Fran Crippen: Latest Updates On Mysterious Death of Olympic Swimmer

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Fran Crippen was an excellent swimmer in the prime of his life and talent, but he was unable to finish a competition and was found dead in the water after the event by deep-sea divers.

There are a lot of questions surrounding his death.  With that in mind I'm here to give you the latest news about Crippen's story along with a little biographical information about the swimmer. If you have any questions or thoughts, make sure to leave them in the comments section

Fellow Swimmer Christine Jennings Speaks Out

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Christine Jennings, a fellow American swimmer who took part in the event, also had complications and wasn't happy with the conditions that day.

Jennings vomited several times in the water, became dizzy and had to veer off course, and feared she was going to pass out. She signaled for help but no one from the event came to her aid. She had to struggle to finish the race.

"It was a disaster," Jennings said to the Washington Post, "I'm floating on my back for several minutes, thinking 'Why isn't anybody checking on me?' ".

Crippen's Death to Be Investigated

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USA Swimming announced it would conduct its own investigation into Fran Crippen's death, separate from FINA, the body that staged the event.

"We are going to go through every avenue to see how this could happen," said Maddy Crippen to the Philadelphia Inquirer, "There should not be a drowning at a swimming event," she added. "He was at the top of his game."

It's good to see that the people involved are doing their due diligence to make sure that Crippen's family gets a proper answer to what happened in the water.

Swimmer Voiced Concerns Before Race

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Maddy Crippen, Fran Crippen's sister, went on Good Morning America and said that her brother had voiced his concerns about safety at events like these before his death.

"The one thing that I do know is that in the months leading up to this event my brother had written letters to different organizing committees about safety, the number of people that were there, the doctors that should be there, the support staff and the lack thereof," Crippen said.

It's clear that from what happened to Crippen and the statements from other swimmers that something wasn't up to standard at the event. Hopefully this will create some awareness and something good can come from a tragic situation.

Early Tests Suggest Heart Attack

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After preliminary medical tests, the early hypothesis is that Fran Crippen died of a heart attack while swimming this weekend.

Crippen died during the final leg of the race and was found by the final buoy on the course. It's hard to believe that someone in peak physical condition could be stricken by a heart attack, even in the worst of conditions.

It will be interesting to see what the full autopsy says.

Death Could Be Linked To Water Temperature

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After the event, numerous swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion as they struggled to finish the course swimming in water that was 87 degrees in temperature.

Swimmers complained about the temperature of the water according to the Washington Post, and according to the guidelines there are no maximum temperature requirements for racing, only minimum requirements.

I feel like after something like this, there will be guidelines in place for scenarios like this.

Statement From Event Officials

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When talking about the untimely death of Fran Crippen, it didn't seem like the organizers of the event were too sympathetic about the tragedy.

"We are sorry that the guy died but what can we do. This guy was tired and he pushed himself a lot," Ayman Saad, executive director of the UAE swimming association, said, "He went down 400 meters before the finish line," in Fujairah.

When you say things like "what can we do" it makes it seem like there wasn't an issue here when there clearly was.

Future Event Cancelled

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Swimming officials have canceled an upcoming swimming event in the United Arab Emirates in the same location where Fran Crippen died competing.

It's probably best to do that out of respect for Crippen and his family but I'm not sure the location has anything to do with what happened to Crippen. If the proper safety personnel is in place and people use common sense it will all work out.

That's something that didn't happen in Crippen's case.

Bio: From A Swimming Family

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Fran Crippen isn't the only member of his family to have success in the water.

All of his sisters are competitive swimmers, and one of his sisters, Maddy, was an Olympian at the 2000 Games. His sister Claire currently swims for the University of Virginia and is an All-American for the Cavaliers.

It's a big loss for such a proud swimming family.

Bio: College Career

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Fran Crippen made his name at the University of Virginia where he was an All-American selection 11 times over.

Crippen was named the ACC Swimmer of the Year in 2003 and 2004 and was named the Most Valuable Swimmer at the 2004 ACC Championships. He dominated the pool during his collegiate career and was one of the most decorated swimmers by the time of his graduation.

As I said earlier, his sister Claire is now a fourth year swimmer in the program.

Bio: International Success

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Following his collegiate career, Fran Crippen went on to compete in open-water swimming competitions.

Crippen earned a bronze medal in the 10K swim at the 2009 World Championships and also grabbed silver in the 10K at the 2006 and 2010 Pan Pacific Games. This past September, Crippen was named the Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year by USA Swimming.

Crippen won six US national titles as well.