Mark Warkentin
Encyclopedia
Mark Warkentin is an American open water swimmer. After graduating from San Marcos High School in 1998, Warkentin attended the University of Southern California
, from which he graduated in 2003 with a degree in communication. While a Trojan, he was a four-time All-American. He was also awarded USC's Willis Award as a freshman.
Warkentin qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
following his performance at the 2008 Open Water World Championships
. In the lead-up to the Games he was noted by Time
as one of its "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch." He is a two-time national champion in the open water 25-kilometer, the longest sanctioned race in the sport. The open water event at the Olympics was a 10-kilometer race, which typically lasts around two hours. Warkentin finished in eighth place with a time of 1:52:13.0, just twenty-one seconds behind winner Maarten van der Weijden
.
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, from which he graduated in 2003 with a degree in communication. While a Trojan, he was a four-time All-American. He was also awarded USC's Willis Award as a freshman.
Warkentin qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
following his performance at the 2008 Open Water World Championships
Open Water World Championships
The FINA World Open Water Swimming Championships, or more commonly the "Open Water Worlds", was a bi-annual event of the international governing body of aquatic sports . Open water swimming is a long-distance, non-pool event. These championships were held in even years, between the years 2000 and...
. In the lead-up to the Games he was noted by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as one of its "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch." He is a two-time national champion in the open water 25-kilometer, the longest sanctioned race in the sport. The open water event at the Olympics was a 10-kilometer race, which typically lasts around two hours. Warkentin finished in eighth place with a time of 1:52:13.0, just twenty-one seconds behind winner Maarten van der Weijden
Maarten van der Weijden
Maarten van der Weijden is a Dutch long distance and marathon swimmer born in Alkmaar.Van der Weijden was known as a promising swimming talent in his youth, becoming Dutch national champion at the 1500 m freestyle , 400 m freestyle and 5 km open water...
.