Disappointing end for Delaware Olympic swimmer

Andrew Gemmell finished third in his heat this morning in the 1500 meter freestyle race, but that wasn’t good enough to advance to the medal round.

Friends and family had planned an early morning viewing party to watch Gemmell go for the gold around 6 a.m. Eastern.  They watched as the Wilmington resident and Delaware Swim Team member turned in a time of 14:59.05 in the 1500m race.  That was about 15 seconds behind the heat winner, and world record holder, Yang Sun from China.  

Last month during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, he scored the 4th fastest 1500 Meter Freestyle in the world this year.  Gemmell recently completed his Sophomore season at the University of Georgia.  Prior to that, his father, Bruce Gemmell, coached him for about eight years. 

Coaches, swimmers, and parents of the Delaware Swim Team gathered at the Route 896 Diner in Newark to watch Gemmell swim Friday morning.  

You can watch a replay of Gemmell’s swim on NBC’s Olympics website.  Gemmell’s race starts about 1 hour 22 minutes into the video.