Andrew Gemmell Closes Fast To Get To London

OMAHA, Nebraska. July 3. ANDREW Gemmell is a chameleon. He switches gears when he needs to and changes speeds with a purpose.

America's best crossover swimmer is a 10K silver medalist at the 2009 world championships and a gold medalist in the 5K Team Pursuit at the 2011 world championships, but he turned his Olympic focus to the pool when he narrowly missed the opportunity to qualify for the 10K marathon swim.

The University of Georgia student made the USA Olympic Swim Team in the 1500m freestyle on the last night of the USA Olympic Trials with a come-from-behind victory that resulted in his best time of 14:52.

Gemmell's rivals, both in the pool and open water, know that he has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality while racing. Starting in the pack, Gemmell gradually picks up speed in his races, building in the second half and closing to a crescendo like he did in Omaha. He has done it time and time again in the open water and he did it in the pool when it counted most. “I just wanted to treat it like open water, and I knew I had to swim my own race. I knew people would be going out faster than me, and I would have to race coming home. I didn't really want to have much left for the end. I just wanted to let my adrenaline take me from there. I figured that would carry me through the last 100. .”

The 21-year-old Delaware native, widely recognized for his work ethic, can now pack his bags to London.

He may not be smearing on lanolin or swimming with numbers written on his shoulders, but Gemmell will be taking his goggles and swimming fast in London nevertheless.

Courtesy of Open Water Source

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