Reviewed by: Pat Byington
Mobile native Paige Madden adds to her Olympic medal count in Paris
Reading time: 3 minutes
Paige Madden is no stranger to being on the big stage.
The swimmer from Mobile won titles and set records while at the high school level before going on to have a successful college career at Virginia. Now, she’s a regular in the world’s spotlight.
Madden grabbed two more Olympic medals during the 2024 Games in Paris. Keep reading to find out more about her performances + get a quick recap of her career that began at UMS-Wright.
1 silver, 1 bronze in Paris
Paige Madden entered this year’s Olympics already having one medal to her name, claiming silver with Team USA in the 4×200 freestyle relay in Tokyo in 2021.
Some of that relay group was back together in France as Madden teamed up with Katie Ledecky, Claire Weinstein and Erin Gemmell. The team improved on its time from the last Olympics, finishing the event in 7:40.68 which was good enough for another silver medal.
That silver medal helped Ledecky become the most decorated woman Olympian in American history.
In her final race of the games, Madden had to face off against Ledecky in the 800m freestyle. Here’s how it finished:
- Gold: Katie Ledecky (USA) – 8:11.04
- Silver: Ariarne Titmus (AUS) – 8:12.29
- Bronze: Paige Madden (USA) – 8:13.00
The time was Madden’s best ever performance in the event by more than five seconds. She was in fifth place at the midway point, nearly erasing a three-second lead Titmus had.
Championship pedigree
Paige Madden grew up in Mobile and attended high school at UMS-Wright where she won a team state championship and still holds three state records including:
- 100-yard freestyle: 49.78
- 500-yard freestyle: 4:46.98
- 50-yard freestyle (1A-5A): 22.91
Madden moved on to play a key role in one of the nation’s best collegiate swimming programs at the University of Virginia. During her time in Charlottesville, Madden racked up:
- 13 ACC Championships
- 14 All-American seasons
- 5 individual national championships
Make sure to check out some of Alabama’s other ties to the 2024 Olympics:
- Former Auburn star Suni Lee earns Olympic bronze in all-around final
- Tide, Tigers sending 26 current + former athletes to 2024 Olympics
- Watch it all on the big screen at these Alabama theatres
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