Ervin’s Gold Medal Auction Brings $17,100 for Tsunami Relief

BERKELEY, Calif., May 9. IT’S official, Anthony Ervin is in search of an Olympic gold medal. The 23-year-old has also done his part in helping humanity.

As expected, Ervin auctioned his 2000 Olympic gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle on eBay, and the piece of hardware fetched $17,100 to provide aid to the tsunami relief effort. Upon seeing the devastation the tsunami caused in Southeast Asia, Ervin decided to lend a hand. His support was in auctioning a meaningful award.

After leaving the sport for more than a year, Ervin decided to return to the pool during the winter and is training with Mike Bottom, his sprint coach from his days at Cal-Berkeley. Ervin is aiming for a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team that will compete in Beijing, China.

Before opting away from the sport, Ervin had established himself as one of the premier sprint freestylers in the world. Aside from tying Gary Hall Jr. for the 50 free gold at the Sydney Olympics, Ervin, at one point, held the American record in the 100 freestyle.

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