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25 May 2008 08:52 AM

Focus on the Olympics: Ian Crocker (2008 Swimming Hopeful)

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Ian won Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004. His success has roots in overcoming personal adversity to reach for success in life and the Olympics.

Meet Ian Crocker

Ian Lowell Crocker was born to Richard and Gail Crocker. Richard is a lab technician and Gail manages a cardiac rehab facility. He has one sister, Amy, and three cats, Murphy, Hazel and Dinah. Ian started showing signs of depression in high school. Early in college, he underwent therapy and was prescribed anti-depressant medication. Now, he shows no symptoms of depression and is no longer taking medication. He is studying sociology at University of Texas. Ian, along with fellow swimmers Michael Phelps and Lenny Krayzelburg, founded the "Swim with the Stars" program, a 14-city tour that promoted swimming and conducted camps for swimmers of all ages.

Ian starred in a behind-the-scenes documentary entitled Unfiltered: The Story Behind the Rivalry with teammate and rival Michael Phelps that was released in October 2005 (Unfiltered was selected for the 2006 TriBeCa Film Festival). Ian started playing guitar at age 12 and one of his main hobbies includes restoring classic cars.

Why Root for Him?

Of the three medals he won at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he is best remembered for his silver, as teammate Michael Phelps overtook him at the very end of the 100m butterfly to win the race by .04 seconds. As a result, Phelps qualified for the 400m medley relay team. Phelps would eventually defer his spot on the relay team to Ian who contributed to the gold medal-winning team. Ian currently holds world records in the 50m & 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle and 400m medley relay.

Performance History

• 22-time All-American and 10-time NCAA Champion for the University of Texas
• 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay
• 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay, silver medalist in the 100m butterfly, and bronze in the 4x100 freestyle relay

The U.S. Swim team trials take place from June 29th to July 6th in Omaha, Nebraska.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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