Ben

Wildman-Tobriner

Height: 6-4 (193.0 cm)
Weight: 200 lbs (90.7 kg)
Coached By: Skip Kenney
Pronounced: Toe-Breen-Er

 

Career Highlights

Earned his first World Championship title in 2007 in the 50m free...won his first U.S. national title in 2005, edging out World Champion Roland Schoeman in the 50m free at Nationals; also finished fifth in the 100m free and 100m fly...swam prelims on the gold medal-winning 400m free relay at the 2005 World Championships.

• 2008 Olympic Games: Gold, 400m FR-R 
• World Champs History: 2007: Gold, 50m FR; Gold, 400m FR-R(pr)...2005: Gold, 400m FR-R(pr)
• Pan Pacs History: 2006: 5, 50m FR
• Duel in the Pool History: 2005: Bronze, 50m FR
• 2007 World Rankings: 2nd, 50m free; 25th, 50m fly; 12th, 100m fly,
• 2006 World Rankings: 7th, 50m free; 27th, 100m free; 119th, 100m fly
• 2005 World Rankings: 5th, 50m free; 23rd, 100m free
• Briefly: Broke the American record (18.87) in the 50y FR at the 2007 NCAAs
• National Titles: 50m Free (2): '07 SUM, '05 SUM

 

Additional Honors

• Collegiate: 20-time NCAA All-American...NCAA Top VIII award winner...NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Winner

 

Personal

• Parents: Michael Tobriner and Stephanie Wildman...father is an attorney, and mother is a law professor
• Sibling(s): Older sister (Becky) who used to swim and play water polo
• Notable Relative(s): Grandfather (Matthew Tobriner) served on the California Supreme Court in the 1960s
• Future Professional Aspirations: Doctor
• Sports Played Before Swimming: Baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, golf
• Nickname(s): "Vildman"...when he was in Europe, a clerk at the train station pronounced Wildman in a German accent, and people just kept calling him that
• Hobbies Outside the Pool: Playing golf, writing songs, playing the guitar, wood working, photography
• Ultimate Way to Relax: Playing the guitar while camping
• Most Influential Person: Parents..."I've always looked up to them. They've taught me a lot in life, most importantly, to never bet against yourself."
• Training Stats: Swims 7,000 meters/yards per day, 3-4 hours a day, 6 days a week
• More: In August 2005, after competing at the World Champs, traveled to Izmir, Turkey, to watch Stanford teammates Kyle Ransom and Shaun Phillips compete at WUGs...he came as a result of a "gentleman's agreement" made with Phillips and Ransom at the 2005 World Champ Trials in April, where all three were attempting to qualify for a summer international team...if Phillips and Ransom made the WUGs team, and if Wildman-Tobriner made the World Champs (held the last week of July in Montreal) team, he would travel to Turkey and cheer them on...after WUGs, the three went on a tour of Europe, hitting up Austria, Italy and Greece...was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in the fall of 2007
• Favorites: U.S. city: Honolulu...international destination: Rome...band: Brand New...summer activity: golf...TV show: "Lost"...movie: "The Matrix"