 On his way to the 2008 Olympics, Eric has ridden a
rollercoaster that included being diagnosed with testicular cancer, swimming the
fastest 50m breaststroke split in the history of the 200 IM and having his
father diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite the turmoil, Eric made the 2008 US
Olympic Team in the 200m Breaststroke.
The 11-Time NCAA All-American at Auburn University became the first American to
win both the 200 and 400 IM events at the World University Games following a
disheartening finish at the 2004 Olympic Trials where Eric he placed third and
narrowly missed making his first Olympic Team.
In July of 2007, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer and began
chemotherapy treatments. Less than a year later, on June 19, 2008 Eric was
diagnosed with testicular cancer. Still in pursuit of the dream he’d been
working toward his whole life, Eric consulted several doctors, and after a
series of medical tests with one week to go before Trials he was cleared to
swim. He traveled to Omaha under the assumption that even if he made the team,
he may never see Beijing. In a bittersweet victory Eric qualified for the
Olympic Team and after another torturous round of testing and weighing his
options with the risks; he chose to continue on with his dream of competing in
the Olympics.
Through it all, the one thing that was not difficult for Eric was his decision
to go public with his illness. The tremendous amount of support he received from
his friends, family, complete strangers, and other cancer survivors gave Eric
the courage he needed to fight both for his health and for his Olympic dream.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• 2009 World Championships (4th 100m Breastroke,
2nd 200m freestyle, 3rd 200m individual medley, 1st
4x100 medley relay)
• 2008 Olympian
• Eleven-time All-American
• 2005 World University Games Double Gold Medalist
(200 IM, 400 IM)
• US National Champion
• 2007 U.S. National Championship Silver Medalist –
200m Breaststroke & 200m IM
• 2007 U.S. National Championship Bronze Medalist –
100m Breaststroke & 400m IM
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