Cullen Jones started taking swimming lessons at the age of five after nearly drowning at a water park. After learning to swim, Jones went on to excel in swimming at the highest level. Today, he is a two-time Olympian (2008 and 2012).
In this video, Jones talks about being a role model in the African American community.
http://youtu.be/_eGFV8cAVBY
With his record-breaking gold medal win in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing, Jones became the first African-American to break a long-course swimming world record and only the second African American to win swimming gold.
Jones, who currently lives in Charlotte, is training in hopes of competing once again in the upcoming Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, is also an ambassador for USA Swimming Foundation's "Make a Splash" initiative, a program aimed highlighting the importance of learning to swim, especially aimed at ethnic minorities.
The USA Swimming Foundation approached him and presented him with a stunning statistic — 70 percent of African American children don’t know how to swim.
“I started thinking about my mom, my cousins, my family that are at risk when they are near water and how they are not comfortable near water, that is something that blew me away and I decided this was my way to give back… I am happy to teach kids and help them have a great experience around water, so that maybe - you never know, they may become competitive swimmers. But most importantly, it’s about (children) getting lessons they need because the drowning rates are entirely too high. We have the vaccine to the problem: the cure is swim lessons,” he told The AJC in a recent interview.
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