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Help Send Aliena To The 2020 Olympics


Standing at 5'10" tall, Aliena Schmidtke is a swimming force to be reckoned with. Raised in Bad Segeberg, Germany, Aliena quickly realized she had a passion and talent for swimming. In 2011, she made the brave decision to move to New Mexico, US to pursue a college education and swim for New Mexico State. She was the second swimmer in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships and broke many school records. After her freshman year, she left New Mexico as one of the most decorated swimmers in history and transferred to The Ohio State University.  Ohio State launched her success as an elite, international level competitor. Fast-forward to the summer of the Rio Olympics, where she found herself less than a tenth of a second short of the German 100m butterfly qualifying standard to head to Brazil. Although this heartbreak was a setback for her career, she chose to overcome this hurdle and continue to fight for her dream. With her eyes set on Tokyo 2020, she persisted with training and her dedication has paid off. She has since achieved four German national records, won the World University Games title in the 50m butterfly, and raced to multiple top eight finishes in many international meets; including the 2017 Long Course World Championship, 2017 Short Course European Championship, 2018 Long Course European Championship and the 2018 Short Course World Championship. 

Aliena has overcome each and every challenge she has faced on her journey to reach her dream of becoming an Olympian. Currently, Aliena is training with Gregg Troy and Robert Pinter in Gainesville, Florida alongside world famous professional swimmers including Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Lochte. 

Although Aliena’s toughness and determination has gotten her this far, there will still be many more hurdles on her path to Tokyo 2020. The most pressing one is money for living and training expenses. Due to her professional athlete visa, she is unable to work. Supporting this campaign means supporting someone's future. Aliena has a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics and Biology, and is currently pursuing an MBA in Healthcare. She has also been part of the German club team, SC Magdeburg, since 2005 and continues to represent the club throughout her journey. This campaign is imperative for the continuation of her athletic career. Please consider making a donation of $25, $50, $100, $250 or any amount you feel fair to give to Aliena to help her propel her career forward.

Please note that 100% of the funds distributed from the Go Fund Me website go directly to Aliena.
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Donations 

  • Paul Bowen
    • $50 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Rebecca Hickey
Organizer
Columbus, OH
Aliena Schmidtke
Beneficiary

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