Maya DiRado

Madeline Jane "Maya" DiRado-Andrews (born April 5, 1993) is a retired American competitive swimmer who specialized in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley events. She attended and swam for Stanford University, where she won NCAA titles in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley in 2014 and graduated with a degree in management science and engineering. At the 2016 US Olympic Trials, DiRado qualified to swim the 200 meter and 400 meter individual medley events, as well as the 200 meter backstroke, at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won a gold medal in the women's 4x200 meter freestyle relay, a silver medal in the 400 meter individual medley, a bronze medal in the women's 200 meter individual medley, and a gold medal in the 200 meter backstroke. Following the Olympics, DiRado retired from the sport.

Early years

DiRado is the second daughter of Stanford alumni Marit (née Parker) and Ruben DiRado. Her mother, of Norwegian descent, works as an oncology nurse. Her father, of Italian heritage, was born in Argentina after his grandparents emigrated there from Italy following World War II. He moved to the United States at the age of three. Marit and Ruben met through a Christian fellowship group at Stanford. Maya received her short name from her older sister, Sarah, who had difficulty pronouncing “Madeline.”

DiRado began swimming at the age of six, when she joined the Santa Rosa Neptunes with her Olympic Teammate Molly Hannis. At the age of 17, DiRado graduated from Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa, where she was a three-time high school state champion in the 200 yard IM. In her senior year in 2010, she set the California state record with a time of 1:56.17 in the 200 yard I.M. She also won the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 49.83.