Tom Dolan

４００－meter individual medley1) gold winner at Sydney Olympic Games

Dlan began swimming at age ５，because his older sister Kathleen was a swimmer．"Whatever she did，I wanted to beat her，"he says．While he says he was a "pool rat"as a child，he didn't aggressively2) pursue swimming until his freshman year in high school．Golf was his favorite sport then ――he played f or his high school team until his junior yea r．

Dolan grew up in Arlington，Virginia，and his early development as a swimmer was under the guidance of Rick Curl．At the University of Michigan，he trained under head coach Jon Urbanchek，who helped mold3) Dolan into an Olympic champion．During breaks from school，Dolan would reunite with Curl，and in the lead－up to Sydney，he has returned home full time．In April ２０００，Dolan told the Detroit Free Press，"My whole career I had gone back and forth4)，but now I'm spending the whole year with Rick．But where I go and swim，I'll always be linked to Michigan and to Jon，just as I will to Rick．"

Dolan was １８when he entered the １９９４World Championships．He remembers being near to all the big stars and noticing they were staring at him．He won the ４００IM title in world record time．He successfully defended hid world title four years later in Perth，Australia．

Dealing with asthma5) and poor air quality，Tom Dolan could barely breathe at the １９９６Atlanta Games．But as the reigning World Champion and world record－holder in the ４００－meter individual medley，he was determined to win Olympic gold，"My legs were burning pretty bad，and I couldn't get any oxygen．I knew it was between me and Eric，and I just gave it everything I had coming into the wall，"says Dolan．He touched first，just ahead of fellow－American Eric，who got the silver．

汤姆•多兰

悉尼奥运会４００米个人混合泳金牌得主

多兰５岁就开始了游泳，因为他姐姐凯瑟琳是游泳运动员。"不管她做什么，我都想战胜她。"他说。虽然他说童年时常泡在游泳池里，他却没有积极地从事游泳这项运动，这种状况到了他上高中一年级时有了改变。高尔夫球是他当时最喜爱的体育运动---在上二年级前，他一直在中学的高尔夫球队打球。

多兰在弗吉尼亚的阿灵顿长大，他早期的游泳训练是在里克•柯尔的指导下进行的。在密执安大学，他在主教练乔恩•厄本奇克的手下接受训练。乔恩把多兰塑造成一个奥运冠军。在学校放假时，多兰就去找柯尔。在准备去悉尼期间，多兰回到老家，在那儿度过了所有的时间。在２０００年４月，多兰对底特律自由新闻社说："我的职业使我来回奔波，现在我要在这里与里克度过整整一年。但是，不管我去哪儿游泳，我永远会与密执安大学和乔恩在一起，就像我与里克一样。"

多兰参加了１９９４年世锦赛，那年他１８岁。他还记得他与那些大牌明星离得特近，并注意到他们都在看他。他在这次４００米个人混合泳比赛中打破了世界纪录。４年之后，他在澳大利亚的珀思成功地卫冕了他世锦赛冠军的头衔。

由于哮喘和空气质量差，汤姆•多兰在参加１９９６年亚特兰大奥运会时几乎不能呼吸。但是，身为４００米混合泳世锦赛冠军和世界纪录保持者，多兰决心在亚特兰大夺取金牌。他说："我的腿火辣辣地疼，我已不能再吸入氧气了。我知道这是我与埃里克之间展开的争夺赛。我竭尽全力接近池壁。"多兰先于队友埃里克第一个触到终点记时器，后者得了一块银牌。

NOTE 注释：

1. medley adj. 混合的

2. aggressively adv. 攻势地

3. mold vt. 塑造，培养

4. back and forth来来往往地, 来回地

5. asthma n. [医]哮喘
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