All young swimmers aim to one day represent the red, white and blue at the Olympics, but just a select few ever get to live that dream out.
It’s been estimated that the chances for a USA Swimming member to make the national team are less than .0013%.
To win an Olympic medal, going up against the best from across the globe — including your own country — is even more improbable.
Michael Brinegar isn’t bringing home any hardware this summer, but in no way does that take away from any of his achievements in Tokyo.
Last week, the Columbus native placed 17th in both the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles while representing Team USA.
Brinegar didn’t make it to the finals of either event, but still went up against the very best the world has to offer.
In one of his races, the 800, he swam against teammate Bobby Finke, who went on to win gold for the U.S. in the event. Bronze medalist Mykhalio Romanchuk, of Ukraine, was also in Brinegar’s heat.
The USA once again dominated the swimming events during the Olympics, bringing home 30 combined medals between the men’s and women’s events; 10 more than second-place Australia.
Brinegar, 21, will forever be recognized as the first Olympian to ever come from Columbus, Indiana. He has joined an elite fraternity of athletes, and will carry that title the rest of his life.
We look forward to continuing to follow Brinegar’s swimming journey, and thank him for representing the community in an upstanding manner during the games.
Send comments to [email protected].
