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Fran Crippen

Fran Crippen
Personal information
Full name Francis Crippen
Nickname(s) "Fran"
National team  United States
Born (1984-04-17)April 17, 1984
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Died October 23, 2010(2010-10-23) (aged 26)
Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
College team University of Virginia

Francis Crippen (April 17, 1984 – October 23, 2010) was an American long-distance swimmer. After being a pool swimmer for most of his career, Crippen made the transition to open water swimming in 2006. In international competitions, Crippen won seven medals, five of which were in the open water and two in the pool. Crippen died during an open water swimming race in the United Arab Emirates in 2010 at the age of 26.

Crippen was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1984 to Pete and Pat Crippen. He graduated from Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania in 2002. Crippen graduated from the University of Virginia in 2006 where he majored in sociology.

Crippen started swimming at the age of six because of his sister Maddy. His three sisters are all also competitive swimmers. Maddy was a 2000 Olympian in the 400 individual medley and swam for Villanova University. His sister Claire is an NCAA All-American and Olympic Trials qualifier who swam for the University of Virginia. Teresa Crippen is a Pan-American Games Champion in the 200 meter backstroke and U.S. national team member.

Crippen swam for the University of Virginia, where he was an 11-time All-American and two-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) swimmer of the year. He earned a bronze medal as a member of USA Swimming at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. At the 2003 Pan American Games, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he won two individual silver medals in the 400 and 1500 m freestyle. Crippen represented the United States at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2006, where he earned a silver medal in the 10 km open water swim. From 2006 to 2008 Crippen represented the Mission Viejo Nadadores in California and swam for coach Bill Rose. In 2007, he earned a gold medal in the 10 km distance event at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two years later, Crippen won a bronze medal in the 10 km open water race at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships. A year later, Crippen again won silver in the 10 km at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California.


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