Olympic gold medalists Gary Hall Jr. (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Mark Gangloff (Akron, Ohio) will headline a rich field of American swimming talent that will represent the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 14-22. The top U.S. open water swimmers, including Kalyn Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.), Chloe Sutton (Roseville, Calif.), Chip Peterson (Chapel Hill, NC), and Fran Crippen (Philadelphia, Pa.), will also compete in Brazil. The event will follow the planned Olympic schedule featuring evening preliminary sessions and morning finals. The pool competition begins Tuesday, July 17 and runs through Sunday, July 22. The men's and women's open water swimming competition will take place on July 14.

The Pan American Games have been held quadrennially since 1951. The games are an Olympic-style competition for athletes of the American continent. More than 600 athletes will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games which run from July 13-29. This year's Games will feature more than 5,500 athletes from 42 countries competing in 33 sports.

• Gary Hall Jr. - The Hunt for Gold in Beijing: Three-time Olympian Gary Hall Jr. made history as the oldest male to win gold in 80 years with his win in the 50m free at the 2004 Olympics. Now, at 32 years old, Hall Jr. has been training to qualify for the Olympics in 2008 where he will look to win his third consecutive gold medal in the men's 50m free. This is Hall's third Pan American Games appearance.
• Crippen Connection: While the Peirsol brother and sister combination will not compete at the 2007 U.S. Pan American Games, the team will still feature one brother and sister duo - Fran and Teresa Crippen (Philadelphia, Pa.). Fran, 23, who is making his second Pan American Games appearance, will swim the men's 10k open water event. His sister, Teresa, 17, will compete in the women's 200m back, 400m I.M. and 800m free relay.
• Open Water Swimming - Olympic Hopefuls Face International Competition: In preparation for Beijing, America's strongest open water swimmers will face a field of international competitors in Rio de Janeiro. 2007 World Championship bronze medalist Kalyn Keller and 2007 Pan Pacific gold medalist Chloe Sutton will compete in the 10k marathon swim as will 2007 National Champion Chip Peterson and Fran Crippen. The 10k open water swim will make its first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

About USA Swimming: As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit USA Swimming on-line.