This year’s event, hosted by Bob Costas of NBC Sports, celebrated the accomplishments of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swim Team. Team USA dominated the competition in London, earning 31 medals – 16 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze.
Eight swimmers are among the candidates who have made the short list for nominations for Laureus World Sports Awards. No aquatic athlete has ever won a Laureu Award in any category.
Overcoming adversity and still living your dreams is something U.S. Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau knows all too well. The former Parkview standout has been to two Olympics (one gold medal), having fought cancer in between. All of this culminated in his Swim for Your Life program, a LiveStrong event for open-water swimming.
By the time Eric Shanteau first put on a Cub Scout uniform, he had already been swimming for five years. As he got older, Shanteau, who learned to swim at age 3, found a way to keep both of these parallel lives afloat.
The athletes representing Team USA in London are about as top-notch as they come. They’re quick, have incredible strength and endurance, and they’re dedicated. But they’re also human.
