Swimmer Takes Gold at World Deaf Championship

While the 2011-12 Tulane University women's swimming and diving season is not slated to start for another two months, rising junior Kristin Ates has been busy in the pool. She helped set a world record over the weekend at the 2011 World Deaf Swimming Championship in Coimbra, Portugal.

Ates, a native of Charlotte, N.C., teamed with Peggy Liang, Samantha Elam and Becca Meyers to post a time of 8:49.55 in the 4 by 200-meter freestyle relay and take home the gold medal. The time surpassed the former deaf world record of 8:50.09 established by the Russian Federation in 2009.

“This is a huge accomplishment, and I couldn't be prouder of Kristin for her performance at the world championship,” says Lena Guarriello, head coach of the Tulane women's swimming and diving team.

Ates primarily has been a distance swimmer for Tulane in her first two seasons, Guarriello says, but “she stayed on campus over the summer, attending summer school and working out with some of our sprinters. That sprint work obviously paid off. Hopefully, this is a sign of good things to come for her during the upcoming season.”

Swimming the second leg of the record-setting relay, Ates posted a 2:13.68 split. In addition, she finished third in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 2:30.87 and came in sixth in the 400-meter freestyle after touching the wall at 4:42.28.

Ates also competed and won multiple medals at international competitions for deaf athletes in 2005 and 2007. She has severe hearing loss in one ear and profound loss in the other. A cochlear implant allows her to attend Tulane classes without an interpreter.

A two-year letterwinner with the Green Wave, Ates is one of 19 swimmers returning to the squad for the 2011-12 season. She was part of a team that finished fifth at the 2011 Conference USA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Richie Weaver is assistant director of athletics communications.