Jill Savery grew up in Concord, California, as an all-around athlete in gymnastics, swimming, diving, baseball and ballet. But, by the age of 10, she decided where to put her energy: synchronized swimming.
Hall of Fame Coach Gail Emery become her mentor, and by the time she was 16, she was the Junior World Team Champion and the soon-to-follow American Cup Four – solo, duet and team champion.
As her skills became more refined, her successes became more impressive. Between 1991 and 1995, she won gold medals in the team event at every major international competition – the Rome Open, the Swiss Open, the French Open, the Pan Pacific Games and the World Cup Competitions.
Savery’s career highlight came at the 1996 Atlanta Games when she won synchronized swimming’s first-ever gold medal in the team event in Olympic history. Her 10 years on the U.S. National team, many as team captain, helped to elevate the U.S. synchronized swimming dominance in the team event during that era.
She became a two-time World Championship gold medalist, an eight-time world champion and the only U.S. swimmer to compete in all of the international team events.
Savery was an individual high point champion at the NCAA National Championships for the University of California – Berkeley. She served on the USOC Athletes Advisory Board and was the Athletes Liaison at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games.