Sad news: Fran Crippen, 26, passes away

Former Member
Former Member
Full story: www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../25369.asp Excerpt: Passages: Fran Crippen, 26 - FINA, USA Swimming Release Statements -- October 23, 2010 FUJAIRAH, United Arab Emirates, October 23. SHORTLY after the FINA Open Water 10K World Cup swim today in the UAE, United States swimmer Fran Crippen, 26, passed away after falling unconscious during the race. With the water in the mid-to-high 80s, the competitors all finished and noticed that Crippen had not crossed the finish line. Meet management brought in deep sea divers, who found Crippen unconscious just before the final buoy nearly two hours later. He was transported to the Fujairah Hospital and later died according to information provided to Swimming World. Conflicting reports state that he was found dead on the course. Crippen had shown signs of slowing down during the third lap of the five-lap race. When Crippen did not immediately finish, a fact noticed by teammate Alex Meyer who screamed for help, the competing swimmers rushed back into the water to help with the search. Information provided to Swimming World demonstrates that the water was likely too hot for the event as several swimmers were treated for heat exhaustion after the race....
Parents
  • i wonder if he's confused with scuba divers perhaps? according to my father (who is a certified dive master), the typical sign for a diver in distress on the surface is putting their mask on their forehead or top of their head (if there's nothing wrong, they'll put their mask around their neck)... i'm not an open water swimmer, but i've been to quite a few swims as a spectator (and heard my fair share of pre-race briefings) and i've never heard about removing goggles if in distress.
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  • i wonder if he's confused with scuba divers perhaps? according to my father (who is a certified dive master), the typical sign for a diver in distress on the surface is putting their mask on their forehead or top of their head (if there's nothing wrong, they'll put their mask around their neck)... i'm not an open water swimmer, but i've been to quite a few swims as a spectator (and heard my fair share of pre-race briefings) and i've never heard about removing goggles if in distress.
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