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How Olympic medalist Cullen Jones is making a difference for future swimmers

Cullen Jones is a four-time Olympic medalist and the first African American swimmer to hold a world record. Before this success though, he faced a near-death experience in the water and now dedicates his time to teaching kids how to swim.

Broadcast on:
22 Feb 2024
Cullen Jones smiles after his heat in the men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb.
Cullen Jones smiles after his heat in the men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb. (Mark J. Terrill / AP)

Cullen Jones is a four-time Olympic medalist and the first African American swimmer to hold a world record.

You might recall that he was part of the legendary world record-setting 4x100 relay team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He is also the founder of USA Swimming's Make a Splash program, which aims to make swim lessons accessible to all.

Cullen will be in Boise this evening, Feb. 22, to talk more about this, but first he stopped by Idaho Matters for a chat.