Three-Time Olympic Medalist Erika Connolly Retires
Erika Connolly, a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist, announced her retirement on Friday.
Connolly and her husband, Alec Connolly, had announced in August that the couple is expecting a baby. That post came a day after Connolly turned 27.
Connolly announced her retirement on Instagram.
Connolly, under her maiden name Erika Brown, qualified for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. She won bronze in the women’s 400 free relay and silver in the women’s medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics, then silver in the women’s 400 free relay in Paris. She swam in finals only in the Tokyo 400 free, leading off that squad.
At Olympic Trials in 2024, Connolly had to advance via a swim-off to get the sixth and final relay spot, going head-to-head with training partner Catie DeLoof.
Connolly is also a two-time World Championships relay gold medalist. She won five total medals at Worlds in Budapest in 2022, including bronze in the women’s 50 freestyle. She is also a nine-time World Short-Course medalist, all in relays and five of them gold.
“I’ve spent the last few months reflecting on how grateful I am for these past 17 years in the sport of swimming,” Connolly wrote in part. “As a young girl I could’ve never imagined all that God had prepared for me. Swimming has been such a gift. It has taught me immense joy and deep heartbreak, but it has also given me amazing friends and memories I will never forget.”
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Connolly was twice named SEC Female Swimmer of the Year at the University of Tennessee. She was the Swimmer of the Meet at the 200 SEC Championships and won the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as top point-scorer three times. She is a 22-time All-American who won 23 SEC medals, 18 of them gold, including the 50 free-100 free-100 fly treble three years in a row.
