Anthony Ervin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anthony Ervin

Ervin in 2016
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Tony
Born	(1981-05-26) May 26, 1981 (age 44) Santa Clarita, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	176 lb (80 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
College team	University of California, Berkeley
Coach	Nort Thornton (U. Cal. Berkeley)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 50 m freestyle Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 50 m freestyle Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2001 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle Gold 2001 Fukuoka 100 m freestyle Silver 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2012 Istanbul 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2012 Istanbul 4×100 m medley Bronze 2012 Istanbul 50 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Silver 2002 Yokohama 50 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Gold Coast 50 m freestyle Silver 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Maccabiah Games Gold 2017 Israel 50 m freestyle Gold 2017 Israel 100 m freestyle Gold 2017 Israel 4×100 m medley Silver 2017 Israel 4×100 m freestyle

Anthony Lee Ervin (born May 26, 1981) is an American swimmer. He has won four Olympic medals and two World Championship gold medals. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle. He also earned a silver medal with the United States relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle event.

Anthony Ervin was the second swimmer of African descent to win an individual gold medal in Olympic swimming. The first was Anthony Nesty from Suriname. Ervin was the first United States citizen of African descent to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal. In 2017, he knelt during the National Anthem before a competition in Brazil.

Ervin stopped swimming competitively in 2003 when he was 22 years old. He even sold his 2000 Olympic gold medal on eBay. He did this to help people affected by the 2004 tsunami. But in 2011, he decided to start training again.

He competed in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He finished fifth in that race. In 2016, Ervin released his book, Chasing Water. He wrote it with Constantine Markides. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, 16 years after his first Olympic gold, he won the 50-meter freestyle again. He was 35 years old, making him the oldest person to win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal.

About Anthony Ervin

Anthony Ervin is African-American and Jewish. He was born in Hollywood, California. His mother's family is Ashkenazi Jewish. His father's family is African-American and Indian-American. He grew up in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. Ervin has said he is a "Zen Buddhist" and practiced Zen meditation. In 2017, he shared that he was proud to be American and Jewish.

When he was young, Ervin swam for the Canyons Aquatic Club. He also swam for Hart High School. Later, he went to the University of California, Berkeley. He swam there under Coach Nort Thornton Jr. He earned his degree in English in 2010.

He is also studying for a higher degree at Berkeley. He is learning about sport, culture, and education.

As a child, Ervin had tics. He described them as "an itch that constantly [wanted] to be scratched." When he was older, these tics sometimes drew unwanted attention. He believes that swimming helped him manage his facial tics when he was young. He also thinks that having Tourette syndrome helped him learn to handle stress early on. This skill was very useful when he competed in the Olympic finals. From 2017 to 2018, Ervin was a youth ambassador for the Tourette Association of America.

Swimming Career

2000: Sydney Olympics

At the 2000 United States Olympic Trials, Anthony Ervin competed in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. He finished fifth in the 100-meter freestyle. This earned him a spot on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. In the 50-meter freestyle final, he came in second.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Ervin won a gold and a silver medal. In the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, he swam with Gary Hall Jr., Neil Walker, and Jason Lezak. The American team finished second to Australia.

In the 50-meter freestyle final, Ervin tied with Gary Hall Jr. for the gold medal. They both finished with a time of 21.98 seconds. After winning, Ervin became the first United States swimmer of African descent to win an individual Olympic gold medal.

2001–2003: World Championships

Ervin won two gold medals at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships. He won in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter freestyle. He also competed in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. At the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Ervin won silver medals. He earned them in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.

Taking a Break

In 2003, Anthony Ervin decided to stop swimming. He was 22 years old. During his break, he tried new things like learning guitar and studying Buddhism. He did not tell many people he was an Olympic champion. He started training for swimming again in 2011.

2012: Comeback to the Olympics

Twelve years after his first Olympics, Ervin qualified for his second U.S. Olympic team. He was 31 years old. He finished second in the men's 50-meter freestyle at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. His time was 21.60 seconds.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he finished fifth in the 50-meter freestyle final. Ervin, Cullen Jones, and Lia Neal made history. They were the first African-Americans on a U.S. Olympic swim team with more than one African-American swimmer.

2013–2014: More Championships

Ervin at the 2015 World Championships

At the 2013 U.S. National Championships, Ervin qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. He placed second in the 50-meter freestyle. He also placed third in the 100-meter freestyle.

At the World Championships, Ervin helped the U.S. team win a silver medal. This was in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. He swam the third part of the race. In his individual event, the 50-meter freestyle, he finished sixth.

In 2014, Ervin won two silver medals at the Pan Pacific Championships. This event took place on the Gold Coast.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ervin swam in the 50 m freestyle. He won first place with a time of 21.40 seconds. At 35 years old, he became the oldest person to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming. He took this record from Michael Phelps.

He also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. He swam in the morning heat for the United States team.

2017 Maccabiah Games

Ervin took part in the torch lighting ceremony at the 2017 Maccabiah Games. This event was held on July 6, 2017. He won gold medals in three events: the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 4 × 100 m medley relay. He also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay.

He also swam in a special 4x50m relay race. His team included other American Olympic champions like Lenny Krayzelburg and Jason Lezak. They won against a team of Israeli Olympians.

2021 Competitions

At the 2020 USA Swimming Olympic Trials in June 2021, Ervin competed in the 50-meter freestyle. He did not qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Later in 2021, Ervin led a swim clinic. This was during the 2021 World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi. He taught young swimmers alongside Florian Wellbrock from Germany.

Awards and Recognition

In 2003, Anthony Ervin was added to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

His Book

Anthony Ervin's book, Chasing Water, came out in 2016. He wrote it with Constantine Markides. In 2018, the book received The Buck Dawson Authors Award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

See Also

In Spanish: Anthony Ervin para niños

• List of Jewish swimmers
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of University of California, Berkeley alumni
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 50 metres freestyle