Aaron Peirsol
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"Aaron Wells Peirsol" is an American former competition swimming (sport)/swimmer and backstroke specialist who is a former world champion and world record-holder. He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic Games/Olympic medalist (five gold, two silver). As a member of the U.S. national team, he holds the world record in the men's 4×100-meter medley relay (long course). Individually, he currently holds the world record in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke events (long course). In February 2011, Peirsol announced his retirement, saying, "I ended up doing everything I set out to do."

Peirsol's successes have earned him the Swimming World Swimmers of the Year#American Swimmer of the Year/American Swimmer of the Year Award once. He has won a total of thirty-six medals in major international competition, twenty-nine gold, six silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the FINA World Aquatics Championships/World, Pan American Games/Pan American, and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships/Pan Pacific Championships.

More Aaron Peirsol on Wikipedia.

I'm just elated. I hoped, but I didn't think I'd really be able to do that.

I feel like a host, ... It's pretty sweet. The pool, it looks like a completely different pool. It's got some big stands, flags, banners, cameras, and who knows what all.

Instead of eight days, it's going to be one day: boom, boom, boom.

Overall, it was pretty much where I wanted to go tonight. My 100 (back) was pretty good, so I have a good shot tomorrow. I don't want to race anybody in particular. I just want to race. I'm not scared of anybody.

Couldn't have asked for a better meet as far as the competition goes. Those are some great fans sitting out there, a lot of kids and that's kind of who we're trying to reach with this.

This is fun. This rejuvenates you. It keeps you young.

I'm starting to feel very possessive about it. I feel like I've got a good grip on it, only in the sense that I know how I need to swim it, whether I'm feeling good, bad or in between.

It was better than I expected, but I don't feel like I've reached at all what I'm capable of.

Coming off the Olympics and breaking the world record, it's been pretty spectacular. I'm happy with my season.