Annie Lazor

QUICK STATS

Birthday: August 17, 1994
Height: 5’8″
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
ISL Team: London Roar
College: Auburn University
Coach: Ray Looze and Mike Westphal

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

  • Member of the 2021 Olympic Swim Team in Tokyo
  • 2018 Long Course and Short Course World Champion in the 200-meter breaststroke
  • Earned gold in both the 100 and 200 breast at 2019 Pan American Games while setting a Games record in the latter
  • Holds 9th fastest time in history in Women’s 200 breaststroke 

EXPERIENCE

Whether you’re flipping through the glossy pages of a swim magazine, or tuning into major meet coverage, you’re sure to find Annie Lazor–donning her sunny yellow cap–making international headlines. One of Team USA’s most valuable weapons, Annie Lazor has quickly established herself as one of the fastest female breaststrokers in the world, attracting intense media attention for her 2019 season. With her name plastered all over 2021 Olympic Team projections, Annie Lazor has soared into swimming stardom–and now she’s here, as a member of the Fitter and Faster team, so that someday, you can, too.

“The outreach that FFT has on the swimming community is unmatched- it is an excellent bridge between club swimming and professional swimming. It gives swimmers of all ages the chance to have first-hand interaction with the best swimmers in the world. Swimmers not only learn about technique, racing, and how to be a better athlete, but it also gives them a personal connection to the professional swimming world and a feeling that they now have swimmers to follow and root for!”

While it’s easy to be star-struck, participants won’t have the chance with Annie, whose experiences will certainly resonate with a variety of young athletes. After choosing to retire and walk away from the sport, Annie decided to make one of the most transformative comebacks in professional swim history. While re-entering the sport proved particularly daunting, Annie was ready and willing to build herself back from the ground up. Under the tutelage of Ray Looze, head coach at Indiana University and primary coach of Olympic gold-medalist, Lilly King, Annie committed to becoming a champion.

“When I returned to swimming after retirement, I was swimming slow in practice every day and was out of shape. I chose to make a mental shift from looking plainly at the practices I was struggling through, and chose to look at what I did well that day instead. I also chose to be patient with myself; it was tough going through the difficult days, but made all of the successes I’ve had so much sweeter.”

Those successes include putting up the ninth-fastest performance in history in the women’s 200 breaststroke, along with countless international accolades. Annie is convinced, however, that these accomplishments aren’t the results of talent alone.

“The two things that will undoubtedly make you a stronger swimmer and person come from working hard, maintaining a positive attitude, and embracing challenges. All of these things require zero talent, and can be incorporated into anything you do.”

Hoping to impart this wisdom on the next generation of swimmers, Annie is ready to guide other athletes in their paths to success–all in the midst of realizing her own big dreams! Participants will get the rare opportunity to learn from one of the world’s current bests, someone in the throes of intense, elite training herself! Having been coached by some of swimming’s most iconic names, including Looze, David Marsh, and Mike Westphal, Annie is attune to all of the sport’s different layers and perspectives, and she’s ready to find the one that works best for you.

“I love watching someone have an ‘aha’ moment in the water- when I’ve helped someone learn or achieve a time or skill they never thought they were capable of, that’s what I live for in this sport. There is nothing better than that feeling. Helping swimmers have those moments that leave them loving the sport and wanting more is why I love teaching.”

Invest in your swimming future today! Sign up for a clinic with Annie!

Cierra Runge is an elite clinician with Fitter and Faster and an Olympic gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Olympics