New York NY: First time Olympian Lia Neal from Brooklyn, NY wins big in London. 17-year-old Lia Neal has a lot to celebrate. She’s the first African American woman to swim in an Olympics Final. Team USA earned a Bronze medal and an American Record for the US Women’s Olympic team in the 4×100 freestyle relay.
Lia and her teammates Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt earned the bronze in 3 minutes and 34.24 seconds. Lia – a Booklynite born to a Chinese mother and an African American father – trains at the only 50 meter pool in the city with the AGUA swim team at Asphalt Green.
Asphalt Green’s swim team has often been referred to “as the most diverse team in America” and when Lia was asked by a reporter about diversity in swimming she responded “I never really thought about it until people started asking me about it”.
Friday, join Asphalt Green as they Welcome Olympian Lia Neal home.
Asphalt Green is located at 1750 York Avenue, New York, NY 10128. The event is free and open to the public.
Stephanie Edwards: PureSportsNY