Maya DiRado is a former competitive swimmer who represented the United States in several international championships, the most notable of which was the 2016 Summer Olympics. Before turning pro, she had a brilliant college career at Stanford University, where she won several NCAA titles. Although relatively short-lived, the highlight of DiRado’s professional career was at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she won a total of 4 medals. The talented athlete officially retired from sports after the 2016 Olympics but has not stopped being relevant in the field. Here is what she has done so far.
Who is Maya DiRado? – Bio &Age
Maya DiRado was born as Madeline Jane DiRado on April 5, 1993, in Santa Rosa, California. She received the nickname “Maya” from her sister, who could not pronounce “Madeline”. Maya started swimming at a very young age, and at the age of 6, she became a member of the Santa Rosa Neptunes swimming club alongside her future Olympic teammate Molly Hannis.
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She attended Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa. As a high school athlete, she won the 200-yard individual medley (IM) at 3 state championships. In the various competitions in which she participated, she set records for each age group equally. In her senior year, she finished the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:56.17, setting a new California high school record. She also achieved top scores in the 100-yard freestyle.
College Career
After graduating high school, Maya DiRado followed the path of a long line of family members when she came to Stanford University. In her freshman year, she finished second in the 200-yard IM and second in the 400-yard IM at the 2011 Division 1 NCAA Championships.
As a sophomore, the talented youngster showed even more finesse at the Division 1 NCAA Championships in 2012 when she finished second, third, and fourth in the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard IM, and 400-yard IM championships respectively. In her junior year, DiRado finished second, third and fifth in the 400-yard IM, 200-yard IM, and 200-yard backstroke events of the 2013 NCAA Division 1 Championships.
To round out her illustrious college career, Maya DiRado won her first NCAA individual award in 2014, taking gold in both the 200-yard IM and 400-yard IM events and also finishing second in the 200-fly event. For her outstanding performance in her senior year, DiRado was named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Year 2014. She graduated from Stanford University in 2014 with a degree in Management Science and Engineering.
International Career
Thanks to her impressive freshman statistics, Maya DiRado was named in the United States’ lineup for the 2011 World University Games, where she won her first international gold in the 400-meter IM. The following year, she had her first chance at the Olympics when she registered for the 2012 Olympic Games in the United States. However, she narrowly missed out on the final line-up as she finished 4th in both the 200 and 400-meter events.
After an outstanding performance at the 2013 Phillips 66 National Championships, Maya DiRado earned a place on the United States team for the 2013 FINA World Championships, where she won gold in the 800-meter Free Relay. She also made it onto the United States team for the FINA World Championships 2015, where she finished second in the 400-meter IM. Maya then became a star at the 2016 Olympic Swimming Championships in the United States, where she won the 400-meter individual medley, the 200-meter IM, and the 200-meter backstroke, winning it all in spectacular fashion.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Maya DiRado represented the achievement of her life as she announced that she would retire after the Games. She won two gold medals in the 200-meter backstroke and the 4×200 freestyle relay. She also won the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medal race and a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medal race, bringing her a total of 4 Olympic medals.
After retiring in fall 2016, Maya DiRado returned to work as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. The four-time Olympic medalist is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Swimming Foundation of the USA.
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Maya DiRado Husband
Maya DiRado is currently married to Rob Andrews, a software engineer and also a former competitive swimmer. Like DiRado, he is a former member of the swimming team at Stanford University, where they met. He graduated from Stanford in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in biomechanics. The couple entered into the covenant of marriage on September 19, 2015, at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Rosa, California.
Parents, Family
The parents of Maya DiRado are Marit (nee Parker) and Ruben DiRado. Her father was born in Argentina and moved with his parents to the USA at the age of 3 years. His own grandparents were originally Italians who immigrated to Argentina after World War II. Maya DiRado also has Norwegian ancestors on her mother’s side.
She grew up with a sibling, an older sister named Sarah. Their family is closely connected and they were raised with strong Christian beliefs. Just like Maya DiRado, every other member of the family is a graduate of Stanford University.
