When American swimmer Cullen Jones won a gold medal Monday in the thrilling 4×100 meter freestyle relay in Beijing, he became only the second U.S. Olympic swimming champion of African-American descent (Anthony Ervin was the first, in 2000). He hopes his success will be a big boost in his personal campaign to promote diversity in the sport and help minorities learn how to swim. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer has the story from Beijing.

Cullen Jones, center, at the medal ceremony of the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay final, 11 Aug 2008 Cullen Jones swam the third leg for the world record record-breaking U.S. 4×100 relay team (3:08.24) in a win that included his more well-known teammate Michael Phelps.It was likely obvious to television viewers both in the United States and around the world, that Jones is one of the rare athletes of color in the sport.

Jones’ initial interest was gymnastics. The 24-year-old Jones stands 1.96-meter tall. As a child, he started out in gymnastics. But when his coach looked at how tall his parents were, he told them Cullen would likely do better in another sport. Cullen’s mother, Debra, says she was not surprised her son ended up as a swimmer. “I kind of knew that Cullen was going to be a water baby. He was a kid that I could leave in the [bath] tub and he would sit there for hours,” he said. “And he would cry when I would take him out of the tub.” Mom says swimming came naturally

Cullen Jones was born and raised around New York City. He started swimming at age eight. He became more competitive through the years, and he credits his parents for giving him inspiration and getting him to his early morning swim practices. “I had practice in New York and we were living in New Jersey an hour away, and I’d have 5:30 in the morning practice. We’d get up really, really early and my parents would sit in the car and wait for me to finish practice. And, my [swimming] friends always thought my parents were snipers [laughs] and were kind of worried, but that’s just the dedication my parents had,” Jones said. Cullen’s father died of lung cancer in 2000, and was not able to witness his son’s noteworthy achievements through the recent years.

Cullen Jones, center, at the medal ceremony of the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay final, 11 Aug 2008 Cullen Jones swam the third leg for the world record record-breaking U.S. 4×100 relay team (3:08.24) in a win that included his more well-known teammate Michael Phelps.It was likely obvious to television viewers both in the United States and around the world, that Jones is one of the rare athletes of color in the sport.

Jones’ initial interest was gymnastics. The 24-year-old Jones stands 1.96-meter tall. As a child, he started out in gymnastics. But when his coach looked at how tall his parents were, he told them Cullen would likely do better in another sport. Cullen’s mother, Debra, says she was not surprised her son ended up as a swimmer. “I kind of knew that Cullen was going to be a water baby. He was a kid that I could leave in the [bath] tub and he would sit there for hours,” he said. “And he would cry when I would take him out of the tub.” Mom says swimming came naturally
Cullen Jones was born and raised around New York City. He started swimming at age eight. He became more competitive through the years, and he credits his parents for giving him inspiration and getting him to his early morning swim practices. “I had practice in New York and we were living in New Jersey an hour away, and I’d have 5:30 in the morning practice. We’d get up really, really early and my parents would sit in the car and wait for me to finish practice. And, my [swimming] friends always thought my parents were snipers [laughs] and were kind of worried, but that’s just the dedication my parents had,” Jones said. Cullen’s father died of lung cancer in 2000, and was not able to witness his son’s noteworthy achievements through the recent years.