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Home > Featured Stories > Embracing Diversity > August 2007 > Breaking Records, Shattering StereotypesBreaking Records, Shattering Stereotypes
A medal at the 2008 Olympics [in Beijing, China] is certainly something that is reasonable for him to dream about.
NC State swimming coach Brooks Teal
Former Wolfpack swimmer Cullen Jones won an NCAA championship while at NC State.
Cullen Jones has been called the Tiger Woods of swimming because the parallels are so obvious. Both are African-Americans who produced success in sports dominated by white athletes, landed lucrative Nike sponsorship deals and reached the pinnacle of their professions.
But unlike Tiger, who was hitting golf balls on national television at age 2, Jones didn't even take up his sport until middle school. He arrived at North Carolina State University in 2002 as a skinny, inexperienced swimmer who had never qualified for any of the major junior championships.
Four years later, Jones won an NCAA championship in the 50-yard freestyle, then turned professional and quickly made history at the Pan American Championships in Victoria, Canada, becoming the first African-American swimmer to own part of a world record. He joined Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, and Neil Walk in shattering the 4x100 relay mark, then one day later, broke a meet record on his own with a 21.84-second effort in the 50-meter freestyle, the fourth-fastest time in U.S. history and the best time in the world in 2006.
Earlier this year, he joined the same 4x100 relay group in winning a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships, and he claimed a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle, which he hopes will qualify him for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
"He has a remarkable drive," former NC State women's swimmer Kendall Smith said of Jones. "There is something burning inside him. He's not vocal about it-he keeps it inside him. He has never brought up what that drive is-you just know it is there. I think he is phenomenal. Yet he is a very humble person. I hope to see him at the Olympics. I know he can do it."
Ironically, former NC State NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist David Fox says that Jones' relative inexperience may be a blessing in disguise as he prepares for the possibility of Beijing.
"It is hard to maintain focus," Fox said. "I think it is hard on your body as well. I think as fast as he is, that is a huge advantage for him. I think his body will be more durable. He has been able to develop physically without the trauma that your body goes through if you train too hard when you are very young.
"He probably still has some of the excitement that a very young person would have when they see such a dramatic improvement year to year. He is certainly mentally able to handle everything that comes his way."
That includes his sudden stardom.
"It's pretty cool when I can go into a crowded auditorium in front of hundreds of kids that are screaming their heads off," Jones said. "I am in awe, looking to see if Brad Pitt or someone just walked in. It's a great feeling to talk to kids and have them come up to you and say, 'You are my inspiration.'
"Four years ago, no one knew who I was."