Most of you heard about Anthony Ervin, this guy won the gold Olympic medal in swimming on the past games, and he is the oldest athlete, who did it (35 years). But, have you heard his life-story?
Anthony Lee Ervin was born in 1981 in California. Ervin’s mother is of Jewish origin, and his father is African American. His career has evolved very rapidly. In 2000, when he was 18 years old, he took part in the summer Olympic games in Sydney.
On the first day of competition Ervin in the composition of a relay USA team performed at a distance of 4×100-meter in freestyle. In the final swim Erwin was entrusted to sail at the first stage. He showed the result 48,89 sec., and lose only to Michael Klim, who set a world record. So, he won the silver medal of the games in the team competition.
A few days later Anthony Ervin "raced" on the 50m freestyle. After two preliminary rounds, he reached the final. In the final race Ervin competed with the world stars of swimming: two-time champion of the past Games - Gary Hall, the current champion of the games in the 100m and 200m freestyle-Pieter van den Hoogenband, and the defending champion in the 50m - Alexander Popov. The final outcome was sensational. Young Ervin showed the result 21,98 and took the first place.
Publications about Ervin flooded the media, although, frankly, it was not so much about his athletic achievements, than about his race. Journalists were besieging him with questions like "What's it like to be the first African-American swimmer, who won a gold medal?"
In 2002 Ervin decided leave sport, no one knew why. He quit school and swimming, started drinking and using drugs. One morning he woke up in jail without remembering what happened the night before.
" Others encouraged me to fight, without realizing that I just wanted to die."
Once he took a handful of tranquillizers and lost consciousness. But he didn't die, woke up the next day. After Ervin had felt a certain sense of immortality.
"I thought, since I couldn't destroy myself, maybe I cannot be destroyed?"
He bought a sports bike. And when he was running from the cops Ervin crashed into the red mustang and earned offset shoulder
"I wish I was dead".
He toured the country, changing one dubious profession to another. Then found religion, praying in Buddhist temples, went to Church, studied the Sufi mystics, fasting in Ramadan. However, Ervin continued to lead a lifestyle more appropriate for a rock star. Even played guitar in a band called "Weapons of Mass Destruction". In 2004, he was fired from the tattoo and piercing parlor in Berkeley.
"I just stopped working with my body, just poisoned and covered it by new tattoo. I wanted to re-create myself."
In 2005, he was so much touched by the grief of the tsunami victims that he sold his gold medal for the 17’000$ and donated all money to help them.
With poor health and virtually broke, Ervin didn't know where to go. A former colleague in the national team invited him to teach at the swim school, which he opened. It wasn't a question of returning to sport: Ervin needed money, and it was a good opportunity to earn. When he was working with children and with unstable teenagers, Ervin suddenly was able to relax and not to perceive the pool only as a field for competition. Training helped him to abandon dependency:
" My body literally came to life."
In 2008 he was restored as a student in the University of California at Berkeley. He studied literature and discovered a passion for medieval texts. In the end, in 2010, he wanted to swim again. In 2012 Anthony took part in the summer Olympic games in London. At a distance of 50 meters freestyle Ervin managed to reach the final, but took only the 5-th place. Now Ervin most concentrated on his training:
" I'm sick of sex, drugs, rock-and-roll and self-destruction, now i seek only to creation ".
This man gives me a mixed feelings: outrage over the way he ordered his talent, or respect for his willpower. We all can to lose our way, and not all of us have enough strength to return on it. In the future, i think, somebody will make a movie about Ervin's life.
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