-
Kelly CohenESPN
Klete Keller, a two-time U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist, was apparently one of the rioters who stormed the Capitol last week, video footage shows.
The video appears to show that Keller, 38, is maskless and wearing a Team USA jacket during the riot. Keller was part of the US swim team at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics and anchored the 4×200 freestyle. In 2004, in Athens, he particularly stopped Australian Thorpe from helping his team – with Michael Phelps – win gold.
A USA Swimming spokesperson reached out by ESPN could neither confirm nor deny that it is Keller who was featured in the video, which was first reported by the swim news site SwimSwam. Several former teammates and coaches said they recognized Keller in the video, according to a report by The New York Times.
A reporter from Townhall Media shared the now viral video from the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, and Keller reportedly appears around the 12-second mark.
“[W]We respect the right of individuals and groups to protest peacefully, but in no way condone the actions taken by those in the Capitol last week, ”a USA Swimming spokesman told ESPN on Tuesday.
Keller recently worked as a real estate agent in Colorado Springs with the agency Hoff & Leigh. His employment has been confirmed with SwimSwam, but his profile has since been removed.
Keller has since deleted all of his social media accounts, although he posted his ardent support for President Donald Trump in the past. The most recent public photos of him on Instagram are from 2017 at an event outside of Boston.
The January 6 riots by pro-Trump supporters in protest of President-elect Joe Biden’s election certification resulted in the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer. Dozens of people have since been arrested, and the FBI said Tuesday they have opened more than 160 files and are investigating more than 100,000 digital evidence they have received.