Fran Crippen
Francis " Fran" Crippen ( born April 17, 1984 in Bryn Mawr, † October 23, 2010 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates ) was an American swimmer.
Fran Crippen came from a loving family swimming. His three sisters are also active in swimming. Maddy Crippen took in 2000 at the Olympic Games in Sydney in part, Claire Crippen launched at U.S. Championships and is in the NCAA Women's Swimming and Teresa Crippen won two titles at the Pan American Games in 2007.
Crippen studied at the University of Virginia, where he also started. Eleven times he was All-American, he has twice won the Swimmer of the Year of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was twice U.S. champion 800 - meter freestyle. In 2001 he won in Brisbane as a member of the U.S. team at the Goodwill Games his first international medal: a bronze. Two years later, the specialist won over the medium and especially long distance in Santo Domingo in the Pan American Games in 2003 over 400 - and 1500 - meter freestyle silver medals. Also at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria in 2006, he won a silver medal.
Crippen was changed to open water swimming in the pool this season and was behind Chip Peterson Second over 10 kilometers. From 2006 to 2008, he swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores and was coached by Bill Rose. The Pan American Games in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro bestowed Crippen about 10 km the first and only international title win at the same time. Two years later, the Americans reached in Rome at the World Swimming Championships in 2009 his greatest international success when he won the bronze medal over 10 kilometers past Thomas Lurz and his compatriot Andrew Gemmell. About five kilometers he was also seventh. The following year he repeated at the open water world championships 2010 in Roberval this medal win behind Lurz and Evgeny Drattsev, now over 5 kilometers. About 10 kilometers he missed in fourth place just another medal. In Viedma and Cancún in 2010 he won also two World Cup races over 10 kilometers. Last major event was the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2010 in Irvine, where Crippen won over the 10 - kilometer distance behind Chip Peterson silver.
At the World Cup race in October 2010 in the Arab emirate of Fujairah, he did not reach the target and was found two hours after the end of the race by divers at one of the turning buoys. At the hospital, only his death could not be determined. The cause of death was possibly cardiovascular failure. After the competition, several other swimmers had to be treated for overheating due to high temperatures.