Thursday, May 6, 2021
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Trailblazers: Lia Neal
Lia Neal’s swimming résumé is one that many swimmers would dream of having: two Olympic appearances, two Olympic medals, five U.S. National Team selections and a world championships gold, to name a few. Her successes on some of the biggest stages in the sport have been incredible, but her journey to those stages is part of what makes her a true trailblazer.
Neal, who is of Black and Asian descent and is the daughter of Jerome and Siu Neal, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She learned the ins and outs of the sport at Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics in New York City, a program that was rich with diversity.
She excelled in the Asphalt Green program, dropping times and gaining momentum in the eyes of college scouts. Neal even received the Swim for the Future scholarship that was made in memoriam of two Asphalt Green Masters swimmers who died on 9/11.
In 2012, she took the international stage, qualifying for the London Olympics as a member of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming alongside Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt. The relay team captured bronze in a then-American-record time of 3:34.24. Her appearance made her the first U.S. woman who identified as Asian-American to swim in an Olympic final.
Her career led to a commitment to Stanford University, making her first appearance for the Cardinal in the fall of 2014. She would go on to capture eight NCAA titles as part of Cardinal relay teams and by her senior year, Neal was named team captain and helped Stanford to its first team title in nearly two decades.
Neal’s post-college career was highlighted by a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, gold medal at the 2017 FINA World Championships and four medals (three gold, one silver) at the 2018 Short Course World Championships.
The swimming résumé speaks for itself, but the impact she has had on diverse swimmers has been impeccable. She has routinely taken time to speak to swim clubs nationwide and has been an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in the sport.
After the social injustices that came to the forefront of the country in 2020, Lia Neal and U.S. National Team member, Jacob Pebley, teamed together to form Swimmers for Change, an initiative to help spark DEI conversations and responses from the swimming community. You can read more about the initiative, as well as Neal and Pebley’s vision for Swimmers for Change, here.
Whether it be through medals, conversations or out-of-the-pool actions, Neal has helped spread diversity through the sport of swimming. For more on her journey, head to https://www.lianeal.com/.
Neal, who is of Black and Asian descent and is the daughter of Jerome and Siu Neal, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She learned the ins and outs of the sport at Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics in New York City, a program that was rich with diversity.
She excelled in the Asphalt Green program, dropping times and gaining momentum in the eyes of college scouts. Neal even received the Swim for the Future scholarship that was made in memoriam of two Asphalt Green Masters swimmers who died on 9/11.
In 2012, she took the international stage, qualifying for the London Olympics as a member of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Swimming alongside Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt. The relay team captured bronze in a then-American-record time of 3:34.24. Her appearance made her the first U.S. woman who identified as Asian-American to swim in an Olympic final.
Her career led to a commitment to Stanford University, making her first appearance for the Cardinal in the fall of 2014. She would go on to capture eight NCAA titles as part of Cardinal relay teams and by her senior year, Neal was named team captain and helped Stanford to its first team title in nearly two decades.
Neal’s post-college career was highlighted by a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, gold medal at the 2017 FINA World Championships and four medals (three gold, one silver) at the 2018 Short Course World Championships.
The swimming résumé speaks for itself, but the impact she has had on diverse swimmers has been impeccable. She has routinely taken time to speak to swim clubs nationwide and has been an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in the sport.
After the social injustices that came to the forefront of the country in 2020, Lia Neal and U.S. National Team member, Jacob Pebley, teamed together to form Swimmers for Change, an initiative to help spark DEI conversations and responses from the swimming community. You can read more about the initiative, as well as Neal and Pebley’s vision for Swimmers for Change, here.
Whether it be through medals, conversations or out-of-the-pool actions, Neal has helped spread diversity through the sport of swimming. For more on her journey, head to https://www.lianeal.com/.