Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson was a distance freestyler who won a bronze medal in the 1,500 metre freestyle at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. His bronze medal time of 14:56.81 was a US record and made him only the second American to better 15 minutes for the distance. His mark would stand as an American record for four years.

Thompson won two bronze medals at the Pan Pacific Championships, in the 1999 1,500 free and the 2002 800 freestyle. He won another bronze in the 1,500 at the 2003 Pan American Games. He swam at the 2002 and 2006 World Short-Course Championships, winning a silver in the 2002 1,500 and bronze that year in the 4x200 freestyle relay, adding another bronze in the 4x2 relay in 2006.

Thompson attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 2001, and being named an All-American four times. He held NCAA and US records in the 1,650 yard freestyle for 11 years.

Thompson settled near Chicago with his wife, Lindsey Smith, a former Michigan swimmer, where he coached swimming technique to the Great Lakes Naval Base Navy Seal recruits, and had earlier coached the Plymouth Canton Cruisers swim team in Plymouth, Michigan.