Southland Swimmer Wins Second Gold Medal of 2016 Games

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — Anthony Ervin of Valencia won the men's 50-meter freestyle Saturday night at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, 16 years after first winning a gold medal in the event.

Ervin won in 21.40 seconds, 0.1 of a second off the Olympic record and 0.03 of a second off the American record.

"It's surreal, kind of absurd, and you know when I touched, turned around and saw the 1 next to my name, I kind of smiled and laughed," Ervin said.

"Then I wanted to show a little bit of emotion for the effort I'd put in, for my friends, for my family, for those watching at home and in the stands.

"It's been an incredible journey to think that after 16 years I'm back on the podium at the Olympic Games. But all the credit is to the love and support of my people, my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, my country.

"My people extend beyond the borders of the United States of America and into the world. They've all been a part of this. If I've achieved anything great, it was because I was upon their shoulders, and they lifted me up."

Finishing second behind Ervin was Florent Manaudou of France in 21.41. U.S. teammate Nathan Adrian was third in 21.49.

Ervin won a gold medal Sunday for his swim in a heat of the men's 4x100- meter freestyle relay.

Ervin also won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics when he tied teammate Gary Hall Jr. for first in the 50-meter freestyle.

Ervin graduated from Hart High School in Santa Clarita in 1999, then attended UC Berkeley. He said he began swimming when he was less than 1 year old and had an "early fascination with the feel and the freedom."

Ervin stopped swimming competitively at the age of 22 in 2003, auctioned off his 2000 Olympic gold medal on eBay to aid survivors of the tsunami that followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake but began to train again in 2011.

Tom Shields of Huntington Beach was seventh in the 100-meter butterfly.

— City News Service, photo courtesy of Team USA