Anthony Ervin is the first American Black gold medalist. He tied with Gary Hall Jr. in the 50 free in the 2000 Athens Olympics. He was also part of the silver medal winning 4 x 100 relay team. He was 19.

The following year, he also won gold in the 50 and 100 free events in the World Championships in Fukuoka,Japan. He also won the NCAA championship in the 100 free that year.

What happened after that could be contributed to burnout, confusion, being lost, or all of the above.

He retired from swimming in 2004, before the Olympic trials. He left college without graduating, hoping to become a musician. His retirement canceled a speedo endorsement, and even though he said he didn’t want to live by the dollar, Ervin did say that the money may have kept him in the sport.

In 2005, Ervin sold his gold medal in an online auction. He donated the $17,000 it netted to Unicef’s Tsunami Relief Fund.

He also returned to competitive swimming in 2005. While touring Japan in 2005, Ervin was looking for some way to make a difference. Weeks after returning home, the tsunami hit the are he had just been visiting. He found what he needed to do: sell his medal and give the money to the relief effort.

In his enigmatic style, Ervin sold the medal, which he felt reminded him of his selfish pursuit of the gold medal, and he used this selfless act as a chance to get back into swimming. He talked of winning another gold. His former coach said that he could see Ervin competing until 2012.

But Anthony Ervin had to want it. The field was too crowded and competitive for someone who was not serious.

He’s still a young man. It is hard to find any current information on Anthony Ervin. He sounds like a very talented swimmer who has lost his way. He is really into being a guitar player with tatooed arms. He went from being agnostic to being a mix of three religions, including buddhism.

I could find no trace of his having swum in the 2008 Olympic trials, even though there was a lot of media coverage on Gary Hall Jr., the man he tied with in 2000. I’d be interested to see if Ervin’s coach was right about his swimming in the 2012 Olympics.