BEEP Welcomes Home Olympic Medalist Lia Neal

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, elected officials and hundreds of fellow swimmers today welcomed Olympic Bronze Medalist and Fort Greene resident Lia Neal back to the facility where she trained—the George Delacorte Pool at Asphalt Green in Manhattan.

Also joining the homecoming were the Olympian’s proud parents, Rome and Siu.

“Lia is proof that if you work hard, never give up, and believe in yourself, there’s no limit to what you can achieve,” said BP Markowitz. “At only 17, she’s got it all—a bronze medal and a Brooklyn address—and there’s no doubt that whatever she does, she’ll continue to make Brooklyn proud.”

Neal swam the women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay along with her teammates—Missy Franklin, Jessica Hardy and Allison Schmitt—and captured the bronze in 3 minutes 34.24 seconds, finishing behind Australia (3:33.15) and the Netherlands (3:33.79).