Fran Crippen
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Francis Crippen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,U.S. | April 17, 1984|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | October 23, 2010 Fujairah,United Arab Emirates | (aged 26)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | University of Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Francis Crippen(April 17, 1984 – October 23, 2010) was an Americanlong-distanceswimmer.After being a pool swimmer for most of his career, Crippen made the transition toopen water swimmingin 2006. In international competitions, Crippen won seven medals, five of which were in the open water and two in the pool. Crippen died during an open water swimming race in theUnited Arab Emiratesin 2010 at the age of 26.[1]
Biography
[edit]Crippen was born inBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,in 1984 to Pete and Pat Crippen. He graduated fromGermantown AcademyinFort Washington, Pennsylvania,in 2002 where he swam for the highly accomplished Head CoachDick Shoulberg,who by 1990 had coached four Olympic swimmers. At only 14, Crippen was training around five hours a day during week days, five hours on Saturday and two on Sunday while at Germantown, which also had an extensive dryland training program for most swimmers.[2]As an exceptional High School Swimmer, in 1999, Crippen was selected for the U.S. Junior National Team. Crippen graduated from theUniversity of Virginiain 2006 where he majored insociology.During Crippen's time at UVa, he was a member of theIMP Society,one of the University's secret societies.
Crippen started swimming at the age of six because of his sisterMaddy.His three sisters are all also competitive swimmers. Maddy was a 2000 Olympian in the 400 individual medley and swam forVillanova University.His sister Claire is an NCAA All-American and Olympic Trials qualifier who swam for the University of Virginia.Teresa Crippenis a Pan-American Games Champion in the 200 meter backstroke and U.S. national team member.
Career
[edit]He swam for theUniversity of Virginia,where he was an 11-time All-American and two-timeAtlantic Coast Conference(ACC) swimmer of the year. He earned a bronze medal as a member of USA Swimming at the2001 Goodwill GamesinBrisbane,Australia.At the2003 Pan American Games,inSanto Domingo,Dominican Republic,he won two individual silver medals in the 400 and 1500 m freestyle. Crippen represented the United States at thePan Pacific Championshipsin 2006, where he earned a silver medal in the 10 km open water swim. From 2006 to 2008 Crippen represented the Mission Viejo Nadadores in California and swam for coach Bill Rose. In 2007, he earned a gold medal in the 10 km distance event at the Pan American Games inRio de Janeiro,Brazil.Two years later, Crippen won a bronze medal in the 10 km open water race at the2009 World Aquatics Championships.[3]A year later, Crippen again won silver in the 10 km at the2010 Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsinIrvine, California.
Crippen was a six-time US National Champion. He won two national titles in the 800 m freestyle, two in the 5 km open water, and two in the 10 km open water event.
During his swimming career, Crippen represented TYR Sports and Swimming, Inc.
Death
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Wikinews-logo.svg/40px-Wikinews-logo.svg.png)
Crippen died while swimming the last race ofFINA's2010 10K seriesinFujairah, United Arab Emiratesafter having won the penultimate race inCancun, Mexicothe weekend before. Crippen's absence at the finish was reportedly first noticed by fellow USA swimmerAlex Meyer.After searching for Crippen and not finding him, Meyer and other swimmers returned to the water to try to locate Crippen. Two hours after the finish of the men's race, and after 90 minutes of searching by other swimmers, Crippen's body was found underwater by deep-sea divers near the race course's final buoy about 500 yards from shore. Crippen was rushed to the local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, though it was suspected he died at the scene.
WinnerThomas Lurzand other swimmers cited the water as being overly warm—above 30 °C (86 °F) during the race—and several other swimmers experienced heat-related symptoms upon completing the race, including two Americans and one Brazilian (Allan do Carmo) who were briefly hospitalized.[4]
FINApresidentDr. Julio Maglionesaid it was the first death in any FINA event and an investigation was opened.[5]Crippen had told his coach after 8 kilometers that he was feeling thirsty, yet continued with the race. A report released by FINA following Crippen's death called for an update in open water swimming safety regulations.[6]The report concluded that Crippen may have died of a "cardiac abnormality" and "uncontrolled exercise-induced asthma in unfavourable race environmental conditions".[7]
Changing the open water scene
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Following Crippen's death, members of the swimming community and overall Olympic community were outraged with the lack of regulations at the site where Crippen drowned. The former vice president of the International Olympic Committee,Dick Pound,headed a separate investigation throughUSA Swimmingdue to the lack of compliance from the international governing body,FINA.According toUSA Today,[8]Crippen's former coach Dick Shoulburg ofGermantown Academy,and the Crippen family will continue to pressureFINAuntil new safety regulations are adopted.
In USA Swimming, changes are being made for the well-being of the athletes. Organizers of an open water swim inFort Myershave reconsidered the timing of their race because it may exceed the recommended water temperature of 87.8 °F (31.0 °C), or the combined air and water temperature of 145.4 °F (63.0 °C).
United States Masters Swimming(USMS) adopted a warm water conditions rule to the USMS Open Water Rule 302.2.2 (3) A swim of 5 kilometers or greater shall not begin if the water temperature exceeds 85°F (29.45°C). A swim of less than 5 kilometers shall not begin if the water temperature exceeds 87.8°F (31°C).[9]
Shoulberg is also calling on FINA to reconsider races being held inShanghaiduring the summer because of excessive heat.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"American Fran Crippen dies in open-water race".The Seattle Times.October 23, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon October 25, 2010.RetrievedOctober 23,2010.
- ^Iezzi, Bill, "Crippen Making an Even Bigger Splash",The Philadelphia Inquirer,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1 December 1999, pg. 19
- ^"2009 World Aquatics Championships: Men's 10 km"(PDF).Omega Timing. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 6, 2009.RetrievedOctober 23,2010.
- ^""Winner Rips Organizers Over Race Conditions", CBS Sports (October 24, 2010) ".
- ^"Passages: Fran Crippen, 26 – FINA, USA Swimming, USOC Release Statements".Swimming World Magazine.October 23, 2010. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.RetrievedOctober 23,2010.
{{cite magazine}}
:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^"Fran Crippen Report Demands Major Changes for Marathon Swim".
- ^"Report FINA Appointed Task Force Part 8 – Conclusions and Recommendations"(PDF).FINA. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 14, 2016.RetrievedJuly 31,2016.
- ^"Report into Fran Crippen's death condemns race safety".USATODAY.COM.
- ^https://www.usms.org/-/media/usms/pdfs/volunteer%20central/rule%20book/part%203.pdf[bare URL PDF]
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Fran CrippenatWorld Aquatics
- Fran CrippenatUSA Swimming(archived June 2, 2021)
- University of Virginia bio of Fran Crippenat theWayback Machine(archived March 6, 2012)
- TYR bio of Fran Crippen
- Yahoo Sports Pageat theWayback Machine(archived December 25, 2016)
- 1984 births
- 2010 deaths
- American male freestyle swimmers
- American male long-distance swimmers
- Germantown Academy alumni
- People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
- Sportspeople from Pennsylvania
- Sport deaths in the United Arab Emirates
- Virginia Cavaliers men's swimmers
- World Aquatics Championships medalists in open water swimming
- Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games
- Swimmers at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Swimmers at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in swimming
- 21st-century American sportsmen