People #1: Anthony Ervin. "Since I couldn't destroy myself, maybe I cannot be destroyed."

Most of you heard about Anthony Ervin, this guy won the gold olympic medal in swiming on the past week, and he is the oldest athlete, who did it (35 years). But have you heard his life-story?

Anthony Lee Ervin was born in 1981 in California. Mother Ervin is of Jewish origin, and his father is African American. His career has evolved very rapidly. In 2000, when he was 18 years old, he took part in the summer Olympic games in Sydney.

On the first day of competition Erwin in the composition of a relay team USA performed at a distance of 4×100-meter freestyle. In the final swim Erwin was entrusted to sail at the first stage. He showed the result 48,89 sec., and lose only to Michael Klim, who set a world record. Following the relay, the U.S. team won the silver medal of the games.

A few days later Anthony Ervin "raced" on the 50m freestyle. After two preliminary rounds, Irwin reached the final. In the final race Erwin competed with the world stars of swimming: two-time champion of the past Games - Gary Hall, the current champion of the games in the 100m and 200m freestyle-Pieter van den Hoogenband, and the defending champion in the 50m - Alexander Popov. The final outcome was sensational. Young Erwin showed the result 21,98 and took the first place.

Publications about Irvine flooded the media, although, frankly, it was not so much his athletic achievements, but in his the race. Journalists were besieging him with questions like "What's it like to be the first African-American swimmer, who won a gold medal?"

In 2002 Ervin decided leave sport, no one knew why. He quit school and swimming, started drinking and using drugs. One morning he woke up in jail not remembering what happened the night before.

"Others encouraged me to fight, not realizing that I just wanted to die."

Once he took a handful of tranquilizers and lost consciousness. But he did not die, woke up the next day. After Ervin had felt a certain sense of immortality.

"I thought, since I couldn't destroy myself, maybe I cannot be destroyed?".

He bought a sports bike. Escape from the cops Ervin crashed into the red Mustang and earned offset shoulder

"I wish I was dead".

He toured the country, changing one dubious profession to another. Then found religion, praying in Buddhist temples, went to Church, studied the Sufi mystics, fasting in Ramadan. However, Erwin continued to lead a lifestyle more appropriate for a rock star. Even played guitar in a band called "Weapons of Mass Destruction". In 2004, he was fired from the tattoo and piercing parlor in Berkeley.

"I just stopped working with my body, just poisoned and covered it by new tattoo. I wanted to re-create myself."

In 2005, he was so much touched by the grief of the tsunami victims that he sold his gold medal for the 17’000$ and donated the money to help the victims.

With poor health and virtually broke, Erwin didn't know where to go. A former colleague in the national team invited him to teach at the swim school, which he opened. It wasn't a question of returning to sport: Erwin needed the money, and it provided a good opportunity to earn. When working with children and with unstable teenagers, Erwin suddenly was able to relax and not to perceive the pool only as a field for competition. Training helped him to abandon dependency:

"My body is literally alive."

in 2008 he was restored as a student in the University of California at Berkeley. He studied literature and discovered her passion for medieval texts. And, in the end, in 2010, he again wanted to swim. In 2012 Anthony took part in the summer Olympic games in London. At a distance of 50 meters freestyle Ervin managed to reach the final, but took only 5-th place. Now Erwin most concentrated on in training:

"I'm sick of sex, drugs, rock-and-roll and self-destruction, I now seek only to creation".

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This man gives me mixed feelings: outrage over the way he ordered his talent, or respect for his willpower. After all, we can all lose our way, and not all have the strength to return on it. In thw future, i think, somebody will make a movie about Ervins life.

This is the first article about the unusual people of our time. I'll try to find more stories and regularly keep this topic. If you like it- follow me @seva