By: Sarah D. Blakelock
04/03/2023
Photo credit: Conroe ISD/Andrew Stewart
THE WOODLANDS, TX — Conroe ISD dedicated the Laura Wilkinson Natatorium Saturday, with the Olympic gold medalist, her family, friends, and supporters all in attendance.
Wilkinson, a native of The Woodlands, is a three-time Olympian (2000, 2004 & 2008), who won the gold medal in platform diving at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She won gold at the 2004 World Cup and the 2005 World Championships, becoming the first woman to win all three world titles. Wilkinson is also the only American diver to win gold at the Goodwill Games (1998).
In addition to her international success, Wilkinson earned 19 USA Diving National Titles, was a two-time NCAA Champion and eight-time NCAA All-American at the University of Texas. She is a member of the University of Texas Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the World Acrobatics Society Gallery of Legends, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Wilkinson and her husband, Eriek, are parents to four children, all of whom attend Conroe ISD schools.
The 1,000-seat natatorium is located at the south end of Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah and opened in 2008. The building features a 65-meter stretch aquatic arena with more than 16,000 square feet of water surface to accommodate swimming, diving, and water polo competitions, as well as other non-competitive aquatic events, including instructional, recreational, and swim safety programs.