SARASOTA, Florida, February 7. LANCE Armstrong, the record seven time winner of the Tour de France in cycling, is officially registered as a member of United States Masters Swimming.
Armstrong made noise within the swimming community last month when he competed at the Longhorn Aquatics New Year's Classic. He placed 21st in the men's 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 5:08.11. The 40-year-old athlete would have ranked ninth in the country with that swim a year ago in the men's 40-44 age division.
Recently, Armstrong tweeted to U.S. Masters Swimming that the 2012 USMS Spring Nationals were "on his calendar." The event will take place at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C. from April 26-29.
Swimming World has confirmed with U.S. Masters Swimming that Armstrong is indeed a registered member of the organization, lending credibility to the likelihood that Armstrong will compete at the event. In fact, the organization is excited to have such a high profile personality as a member of the 50,000-member strong competition pool.
"Lance is an inspiration for his athletic accomplishments and a true hero for his commitment to fighting cancer," U.S. Masters Swimming's executive director Rob Butcher told Swimming World. "Swimming is something he did as an age grouper and, like many adults, he's found and joined Masters swimming. The Masters swimming family looks forward to seeing Lance at USMS events."