SWIMMAC CAROLINA WELL REPRESENTED AT OLYMPICS

The non-profit organization SwimMAC out of Charlotte is the training home for six Olympic swimmers who have qualified for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.

All six of the swimmers are part of SwimMAC’s Team Elite and along with Team Elite Coach David Marsh (who will help coach women swimmers) will be heading to Brazil.

So let’s take a brief look at these talented swimmers;

Cammile Adams

Women’s 200m Butterfly

This event will take place on August 9th and 10th. Cammile is appearing in her second Olympics having appeared in the 2012 games and finishing fifth in the same event.

Kathleen Baker

Women’s 100m Backstroke

Baker, originally from Winston-Salem has been training at SwimMAC since the age of 14. Still just 19 years old, these will be her first Olympic Games and she couldn’t be more excited. Kathleen has also overcame Crohn’s disease to qualify and compete in these Olympics. Her competition takes place on August 7th and 8th.

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Anthony Ervin

Men’s 50m Freestyle and 400m Freestyle Relay

Ervin has had quite a journey to get to the 2016 games. He is 35 years old which makes him the oldest member of the USA swimming team. At 19 he made his first Olympic team but basically dropped out of the sport in his 20’s due to struggles with drugs, alcohol and Tourette’s syndrome. Ervin is the author of an autobiography titled “Chasing Water”.

He will compete August 7,11 and 12

Jimmy Feigen

Men’s 400m Freestyle Relay

Having won a silver medal in the 2012 games in the same event, Feigen would like to add a gold this time around. He will compete along with teammate Ervin in the relay event which takes place on August 7th.

Originally from Texas the 6’5” Feigen is known as a strong powerful swimmer.

Ryan Lochte

Men’s 200m Individual Medley and 800m Freestyle Relay

Lochte is the most decorated and well known of this group. The 32 year old has 11 Olympic medals to his credit including 5 gold. These will be Lochte’s fourth Olympic games having medaled in Athens, Beijing and London prior to the Rio games.

A groin injury threatened him making this year’s team but he will back and competing and hopefully fully healthy. Lochte’s events are August 9,10 and 11.

Katie Meili

Women’s 100m Breaststroke

Her competition takes place on August 7th and 8th. The Ivy league graduate from Columbia, Meili was a bit of a longshot to make the U.S. team. Originally from Texas, her swimming resume at Columbia was good but not great and she needed to prove herself as an elite swimmer. Qualifying for the Rio games was a culmination of three years of hard work.