Claire Curzan (born June 30, 2004) is an American competitive swimmer and Olympian. Specialising in multiple events, she earned an Olympic silver medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay in the 2020 Summer Olympics by swimming the preliminary butterfly leg. She holds junior world records in the long course 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter butterfly and the short course 50 meter butterfly and 100 meter butterfly. She also holds American records in the short course 50 meter backstroke and 50 meter butterfly, and formerly held the American record in the 100 yard butterfly. She currently swims for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Curzan was raised in Cary, North Carolina, and started swimming aged three. As a 15-year-old, she qualified for her first major international meet, the 2019 World Junior Championships. There, she won medals in three individual events: silver in the 100 meter backstroke, and bronze in the 50 meter and 100 meter butterfly. At the 2021 World Short Course Championships, she won bronze medals in the 50 meter butterfly and 100 meter butterfly. In 2022, she won a bronze medal in the 100 meter backstroke at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and silver medals in the 50 meter backstroke and 200 meter backstroke as well as a bronze medal in the 100 meter backstroke at the 2022 World Short Course Championships. In 2024, she earned her first senior international individual gold medal, winning the 100 meter backstroke at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
Early life and education Curzan was raised in Cary, North Carolina and started swimming when she was three years old. She graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2022. She was also honored as the 2021–22 NCHSAA Female Athlete of the Year.NCHSAA Athletes of the Year. NCHSAA. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
In October 2021, she committed to competing collegiately for Stanford University, where she started competing for the school team in the fall of 2022.Lepesant, Anne (October 3, 2021). "#1 In 2022, Olympic Silver Medalist Claire Curzan Makes Her College Choice". SwimSwam. Retrieved October 12, 2021."2022-23 Women's Swimming & Diving Roster: Claire Curzan". Stanford Cardinal. Retrieved February 14, 2023. In August 2023, she announced she was transferring to the University of Virginia, whose swim and dive team had won 3 consecutive NCAA championships.
Swimming career 2019 2019 World Junior Championships
When she was 15 years of age, Curzan competed at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary, winning a total of four medals, of which three were in individual events.OlympicTalk (November 13, 2020). "Claire Curzan, 16, flies into the Olympic swimming picture". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 21, 2021. On August 21, she won her first medal of the Championships, a silver medal in the 100 meter backstroke with a time of 1:00.00.FINA (August 21, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019: Women's 100m Backstroke Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved November 21, 2021. She followed her silver medal up with a bronze medal on August 23 in the 50 meter butterfly, where she finished third in 25.81 seconds, just 0.11 seconds behind the gold medalist in the event and fellow American Torri Huske.FINA (August 23, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019: Women's 50m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved November 21, 2021. On the final day of competition, August 25, she finished third in the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 58.37, winning the bronze medal and missing out on the gold medal to Torri Huske.FINA (August 25, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019: Women's 100m Butterfly Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved November 21, 2021. She wrapped up her competition swimming backstroke on the 4×100 meter medley relay, splitting a time of 1:00.75 and helping the relay win the gold medal in a time of 3:59.13.FINA (August 25, 2019). "7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships 2019: Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
2020–2021 As a 16-year-old in August 2020, Curzan set a new National Age Group record in the 100 yard butterfly for the girls 15–16 age group with a time of 49.73 seconds. In November, at the 2020 U.S. Open Swimming Championships, she won the gold medal in the 100 meter butterfly with a Championships record of 56.61 seconds, the bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle with a 54.93, and placed fourth in the 50 meter freestyle with a 25.23 and the 100 meter backstroke with a 1:00.30.Hy-Tek (November 16, 2020). "2020 Toyota US Open Championships: Compiled Results" . USA Swimming. Retrieved March 1, 2023. At the 2021 TAC Titans Premier Meet, conducted in long course meters in April, she became the second-fastest female American performer ever in the 100 meter butterfly, with a time of 56.20 seconds that moved her up in rankings behind fastest female American Dana Vollmer and ahead of third-fastest female American Kelsi Dahlia.Lepesant, Anne (April 10, 2021). "Claire Curzan Goes 56.20 in the 100 Fly; Passes Dahlia for #2 American All-Time". SwimSwam. Retrieved November 21, 2021. The 56.20 was a girls 15–16 and 17–18 national age group record and a world junior record.Ross, Andy (April 12, 2021). "Amidst Craziness, Claire Curzan's 100 Fly NAG Record Was Also a World Junior Record". Swimming World. Retrieved March 8, 2023. The following month, at the 2021 TAC Spring Invitational, she set a new world junior record in the long course 50 meter freestyle with a time of 24.17 seconds.Dornan, Ben (May 14, 2021). "Claire Curzan Lowers World Junior Record In 50 Free - 24.17". SwimSwam. Retrieved March 7, 2023. Two days later at the invitational, she set a new girls 15–16 national age group record in the long course 100 meter freestyle with a personal best time of 53.55 seconds, breaking the former record of 53.63 seconds by Missy Franklin in 2011.Dornan, Ben (May 16, 2021). "Claire Curzan Downs Missy Franklin's 100 Freestyle NAG - 53.55". SwimSwam. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
