@SpeedoUSA with Janet Evans Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans is an inspiration for all Olympic Swimming fans and sports fans around the world. She has won Gold and Silver metals during the Summer Olympic Games of 1988 in Seoul South Korea, and in Barcelona Spain in the summer of 1992. This long distance swimmer has competed in the 400 meter and 800 meter freestyle and individual meter medley. She also is actually the last person to pass the Olympic torch to the Greatest Olympiad of all time Muhammad Ali, in Atlanta, Georgia 1996 which created a summer to remember.
Despite her controversial remarks surrounding Michelle Smith de Bruin, an Irish swimmer who won three gold medals, and was later banned for tampering with her own drug tests.
Since then Janet Evans has become a Mother and mentor of Swim clinics for young people. She also promotes the US Olympics Committee, serving as Director of Athlete Relations for LA 2028, in an uncompromised effort to bring forth a bid for the Summer Olympics to return to Los Angeles since the Summer Games of 1984 , and in the United States since the Summer Games of Atlanta 1996. Hopefully she can complete her mission to bring back the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles and the LA Memorial Coliseum. I first met Janet and a Speedo in-store autograph signing on June 26, 1999, when I was Public Safety Officer (Mall Security), at Century City Shopping Center, now owned and operated by Westfield Group, LLC. Little did the Speedo store and the Westfield Corporation know, that my life would never be the same from that point on as I stopped by to visit. Janet’s enthusiasm about life in general was very contagious, and to this day her voice still rings in my ears. Janet simply told me…
“Shaunti – Go For the Gold!” ~ Janet Evans
…and I have been doing that ever since. Even though I’m not an athlete per say, but an up-and-coming filmmaker, blogger and small business owner, I believe that all who have talent needs a champion like Janet Evans to help cultivate their genius. To strive for greatness is a challenge, and a bold initiative, to seek mediocrity is mundane. Janet makes sure all the Olympic athletes are involved in every single process of the bid for LA 2024, from video planning, working on the village, and understanding what are the needs of the athletes, as well as taking a look at what’s on the menu, for all the nutritious meals the athletes would eat throughout the village, if Los Angeles is the host the Summer Olympic Games in 2024, Janet will make sure all the needs of the athletes are top priority. In the mean time she continuously strives to do her best, and still has competed in swim competitions as of late. She has also shown great support for Michael Phelps in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
A native of Los Angeles California, and University of Southern California Alumni, Janet Evans is an inspiration to both seasoned veteran athletes and new Olympiads. Cultivated from her own inspiration since the age of 12, Janet lives by the notion of finding what you’re passionate about, and to do what you love, and when you put all your energy in that, you in turn inspire and motivate others, which makes you feel happy, accomplished and satisfied with yourself.
With the upcoming bid for the Olympics to return to Los Angeles in 2024, all Angelenos and Americans for that matter, are sure to have great expectations, as well as the athletes who are all in great hands with Janet Evans, always an Olympic Champion. It was a pleasure meeting her then, and great to discover what she’s doing now. Her passion for sports and life is sure to continue to inspire greatness in young athletes and artists like myself.
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