August 12, 2008 US swimmer Klete Keller smiles after winning the
men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay swimming heat at the National
Aquatics Center in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. GREG WOOD /
AFP
US Olympic swimming gold medalist Klete Keller was
charged by the Justice Department Wednesday with participating in
the January 6 attack on Congress by supporters of President Donald
Trump.
Keller was filmed as part of the crowd that illegally entered
the huge Rotunda hall of the Capitol after violent protesters broke
through police lines and forced their way in.
A statement accompanying formal charges unveiled Wednesday said
police identified the three-time Olympian first by what appears to
be an official team jacket bearing the large logo “USA” on the back
and an arm patch that read “United States Olympic team.”
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He was charged with illegally entering the Capitol, violent or
disorderly conduct, and obstructing law enforcement.
Keller, 38, competed in the Olympics in 2000, 2004, and 2008,
taking two golds and a silver in the 4×200 meter freestyle relays,
and two bronzes in the individual 400-meter freestyle.
His 2004 relay gold in Athens was one of the most celebrated
races in swimming, with a US star team that included Michael
Phelps, against an Australian foursome led by the powerful champion
Ian Thorpe.
In the anchor position, he was able to hold off a surging Thorpe
for the win, ending years of Australian dominance in the event.
His life after the Olympics was rocky, with a divorce, multiple
lost jobs, and plunge into homelessness and living out of his car
for a time, he told The Olympic Channel in a 2018 podcast.
AFP
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