

Heinz made her Olympic debut, as a 19-year-old, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, competing in both 50 and 100-metre freestyle. First, Heinz touched out Thailand's Pilin Tachakittiranan to take the fourth spot in heat three of the women's 100 m freestyle by 0.14 of a second in 58.55.{{cite web |title=Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 3 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/Masters/sw/SWresults.pdf |format=PDF |work=Sydney 2000 |publisher=LA84 Foundation |page=175 |accessdate=3 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819181023/http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/Masters/sw/SWresults.pdf |archivedate=19 August 2011}} In her second event, 50 m freestyle, Heinz snared the fifth spot by two hundredths of a second ahead of Fiji's Caroline Pickering in 26.55, but fell short to advance to the semifinals, placing thirty-fourth overall on the morning prelims.{{cite web |title=Sydney 2000: Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 5 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/Masters/sw/SWresults.pdf |format=PDF |work=Sydney 2000 |publisher=LA84 Foundation |page=165 |accessdate=3 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819181023/http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/Masters/sw/SWresults.pdf |archivedate=19 August 2011}} Heinz also served as Luxembourg's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

Four years later, Heinz qualified for her second Luxembourgian team, as a 23-year-old, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She attained B-standard entry times of 26.41 (50 m freestyle) and 57.14 (100 m freestyle) from the European Long Course Meet in Luxembourg.{{cite web |title=Swimming – Women's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 6) |url=http://www.omegatiming.com/File/Download?id=000104060049000000FFFFFFFFFFFF00 |format=PDF |work=Athens 2004 |publisher=Omega Timing |accessdate=1 April 2013}}{{cite web |title=Swimming – Women's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 3) |url=http://www.omegatiming.com/File/Download?id=000104060031000000FFFFFFFFFFFF00 |format=PDF |work=Athens 2004 |publisher=Omega Timing |accessdate=1 April 2013}}{{cite news |title=Curl-Burke's Liscinsky Scores at Euro Meet in Luxembourg |url=http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/6627.asp |publisher=Swimming World Magazine |date=25 January 2004 |accessdate=1 April 2013}} In the 100 m freestyle, Heinz edged out Hungary's Ágnes Mutina to take the fifth spot in heat three and thirty-sixth overall by 0.70 of a second, with a time of 57.40.{{cite web |title=Women's 100m Freestyle Heat 3 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/results/3535070.stm |work=Athens 2004 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=18 August 2004 |accessdate=31 January 2013}} In the 50 m freestyle, Heinz touched out Iceland's Ragnheiður Ragnarsdóttir to a fifth-heat triumph by a single hundredth margin (0.01), breaking a Luxembourgian record of 26.35 seconds. Her storming victory was not insufficiently enough to put her through the semifinals, as Heinz placed thirtieth out of 75 swimmers in the morning preliminaries.{{cite web |title=Women's 50m Freestyle Heat 5 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/results/3535060.stm |work=Athens 2004 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 August 2004 |accessdate=31 January 2013}}