Swim News: The USA Swimming Foundation reports that six-time Olympic medalist and breaststroke specialist, Brendan Hansen, has been named to its board of directors.
“Swimming has meant so much to me, as well as to my family, and I look forward to giving back to the sport that has given so much to me,” said Hansen. “As a new dad-to-be, I am especially excited about the USA Swimming Foundation’s efforts to help kids learn to swim, and I look forward to contributing to the future of my sport at the grassroots and national levels.”
Hansen has a long history in the sport. In addition to banking hardware since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he has been vocal about athletes’ rights and promoting sport. His role on the USA Swimming Foundation board will certainly give him an opportunity to make an impact.
Since Debbie Hesse came onboard as Executive Director of the USA Swimming Foundation, she has emphasized the foundation’s dual mission, Saving Lives and Building Champions. While Make a Splash, their national water-safey initiative, captures most of the headlines with their Olympic ambassador Cullen Jones, building champions is important as well. The USA Swimming Foundation, as the philanthropic arm of USA Swimming, also provides financial support to the USA National Team.
The big question is whether or not Hansen will, in fact, retire. Some reports indicate he has. It would seem, with the next Olympics being after Hansen’s 34th birthday, that his career would be over. But with a bronze and a gold medal from the 2012 London Olympic Games, he’s shown he clearly has some speed left, and it’s hard to ever say ‘never’ anymore.
Well deserved.
By the way, unrelated, Milorad Cavic announced retirement.
Come on keep up: http://swimswam.com/2012/10/milorad-cavic-signs-papers-makes-retirement-official/
Congrats Brendan. Great person and real winner in London. Now that cheater Amrstrong (another not so worthy Austinate) is stripped of his trophies, it is now time to strip Olympic gold medal from the cheat Van Der Burgh.I still have sick feeling in my stomach from his cheating and “admitting.”