Dagny Knutson (born January 18, 1992) is an American
swimmer of
Norwegian heritage. Knutson is a former American record holder in 400-yard individual medley and holds several high school national records.[1] She finished swimming competitively in 2012 and in 2013, due to her struggles with bulimia and financial strains.[2]
Swimming career
At the
2008 FINA Youth World Swimming Championships, Knutson won a total of five medals, all of them gold.[3] At the 2008 Short Course Nationals, Knutson broke
Katie Hoff's American record in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:00.62, a record which has since been broken by
Julia Smit. At the 2009 Junior Pac Pacs, she set five meet records while winning seven gold medals and a bronze.[4]
At the 2009 National Championships, Knutson qualified to swim in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the
2009 World Aquatics Championships in
Rome by placing fifth in the 200 m freestyle.[5] In Rome, Knutson swam in the heats of the 4x200 m freestyle relay (with
Ariana Kukors,
Alyssa Anderson, and
Lacey Nymeyer) and won a silver medal after the United States placed second in the finals. As the second leg, Knutson had a 1:57.73 split.[6][7]
At the 2010 National Championships, Knutson did not qualify to swim in any individual events at the
2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Knutson placed 4th in the 400 m freestyle, 5th in the 200 m freestyle, 6th in the 400 m individual medley, and 19th in the 200 m butterfly.[8][9][10][11]
Knutson started swimming at the age of 9. Her parents, Jim and Ronda, were both college athletes. Her parents have chosen for her a
Norwegian name. Her father was a US Citizen and his parents had moved to America from Norway, and her name honors that lineage.
Knutson's hometown is
Minot, North Dakota, but she has trained at the University of Florida after briefly training with
Auburn University then FAST in
Fullerton, California.[13] Because of geographic proximity, Knutson used to swim in so many meets in
Canada that she was once mistakenly named one of that country's top 12-year-old swimmers.
^Shipley, Amy (March 4, 2009).
"The Dakota Pool Shark". The Washington Post. Archived from
the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2010.