Clit Keller was arrested for joining the parliamentary intrusion. AFP=Yonhap News
Clit Keller, 38, a former US swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, shed tears of repentance. Keller, along with supporters of US President Donald Trump, joined the intrusion of Congress, and was arrested after a video of wearing a national team uniform clearly engraved with the phrase’USA’ was confirmed.
On the 18th (local time), the New York Times reported that Keller, a former US swimmer, was crying over a phone call with his college teacher and regretted his actions. His teacher, Mark Schubert, said, “Keller cried as he repeatedly said,’I’m sorry for disappointment.’
Keller, along with Michael Phelps and Ryan Rockty, was one of the leading actors in the heyday of men’s swimming in the United States. He participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a US representative and won the gold medal in the men’s 800m relay.
However, after the retirement of the two Olympics, life was not smooth. The family was broken, and it is said that he suffered from life to the point of living in a car for a while without a home. In fact, in an interview with NBC Sports in 2014, he regretted that “I should have retired after winning the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.”
With this arrest, his life is expected to become even worse. A Colorado real estate company he was working for fired him shortly after it became aware of a congressional invasion. The federal prosecution has been charged with three charges, including obstructing the execution of public affairs.
The reaction in the sports world is also cold, such as public opinion saying’Let’s deprive the Olympic medals’. “Keller got along with the wrong crowd, and he went where he shouldn’t,” said John Urbanchek, the manager of the US swimming national team. According to Keller’s acquaintances, he has been posting articles and photos related to Trump support through social networking services (SNS) since several years ago.
Reporter Jang Joo-young [email protected]