Zane Waddell plunged his way to a swimming World Champion. He is from Bloemfontein, South Africa, who competed for the University of Alabama from August 2016 – May 2020. Zane graduated from the University of Alabama with a Management Information System and a Finance degree in May 2020. 

This amazing young man won 10 SEC titles, which makes him an NCAA Champion. In addition to his college success, he won the Gold Medal over the 50m Backstroke at the Swimming World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019. Shortly before winning gold at Worlds, he also managed to win the Gold Medal at the World University Games in Naples, Italy.

Zane will provide information for athletes looking to compete at the next level and some advice for international student-athletes. 

* Originally published on November 30, 2020, by Daniel Kober