Francis Crippen (April 17, 1984 – October 23, 2010) was an American

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

swimmer. After being a pool swimmer for most of his career, Crippen made the transition to

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam s ...

in 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 the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

in 2010 at the age of 26.

Biography

Crippen was born in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

, in 1984 to Pete and Pat Crippen. He graduated from

Germantown Academy Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the Gree ...

Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Fort Washington is a census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census. History Prior to the Revolutionary War the Fort Washington area was settle ...

, in 2002. Crippen graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 2006 where he majored in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. During Crippen’s time at UVa, he was a member of the

IMP Society The IMP Society is a secret society at the University of Virginia that is notable for combining philanthropy and public mischief. It was founded in 1902 as a society called the Hot Feet. The society was known primarily for its public ceremonies ...

, one of the University’s secret societies. Crippen started swimming at the age of six because of his sister

Maddy Maddy or Maddie is a shortened form of the feminine given names Madeleine, Madelyn, Madison, etc. People * Maddy Crippen (born 1980), American medley swimmer * Maddy English (1925–2004), American professional baseball player * Maddy Evans ( ...

. His three sisters are all also competitive swimmers. Maddy was a 2000 Olympian in the 400 individual medley and swam for

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

. His sister Claire is an NCAA All-American and Olympic Trials qualifier who swam for the University of Virginia.

Teresa Crippen Teresa Crippen (born April 12, 1990) is an American competition swimmer who was a Pan American Games gold medalist. Crippen was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Germantown Academy in ...

is a Pan-American Games Champion in the 200 meter backstroke and U.S. national team member.

Career

Crippen swam for the

, where he was an 11-time All-American and two-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) swimmer of the year. He earned a bronze medal as a member of USA Swimming at the

2001 Goodwill Games The 2001 Goodwill Games was the fifth and final edition of the international multi-sport event. The competition was held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 29 August to 9 September 2001. A total around 1300 athletes took part in 14 sporti ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia. At the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

, in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, he won two individual silver medals in the 400 and 1500 m freestyle. Crippen represented the United States at the Pan Pacific Championships in 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 in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Two years later, Crippen won a bronze medal in the 10 km open water race at the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships ( it, Campionati mondiali di nuoto 2009) or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines ...

. A year later, Crippen again won silver in the 10 km at the

2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22. M ...

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

. 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. Crippen represented Germantown Academy Aquatic Club in Fort Washington, PA. He also represented TYR Sports and Swimming, Inc.

Death

Crippen died while swimming the last race of

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

's 2010 10K series in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates after having won the penultimate race in Cancun, Mexico the weekend before. Crippen's absence at the finish was reportedly first noticed by fellow USA swimmer Alex 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. Winner Thomas Lurz and other swimmers cited the water as being overly warm—above 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.

president Dr. Julio Maglione said it was the first death in any FINA event and an investigation was opened. 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. The report concluded that Crippen may have died of a "cardiac abnormality" and "uncontrolled exercise-induced asthma in unfavourable race environmental conditions."

Changing the open water scene

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 Richard William Duncan Pound (born March 22, 1942), better known as Dick Pound, is a Canadian swimming champion, lawyer, and spokesman for ethics in sport. He was the first president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and vice-presi ...

, headed a separate investigation through

USA Swimming USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent the United States, as well as the overal ...

due to the lack of compliance from the international governing body,

. According to ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', Crippen's former coach Dick Shoulburg of Germantown Academy, and the Crippen family will continue to pressure FINA until 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 in

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

have reconsidered the timing of their race because it may exceed the recommended water temperature of , or the combined air and water temperature of . 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° Fahrenheit (29.45° Celsius). A swim of less than 5 kilometers shall not begin if the water temperature exceeds 87.8° Fahrenheit. (31° Celsius).https://www.usms.org/-/media/usms/pdfs/volunteer%20central/rule%20book/part%203.pdf Shoulberg is also calling on FINA to reconsider races being held in Shanghai during the summer because of excessive heat.

References

External links