Chris Thompson

Christopher Lee Thompson (born November 30, 1978) is an American former competition swimmer who competed for the University of Michigan and participated in the 2000 summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle. He was the second American swimmer to break the 15-minute mark in the event, and held the American record for four years. He would later compete internationally in distance open water swimming events, and serve as a swim coach.

Early life and swimming Thompson was born November 30, 1978, in San Diego, California, to parents Tom and Nancy Thompson, according to a 2015 interview, though a few sources erroneously list his birthplace as Roseburg, Oregon. He grew up in Roseburg, Oregon and attended and swam for Roseburg High School, graduating in 1997. Beginning competitive swimming around the age of eight, he swam and trained as a distance swimmer in both Middle School and High School. As a swimming competitor at Roseburg High, Thompson performed consistently in competition, qualifying for the Oregon State Meet each of his four years with the team. He medaled at the state meet in at least one event each year of his High School swimming career. As a junior in 1996 at the Oregon State Championships, he captured a state title with an individual first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:42.27, and also took a state title in the 500-yard freestyle.

In the summer of 1996, as a gifted distance swimmer, he captured his first U.S. National title in the 1,500-meter freestyle, and would eventually win five more.

In 1996, he qualified for his first U.S. Olympic Trials, and competed with U.S. hopefuls in Indianapolis. He performed well, defeating several Division I college swimmers, and made it to the finals of the 1,500, finishing sixth, not placing high enough to make the U.S. Olympic team.

University of Michigan He attended the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team from 1997 to 2001. Both at Michigan and as a post-graduate, Chris swam under coach Jon Urbanchek. Urbanchek, who specialized in swimming distance as a collegiate competitor for Michigan from 1959-1961, was on two NCAA championship teams and was the national runner-up in the 1650-yard swim, the event in which Thompson would most excel. Thompson also credited Michigan Assistant Coach Eric Namesnik, a former Michigan swimmer and Olympic silver medalist, for helping him improve his technique and endurance. A critical part of his career training, Thompson swam with University of Michigan coaches at the University or at the Wolverines swim club, coached by Eric Namesnik, for a period of nine years. Thompson won the 500-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle in each of the Big Ten Championships in which he competed during his four years swimming for Michigan. In 2002, he completed his BA degree at the University of Michigan, and in 2007 earned a Masters degree at Eastern Michigan University.

2000 Olympics At the 2000 Olympic trials, Thompson placed second in the 1,500-meter freestyle final heats and made the U.S. team.

Open water distance swimming In 2001, Thompson win the 5K USA Swimming Open Water Championship at Millerton Lake, outside Clovis, California, with a time of 57:28.88, finishing ahead of 2000 Olympian Chad Carvin by a small margin. Carvin lost time in the race's second half, and crossed the finish 50 seconds after Thompson.

He represented the United States at a number of open water international championships, which included the prestigious 2004 FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Thompson was a first-place finisher at the San Francisco Bay 2002 RCP Tiburon Mile with a time of 21:07, and claimed the $10,000 prize. Thompson took the lead after the first 300 meters, but began increasing his lead at the halfway point, until he led by around 20 meters.

In 2017, he captured his second consecutive 10 km marathon swim with a time of 2:11.16, having previously won the event with a 2:06.14 in 2016.

Perhaps most notably, Thompson won the 2016 Might Mac Swim, a four mile race from Mackinaw City across the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan sanctioned by the World Open Water Swimming Series. The course usually follows the Mackinac Bridge from Michigan's Lower Peninsula, heading North to the Upper Peninsula. Despite the ever present chop, waves, cold and current typical for the Strait, Thompson completed the September 5, 2016 race, with a first place time of 1:44:16.4, and collected the $20,000 winner's prize. The current and cold water held the number of participants to around 30.

Post-swimming careers and coaching In 2002, he began coaching as an Assistant with Ann Arbor's Club Wolverine associated with the University of Michigan. From 2008-2011, he coached swimming technique to the Navy Seal Recruits at Chicago's Great Lakes Naval Base as part of the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School. While at Great Lakes, he lived outside Chicago with spouse Lindsey Smith an All American swimmer nine times at Michigan. Returning to Michigan, he has coached the Plymouth Canton Cruisers swim team in Plymouth, Michigan since 2011, and has conducted Open Water swim clinics. He has continued to coach the Cruisers at least part-time through 2016, and in 2015 worked for the material supply chain group of Roush Industries, providing Ford vehicle upgrades and upgrade kits.