1. Cullen Andrew Jones was born on February 29,1984 and is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specializes in freestyle sprint events.
11 Facts About Cullen Jones
1. 2.
Cullen Jones became an age-group swimmer at Metro Express, a club team at the Jewish Community Center in West Orange, New Jersey under head coach Ed Nessel.
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Cullen Jones later switched teams to the Jersey Gators Swim Club in Cranford under Lou Petroziello.
4.
Cullen Jones graduated from Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark in 2002.
5.
Cullen Jones attended North Carolina State University, where he studied English and swam for the NC State Wolfpack swimming and diving team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association competition from 2003 to 2006.
6.
Cullen Jones turned professional in the summer of 2006, after signing with Nike and burst onto the scene shortly after at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships where he set a meet record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.84 seconds.
7.
Cullen Jones is the first African-American to hold a world record in swimming.
8.
At the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, Cullen Jones broke the American record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.59.
9.
In July 2009, Cullen Jones set the American record in the 50-meter freestyle at the US National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
10.
Cullen Jones competed in the 100-meter freestyle, but did not qualify for the event finals.
11.
The 2012 US Olympic swim team was the first US Olympic swim team with more than one black swimmer on it, Cullen Jones made history with Anthony Ervin and Lia Neal by being the three African-Americans on the team.