Cullen Jones - One of the Fastest Swimmers in The World

Cullen Jones (born February 29, 1984) is an American international swimmer andOlympic gold medalist who specializes in freestyle sprint events. He is a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team and will compete at the 2012 Summer Olympicsin London. Born in the Bronx borough of New York City, Jones moved to Irvington, New Jersey, while in elementary school. He learned to swim after he was rescued from a near-drowning at a splash-down pool at Dorney Park & Wildwater  Kingdom in Pennsylvaniawhen he was five years old. He became an age-group swimmer at Metro Express, a club team at the Jewish Community Center in West Orange, NJ under head coach Ed Nessel. Jones later switched teams to the Jersey Gators Swim Club in Cranford. Jones attended North Carolina State University, where he was an English major with a minor in psychology. He turned professional in the summer of 2006, after signing withNike[3] and burst onto the scene shortly after at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships where he set a meet record in the 50 m freestyle with a time of 21.84. He also swam a leg (split of 47.96) in the world record breaking 4×100 m freestyle relay along with Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak and Garrett Weber-Gale. In 2007, he also won a gold medal in 4×100 m freestyle relay with the same teammates in 2007 World Aquatics Championships Jones is the second African-American to hold or share a world record (4×100 m freestyle relay) in swimming, after Anthony Ervin. He is also the third African-American to make the US Olympic swimming team after Anthony Ervin and Maritza Correia. At the 2008 Olympic swimming trials, Jones broke the American record in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 21.59. The record was subsequently broken the next day by Garrett Weber-Gale. In the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he won a gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay in a world record time of 3:08.24 with Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak and Garrett Weber-Gale. In July 2009, Jones set the American record in the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. National Championships in Indianapolis, IN. He trains with David Marsh at the Center of Excellence at Mecklenburg Aquatic Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. www.cullenjones.com