American Olympic gold medallist Klete Keller has been praised for saving the life of an 18-year-old who crashed his jet ski in Frorida earlier this month.
Keller, who only recently completed home confinement for his role in the US Capitol riot of January 2021, and his wife Lindsey were on a rented boat on their honeymoon when they saw the boy “launch” high into the air.
The boy, Camden, hit the water “really hard” and they waited in hope to see the young man resurface but after just a few seconds the Keller realised the gravity of the situation.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
“He just looked so alone, and so vulnerable, face down, not moving. I was terrified for him,” the 42-year-old told ABC.
Keller jumped in and raced over to the critically injured boy, with previous training kicking in to tread water and perform CPR at the same time.
The former swimmer turned the lifeless Camden onto his back and began mouth-to-mouth.
“Probably gave him 10 breaths, and probably on about the ninth breath I said ‘god, please, save this boy’,” Keller said.
“And I gave him one more breath and his eyes opened. He was looking straight up at the sky, I’ll never forget, his eyes were this shade of green.
“I was so relieved that he opened his eyes and he started moving.”
Keller, who then lifted the boy onto his boat before emergency services arrived, choked back tears as he discussed the situation.
“It’s not a feeling I’ve ever experienced before and hope to never experience it again,” he said.
“We were there for a reason and the timing and all the little decision we made to put us in that place at that moment, it’s amazing.
“I really felt a responsibility to this kid. He felt like my child, and I just really felt an intimate connection to him. Your life can be turned upside down in an instant.”
Keller and Lindsey visited Camden in hospital the same day he was released from ICU.
He counted three minor brain bleeds, a severe concussion and multiple facial fractures among his injuries.
“I’m eternally grateful, I mean someone gives you your child back, there’s no words for that,” Camden’s mother Julia said.
“If it wasn’t for Klete, my son would be dead right now.”
Keller retired from swimming after the 2008 Olympics and returned to the spotlight when he was identified as one of the thousands who stormed the US Capitol in the January 6 riots in 2021.
He was arrested that month and later pleaded guilty, avoiding prison after cooperating with investigators and expressing remorse.
As a swimmer Keller went up against Australian legends Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
He took 400m freestyle bronze behind Thorpe in Sydney and again behind Thorpe and Hackett in Athens.
He was part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team that claimed silver behind Australia in Sydney before they won gold at both Athens — where Keller held off Thorpe — and Beijing, where he was a heat swimmer.