by Stephanie Struyck Elgin • Photos by Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography
He’s an Olympic gold medalist, four-time world champion with seven NCAA titles under his belt.  He is an eight time American record breaker and held a world record in 2001.  Retired at the age of 22, the swimmer returned to the water just seven years later, winning the gold at the Chesapeake Pro-Am, putting himself back on top and in the spotlight.  After competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials and selected for the London Olympic Games in 2012, he is now training for the World Cup meets and World Championship…with his eyes fixed on Rio 2016.
He’s fast, he’s talented, he’s passionate and he’s dedicated.  Meet Anthony Ervin.
Born in Hollywood and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley, Anthony spent most of his youth in the pool.  “Swimming was my only sport,” states the medalist.  Anthony swam for the Canyon Aquatics Club and also competed on the Hart High School swim team, where he was the top ranked high school sprinter in the nation and named CIF Southern Section Most Valuable Swimmer.  Anthony trained six times a week with double workouts during the summer.  “From a commitment standpoint, I was pretty thorough.”
After graduating in 1999, Anthony attended UC Berkley and became the first swimmer for Cal, since swimmer Matt Biondi, to win multiple NCAA individual titles, and in his junior year, was named Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year.
While he dreamt of making the Olympic team, it didn’t manifest into a reality until he qualified at the U.S. Olympic trials in Indianapolis in 2000.  “It was the happiest moment ever,” states Anthony.  “All the sacrifice, all that time, all the ups and downs finally came through.”
It was at the 2000 Summer Olympics where Anthony took home a gold in the 50M Freestyle, being dubbed the fastest man on the planet at the age of 19.  “Winning the gold medal was completely unexpected, and the greatest part of it all was when I was on top of the podium and they started playing The Star Spangled Banner.  As I was looking up at our flag being raised, I was representing so much more than I really understood.  I was so proud, and I knew so many people felt proud as well…it was a wonderful feeling to discover it all in that moment.”
Anthony’s success didn’t stop at the gold, as he also took home an Olympic silver medal for the 4 x 100M Freestyle Relay.  Just a year later, he took two World Championship titles in the 50M Freestyle and the 100M Freestyle.
And then, just like that, he stepped out of the pool, walked away from the success and headed into retirement at the age of 22.  “I had reached all of my known goals, and felt like I wasn’t swimming for myself anymore,” states Anthony.  “I had made sacrifices and lost a part of who I was, and I wanted to get back to that.”
On Sunday, December 26, 2004, a massive tsunami occurred off the west coast of Indonesia, which triggered a series of devastating tsunamis, killing over 230,000 people in 14 different countries.  Anthony decided to sell his gold medal on eBay and donate the proceeds to Unicef.  “I was moving away from who I was,” states Anthony.  “Winning the gold was an element I felt so much pride in conquering, and to see hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives in a flash, I felt really weak and I wanted to do something to help.”
During retirement, Anthony returned to his love for music, played lead guitar in a heavy metal band and got an extensive amount of tattoo work, something he couldn’t do as an elite athlete who spent most of his time in the water.  Anthony even relocated to New York City, where he started getting involved in swimming as a teacher and a coach.  He returned to UC Berkeley to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English, and is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Education.
“When I was in grad school, I was forced to look at my past and its skeletons, and I didn’t realize I had a lot of unfinished business and development,” states Anthony.  “I spent time, completely away from the water, and I didn’t miss it, but even now, there’s nothing I miss about the way I did it before.  I was so young, and I was very driven by the competition of it all.  It was about the race, not the practice.” Anthony continues, “I realize now, it’s not just about the competition, but about who I am.  It goes beyond the swimming pool.”
In December of 2011, Anthony returned to the sport, swimming in his first USA swim meet in seven years and taking home a gold.  In 2012, at the SC World Championships in Turkey, Anthony came home with two golds, one bronze in the 50M Freestyle, 4 x 100M Freestyle and the 4 x 100M Medley.  Over the summer, Anthony competed at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, where he took home a silver medal in the 400M Free Relay, and had the fastest non-tech suit time in American history in the 50M Free.  Anthony is currently at UC Berkley and training alongside Olympic Gold medalist Natalie Coughlin and Nathan Adrian.  “I’m prepping for the next two legs of the World Cup Tour,” states Anthony.  “I will be traveling to Dubai and Doha in October, come back for a week, and then I’m off to Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing.”
“I get to swim for a living, and while it may be a short lived opportunity, it’s enough time to get me to the 2016 Olympic trials and then on to the Summer Olympic games in Rio.”
We wish you the best of luck at the World Cup 2013, Anthony!
For more information about Anthony Ervin, visit www.anthonyervin.com.