Five-time Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer announced Wednesday via Instagram and Twitter that she had delivered her second baby boy, Ryker Alexander Grant, on the morning of July 4th.
Ryker Alexander was welcomed to the world by Vollmer and husband Andy Grant on the 4th at 3:15 AM, weighing in at 6lbs, 15oz.
Ryker Alexander Grant decided he loves fireworks & wants them on his birthday! Born at 3:15am July 4th, 6lbs 15oz! #USAbaby #mommaonamission pic.twitter.com/inQMxjefub
— Dana Vollmer (@danavollmer) July 5, 2017
After announcing she was planning on having another baby in Rio, we learned that Vollmer was pregnant with her second child in January. She then revealed the sex of the baby by wearing a green suit at the Mesa Pro Swim in April. Already 26 weeks pregnant, Vollmer competed in the 50 free and posted a very respectable time of 27.59.
Ryker is Vollmer’s second child, as she gave birth to her first boy, Arlen, after taking a break from the sport after the 2013 World Championships. She made a triumphant return in 2016, qualifying for the Games in the 100 fly and ultimately winning a bronze medal. She added another gold on the American medley relay, and also won silver on the 400 free relay.
When she first announced her plans to have a second child in Rio, Vollmer was unsure about retirement. We could very well see her back in action next year, and a potential push for 2020 and her fourth Olympics isn’t out of the question. Still just 29, she’d be 33 by the time Tokyo rolls around.
The kid holds the unborn child 50M free record
You mean 10 & Under, right? Going to be tough though, because he’s going to have a tough seed time to beat for a very long time.
Another unusual name….I don’t understand the change in culture for these seemingly random baby names. Be unique by being your own person and by doing what you do uniquely – id never want to be identified as unique through my given name. Michael and Ryan are cemented names in swimming by what they did not their given names and soon too Katie, Caeleb, Jospeh, kevin…. Nevertheless, I still wish her baby great health and happiness for the family.
Newt Gingrich, Condoleeza Rice, Barak Obama (Possibly Barry Soetoro), and Channing Tatum are very unique names of great people. Having a unique name does not identify you as being a very unique person.
Beats the hell out of “Boomer.”
While I get what you mean, Ryker is a good name. It’s not super common but it’s not a unique name purely for uniqueness. It’s a name that his family likes.
What an absurd post
I love unique names . Ryker is a good name meaning a strong leader or a commander. They say the meaning of what you name your kid have a strong bearing on the individual. Hmmmm.
But seriously, dana has been busy lately. Two kids in quick succession. Glad to know she,s doing something about the paltry birth rate. Go Dana.
And ryker is a boy,s name that parents have not yet hijacked for their girls. Remember when taylor and kayden were boy,s names?
Both still sound weird to me on girls.
I know a man who named his daughter porter. Dude wanted a girl so bad after 5 boys. The 6th was a girl so he went with porter. I,m still having nightmares? and so is she. Any time her brothers want to tease her they call her porter boy with mischievous grins on their faces.
Just kidding
I think it’s in poor taste to weigh in on a baby name once a child is given the name. Best to say “Congratulations” and move on.
Congrats to the parents. Cool to be born on July 4th for an American!
Really hope she takes some time & enjoys this little one & doesn’t rush back into training.! Only have them little for such a short time, don’t want to miss a second of it!!