Biography of Aaron Peirsol

Aaron Wells Peirsol (born July 23, 1983 in Irvine, California) is an American competitive swimmer. He is best known for winning both available gold medals for men in the backstroke at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. After winning gold in the 100 m backstroke, he followed up by winning the 200 m event, but an initial disqualification alleged that he had made an illegal turn during the race. Having been improperly entered, the disqualification was overturned, giving Peirsol his second individual gold.

He holds the world record for both distances. Peirsol is a student-athlete at the University of Texas, although he considers Newport Beach, California home.