Erik Vendt<\/strong> is one of the most underrated stars in the history of swimming. Known for his cool demeanor and relentless work ethic, Vendt dominated distance freestlye and the 400 individual medley in the United States during the late 90s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Vendt burst onto the scene at the 2000 Olympic trials where he broke George DiCarlo\u2019s<\/strong> 16-year-old American record in the 1500 freestyle and became the first American to break the 15 minute barrier with a 14:59.11. Vendt also finished a close second to the great Tom Dolan<\/strong> at those Olympic trials in the 400 IM. He would go on to win Silver in the 400 IM at the Sydney Olympics and remained a fixture in the event on the international stage through 2004 where he repeated as silver medalist in the Athens Olympics behind Michael Phelps<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Between his first two Olympics, Vendt had an outstanding NCAA career competing for the University of Southern California. During his time at USC, Vendt was a 13-time All-American, a five time individual NCAA Champion, and as a junior he was the 2002 NCAA swimmer of the year.<\/p>\n

Swimming legends like Dolan, Phelps and Ryan Lochte<\/strong> are what stood in the way of Vendt dominating the 400 IM on the international stage. No race displays this better than the 400 IM at the 2002 U.S. National Championships,\u00a0where both Phelps and Vendt swam under Dolan\u2019s world record with Phelps edging Vendt for the win. Longtime swimming announcer Sam Kendricks<\/strong> described it as \u201cone of the best races I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d and added, \u201cErik Vendt<\/strong> knew how to back half a 400 IM.\u201d<\/p>\n