Fair Haven’s Connor Jaeger landed a spot on the U.S. Olympic swim team roster with a second-place finish in the 1,500-meter freestyle Monday.
Jaeger’s achievement came one day after he gave sports fans a chuckle – and a lesson in dogged determination – when he continued swimming after winning a heat in the 1,500. He explained afterward that he’d lost count of his laps and didn’t hear the bell indicating he’d won.
From the Star-Ledger on Monday’s competition:
In the last event of the eight-day trials, Jaeger, a junior at the University of Michigan, finished second in the event with a time of 14:52.51 to earn a spot on the team. It was only his fifth time ever competing in the event.
Andrew Gemmell, who was neck-and-neck with Jaeger all the way, won the grueling event in 14 minutes, 52.19 seconds.
Jaeger is a 2010 graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional and holder of five Shore Conference swimming records.
The Summer Olympics are scheduled for July 27 to August 12 in London.
