Gold Medal Swimmer Ervin to Speak at Clarke

Three-time Olympian Anthony Ervin, who won two gold medals in the Rio Games, will talk about his inspiring and incredible journey when he speaks at Clarke University on Wednesday, Oct. 26, as part of the Mackin-Mailander Lecture Series. Ervin’s lecture is titled “Morality of Wellness.”

Ervin will speak at 7 p.m. in the Robert and Ruth Kehl Center on the Clarke campus. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets are free for K-12 students. Tickets are available at clarke.edu/anthonyervin.

Ervin, 35, won the 50-meter freestyle and was part of the Gold Medal 4 x 100 freestyle relay in Rio. Ervin also won a gold medal in the 50 freestyle at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and is a former world record holder in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. Ervin also qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in the 50 freestyle.

After winning Olympic gold, two World Championships, and seven NCAA titles, Ervin retired at the young age of 22. He then spent several years traveling the world and exploring other interests, including his higher education, music, tattoos, teaching people all over the world about swimming, and tsunami flood relief. His vision is to use his experiences and his platform as a chance to give back and inspire people of all ages to live the life they love.

Ervin’s story is especially unique in that he is the first swimmer of African American descent, along with Jewish heritage, to make the U.S. Olympic team. He also grew up with Tourette’s syndrome. Over the years, Ervin has grown to embrace his place in the world as an opportunity to reach out and give back. Ervin’s memoir, Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian, was released this spring.