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Swimmer Champions State of Oceans | Sports Illustrated
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- When Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol is swimming in the pool, he's thinking about the declining health of the world's oceans.
The 24-year-old backstroke champion is back home to raise awareness about the importance of saving the oceans at Saturday's Green Port Fest in Long Beach.
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"The oceans are more or less in disrepair," Peirsol told The Associated Press on Friday. "Long Beach really is making an effort to acknowledge this and that's a great place to start. I'm trying to spread at least the knowledge that it's never too early to take care of our oceans and our environment."
An avid surfer who grew up in Newport Beach, Peirsol has noticed changes in the coastline on his trips home from his training base in Austin, Texas.
"Growing up, we used to be able to hang out and explore the wildlife and eco systems in the back bay of Newport," he said. "Now they're dredging the whole thing because it's so dirty."
Peirsol has launched a fundraising program called "Race for the Oceans," with financial support from Toyota and Oceana, an international organization that advocates for the world's oceans.
"It's something I'm very fond of," said Peirsol, who is training to defend his titles in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events at next year's Beijing Olympics.