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07/05/2012 10:48 PM

Young Brooklyn Swimmer Joins U.S. Olympic Team

By: NY1 News

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A 17-year-old girl from Brooklyn is one of the newest members of the U.S. Olympic swim team.

Lia Neal came in fourth in the 100-meter freestyle finals at the Olympic trials Saturday.

Her finish earned her a spot on the 400-meter freestyle relay team.

Neal got her start on Manhattan's Upper East Side at the swimming pool of Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics (AGUA).

She said she is looking forward to the games.

"I'm really proud to be able to represent AGUA and also New York going into the Olympics and I hope to represent them well," she said.

"Being a swimmer requires incredible commitment, perseverance, discipline and that someone her age, 17, could achieve the excellence that she has is totally amazing," said Carol Tweedy, the executive director of Asphalt Green.

Neal is only the second African-American woman to make a U.S. Olympic swim team.