Former Limestone Swimmer Selected For Olympic Games

Former Limestone College swimmer Sean Gunn has been selected to swim for his home country of Zimbabwe in the 2016 Olympic Games....

The Harare native, who is currently a rising senior at the University of Kentucky, will compete in the 100-meter freestyle, an event in which he is the national record holder.

Gunn earned All-America honors in both the 50 and 100 freestyle at the Division II Men’s NCAA Championships while at Limestone College.

Gunn is one of just two Zimbabwean swimmers who will be performing at the Olympics, along with three-time Olympian Kirsty Coventry. The top African Olympian in history in any sport, Coventry claimed gold in the 200-meter backstroke in both 2004 and 2008 and has also won four silver and one bronze at the Olympics.

The selection process for Zimbabwe is different than the United States, which appoints Olympic Team members out of the Olympic Trials. Coventry automatically qualified in August 2015 with a swim in the 100m back, leaving any remaining spots left to the discretion of the International Swimming Federation.

Gunn was selected out of a number of other competitors who specialized in a variety of strokes based on a higher number of International Swimming Federation points, which he accrued by swimming in various international competitions such as the World Championships, All-Africa Games, and Zimbabwe Nationals.

At the national championships this summer, Gunn was the national champion in all his events, further helping his chances at being selected.

Gunn will swim the prelims of the 100m free-style on Tuesday, August 9.

(Accompanying photo: Gunn at NCAA Division II championships.)