Othniel Hermes

Jeffrey Float Othniel Hermes

Publisher Marketing: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Jeffrey "Jeff" James Float (born April 10, 1960 in Buffalo, New York) is a former American swimmer, world record holder, world champion and Olympic champion. He made the 1980 Moscow Olympic Swimming Team, which was boycotted by the U. S. and four years later competed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. There he was named team captain by his peers, received a gold medal in 4 200 m freestyle relay and finished 4th in the 200m individual freestyle event. Float lost most of his hearing and nearly his life to viral meningitis when he was 13 months old. He is 90% deaf in his right ear and 65% in his left and became the only legally deaf athlete from the USA to win an Olympic gold medal. When he emerged from the pool after swimming the third leg for the American 4 x 200 relay, he heard the roar of the crowd. "It was the first time I remember hearing distinctive cheers at a meet. I'll never forget what 17,000 screaming people sound like. It was incredible!" Float said. He graduated from both Jesuit High School in Sacramento and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in business administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.