2020 Olympic Trials In 2021, Curzan placed second in the final of the 100 meter butterfly at the US Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Nebraska with a time of 56.43 seconds, qualifying her for the 2020 US Olympic Team.Hunt, Loretta (July 23, 2021). "US butterfly prodigy Claire Curzan: 'Everyone gawked at this girl who liked to swim fast'". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2021. The 2020 Olympic Games were the first Olympic Games she qualified to compete at, making her just 16 years old when she qualified and 17 years old at her Olympic debut.Mazur, Joe (June 16, 2021). "'It doesn't feel real:' 16-year-old from Cary makes US Olympic team for summer games in Tokyo". ABC 11. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
2020 Summer Olympics
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Curzan placed tenth in the 100 meter butterfly and won a silver medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay for her contribution swimming the butterfly leg of the relay in the prelims.Omega Timing; Atos (August 1, 2021). "Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Swimming Results Book" . International Olympic Committee. Retrieved October 12, 2021. The silver medal she won for her efforts as part of the prelims relay consisting of herself, Rhyan White (backstroke), Lilly King (breaststroke), and Erika Brown (freestyle) was her first Olympic medal of any kind.Pelletier, Justin (August 2, 2021). "Cary's Claire Curzan had one last shot at an Olympic medal. Here's how she did". The News & Observer. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
2021 World Short Course Championships
Curzan was announced to the United States team for the 2021 World Short Course Championships in late October, with the announcement of the team earning the number two spot for "The Week That Was" honor from Swimming World."2021 FINA Short Course World Championships Roster" . USA Swimming. October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.Rieder, David (November 1, 2021). "The Week That Was: Chalmers Takes Down 13-Year-Old World Record". Swimming World. Retrieved November 20, 2021. Building up her short course racing prowess in advance of the 2021 World Championships, she broke the national high school records, both overall and independent records for each event, in the 100 meter butterfly with a time of 57.08 seconds, in the 50 meter freestyle with a 24.94, and in the 100 meter backstroke where she set the new record at 58.40 seconds.Rieder, David (November 20, 2021). "Claire Curzan Smashes Three Short Course Meters National High School Records in Chattanooga". Swimming World. Retrieved November 20, 2021. Her three records captured the number three spot for "The Week That Was" honor for the week of November 22.Shay, Ashleigh (November 22, 2021). "The Week That Was: Regan Smith Crushes Signature Events at NC State Invitational". Swimming World. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
Prior to the start of competition, Curzan entered to compete in three individual events, the 50 meter freestyle, 50 meter butterfly, and 100 meter butterfly.FINA (December 14, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m): Entries Book". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 14, 2021. Commencing competition on day one, she swam in both the prelims and the final of the 4×100 meter freestyle relay, helping achieve a gold medal-win in the final with a time of 3:28.52, splitting a 52.25 for the second leg of the relay.FINA (16 December 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 4x100m Freestyle Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved 16 December 2021.Moss, Bonnie (December 16, 2021). "U.S. Women Win Gold on First Day of 2021 FINA World Championships (25m)". USA Swimming. Retrieved December 16, 2021.OlympicTalk (December 16, 2021). "U.S. swimmings wins five medals, ties for gold, on first day of short course worlds". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2021. In the morning of day two, she split a 24.87 for the butterfly leg of the 4×50 meter medley relay in the prelims heats, helping advance the relay to the final ranked first.FINA (December 17, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 4x50m Medley Relay Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 17, 2021. She split a 24.56 for the same leg in the final, helping achieve a silver-medal-winning time of 1:43.61 with finals relay teammates Rhyan White, Lydia Jacoby, and Abbey Weitzeil.FINA (December 17, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 4x50m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 17, 2021.Moss, Bonnie (December 17, 2021). "Casas' Gold Leads Way for U.S. on FINA World Championships (25m) Night Two" . USA Swimming. Retrieved December 17, 2021. She qualified for the semifinals of the 50 meter butterfly in the morning prelims session on day three, ranking fourth with her time of 25.17 seconds.FINA (December 18, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Butterfly Heats Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 18, 2021. In the evening she qualified for the final of the 50 meter butterfly with a time of 25.20 seconds, which tied her with Arina Surkova of Russia and Torri Huske for fifth-rank heading into the final.FINA (December 18, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Women's 50m Butterfly Semifinals Results Summary". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 18, 2021. For the final of the 4×50 meter mixed medley relay, she helped win the silver medal in a time of 1:37.04, swimming a 24.85 for the butterfly leg of the relay.FINA (December 18, 2021). "15th FINA World Swimming Championships 2021 Abu Dhabi (UAE): Mixed 4x50m Medley Relay Final Results". Omega Timing. Retrieved December 18, 2021.