Janet Evans

Evans continued to break records after her brilliant performance at the Seoul Olympics. At the Pan Pacific Games in 1989, she broke her own world record in the 800-meter freestyle. At the 1992 Goodwill Games, she won the 400-, 800-, and 1500-meter freestyle races and finished second in the 400-meter individual medley. At the 1992 Olympic trials for the summer games in Barcelona, Evans handily qualified for the 400- and 800-meter freestyle events but failed to qualify for the 400-meter individual medley. At the Barcelona games themselves, Evans won gold in the 800-meter freestyle but had to settle for silver in the 400-meter freestyle event. With her gold medal-winning victory in the 800-meter event, she became only the third American woman to win four gold Olympic medals (the others being sprinter Evelyn Ashford and diver Pat McCormick). Their record for gold medals was eventually broken by speed skater Bonnie Blair, who won a total of five.

Although Evans continued to compete after the Barcelona Olympics, few observers of the swimming scene expected her to be able to qualify for the 1996 Olympics. To their surprise, she once again qualified to compete for the United States in both the 400- and 800-meter freestyle, despite torn ligaments in her left foot. However, the competition at Atlanta proved too tough for her, and she finished sixth in the 800-meter event and failed to qualify for the finals in the 400-meter freestyle. Following her last Olympic performance, Evans told reporters, "I had my highs and lows, but I wouldn't give it [her swimming career] up for the world." Shortly thereafter, she announced her retirement from competitive swimming. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Evans admitted there were some things she wouldn't miss. "The chlorine makes my feet sore and dries all my skin, and I hate that. My hair sometimes gets yucky. I always wanted long hair, but I could never have it. I can do everything I wanted to do as a kid after I quit."

Named in her honor, the Janet Evans Invitational is sponsored by the University of Southern California. The event annually draws up to 800 of the best swimmers in the United States. Although she has not actively competed for several years, Evans will be forever remembered as one of the greatest female distance swimmers in American history.