From rising star to celebrity in a matter of days – Saugus swimmer Abbey Weitzeil broke a record and is heading to the Rio Olympics next month.

[Press Release] -Abbey finished 1st in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events at the US Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.

By virtue of winning both events, Abbey will also be a member of the 4 x 100 Freestyle and the 400 Medley relay giving her an opportunity to win four medals at the Olympics.

Abbey’s 100 freestyle time of 53.28 broke the US Open Record previously held by Cate Campbell. Weitzeil won her second event, the 50 meter free, with a time of 24.28. Both times are notable as the fastest ever swum in the United States.

Abbey is currently ranked 6th in the world in the 50 freestyle and 7th in the 100 freestyle. Abbey will be leaving for Olympic training camps in San Antonio and then Atlanta before heading to Rio for the Olympics.

Abbey joined Canyons Aquatic Club at the age of 12 and quickly emerged as a national level swimmer earning a trip to the 2012 Olympic Trials at the age of 15 where she finished 79th in the 50 freestyle and 54th in the 100 freestyle.

In 2013 Coach Coley Stickels joined Canyons Aquatic Club as the head coach and introduced a sprint & intensity based training system that helped Abbey transition to an international level of competition.

Abbey is the current American Record holder in the short course (NCAA standard) 50 freestyle with a time of 21.12, which she established on March 5, 2016 in Austin, Texas.

Prior to that record, Abbey held the American record in the short course 100 freestyle with a time of 46.29.

Abbey swam for Saugus High School in Santa Clarita from 2012 – 2015 and broke the American high school records for both the 50 and 100 freestyle. In 2015, she committed to the University of California, Berkeley, but she chose to defer her enrollment one year in order to remain with Coach Stickels to train for the Rio Olympics.

Abbey lives in Santa Clarita with her father Konrad and mother Mikey. She has two older sisters, Kaitlyn and Alex.