Canton Swimmer Allison Schmitt Headed to 2016 Rio Summer Olympics

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Canton,MI — Swimmer Allison Schmitt, of Canton, a six-time Olympic medalist, will be heading to Brazil for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympic Games.

Schmitt, who specializes in freestyle events, clenched a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team during a qualifying competition in Omaha, NE, on Wednesday. She will swim in the 800-meter freestyle in the Rio Games, to be held Aug. 5-12.

At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, she set in a new Olympics record and won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle.

She won two other gold medals that year as a member of both the 4x200 meter freestyle relay and 4x100-meter medley relay — also a world record — and also took home a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay.