Born and raised in Springfield, IL, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former YMCA SPY team member Ryan Held made a special appearance at the Kerasotes YMCA Friday morning. He shared his story to inspire and motivate young swimmers. His advice is to set small goals that will lead you to the big goal and don’t give up.

Held also shared that his Paris Gold Medal actually has metal in it from the Eiffel Tower.

Held still holds 7 different records at the YMCA. Some of which include the 50 free, 100 breast, and 200 Free Relay.