MIDLAND, Texas — Midland native Natalie Hinds secured her ticket to Tokyo to compete on the Team USA 4x100m freestyle relay swim team after placing 4th in the 100-meter freestyle at the Olympic Swim Trials on June 18. However, if you take a look back at her impressive track record in the sport, you’ll see that she is no stranger to winning.
Hinds went to Midland High School, where she set records in the 100-yard fly and 100-yard backstroke.
Additionally, she was listed in the top recruits in the nation for the class of 2012, when she committed to the University of Florida.
In her freshman year at Florida, she earned seven All-American honors and was named SEC Female Freshman of the Year.
She followed up with a strong showing as a sophomore, earning three individual and three relay All-America honors. She also set a Florida record in the 100-yard free, with a time of 47.40, and the 50-yard free, with a time of 21.66.
Junior year was one for the books, as she made history among the first trio of Black swimmers to go 1-2-3 in a single event at the NCAA Championships, a feat she accomplished with Lia Neal and Simone Manuel.
Overall in her time in college, she was a 20-time All-American sprinter.
Hinds previously competed in the Olympic Trials in 2012 and 2016. Following her competing in the 2016 Olympic Trial, she decided to retire from the pool. During this time, she worked for Turner Media.
In 2018 she decided to make her comeback. That year, she took her talents to Athens, Georgia to train and compete with a post-grad group at the University of Georgia. She also spent time training at The University of Texas at Austin.
In 2019 she began competing for the Cali Condors of the International Swimming League.
She continues to actively swim on the professional level.
Hinds will compete in Tokyo for the first round of the 4x100m Freestyle Relay on July 24.
For the qualifying round, Hinds is scheduled to compete at around 6:43 a.m. Central Standard Time. However her competition time is subject to change.
Hinds competition will air during a block of coverage from 1-8:50 a.m. CST the same day. The event will air on the USA Network.
If Hinds and her team make it to the final, the competition is scheduled to take place at 9:45 p.m. on July 24, though this is subject to change.
The final is scheduled to air during coverage from 7 to 10:30 p.m. This event will air on NewsWest 9.
All competition and air times are subject to change. Stick with NewsWest 9 for full coverage and updates on the Tokyo Olympics.
RESULTS:
- Natalie Hinds and the Team USA Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team have officially qualified to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic finals. The team finished with the 5th fastest qualifying time, which was 3:34.80. For a full recap of their qualifying performance, click here.
- Congratulations to Midland High School alum Natalie Hinds and the Team USA Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team for bringing home a bronze medal! The team finished with the 3rd fastest time of eight, behind Australia and Canada. That official final time was 3:32.81. For more information on their performance in the finals, click here.