It was just after 3:30 PM when Klete Keller boarded the subway in Washington, DC. The sun had not yet set, but darkness was already enveloping the nation's capital.
Soon he was approached by a young boy. The child had noticed Keller's jacket, which had all the bells and whistles of the U.S. Olympic team.
The boy asked Keller if he was really an athlete. He wanted to know more about the career of the former swimmer, who took the 6-foot-2 Keller to three Games between 2000 and 2008. He won five medals, including two golds, with a teammate claiming his anchor leg in the 4x200m freestyle in Athens in 2004 – when Keller held off the great Ian Thorpe – cementing his place as an 'American hero'. No wonder the child asked for a photo.
However, it didn't take long for Keller to throw the jacket in the trash. He also hit his mobile phone with a hammer. Because earlier that afternoon, on January 6, 2021, the Olympian had made “one of the worst decisions of my life.”
It cost him his reputation, his children and, in short, his job. Some demanded that he also lose his medals. On Friday, Keller finds out whether it has also robbed him of his freedom. Wearing that same jacket, Keller had joined the riotous mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on the day five people died and America descended into anarchy during the 2020 presidential election.
Former Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was among the rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021
The 6-foot-2 Keller (R) represented the U.S. at three Olympic Games and won two gold medals
On January 6, Keller wore a Team USA Olympic jacket when he joined the mob in Washington
He led chants of “F*** Nancy Pelosi” and “F*** Chuck Schumer” and opposed officers trying to protect the nation's lawmakers. He sang the same anthem that had sounded in Athens and Beijing. He filmed his fellow rioters. He asked one for a selfie. He occasionally covered his face with sunglasses, a Donald Trump hat and a bandana.
Keller would eventually leave around 3:30 PM and head to the subway. But Keller had failed to mask his identity and was unable to avoid the consequences of his fifty-minute visit to Congress. An arrest warrant was issued; a week later he turned himself in.
Keller pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge – 'obstruction of official proceedings' – which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Now, almost three years after January 6, the 41-year-old will learn his fate. Keller will finally be sentenced on Friday.
“Beyond juvenile and reckless,” is what lawyers called Keller's actions when they asked the court to keep him out of jail. However, the government wants him to serve ten months in prison.
“Keller once carried the American flag as an Olympian. On January 6, 2021, he threw that flag in a garbage can,” officials argue. “What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable. It will forever be a stain on the story of this country.”
Keller, who pleaded guilty to “obstruction of an official proceeding,” is seen entering the Capitol
“More than childish and reckless,” is how defense lawyers described the retired swimmer's actions
Keller's downward spiral, from standing on stage to storming the halls of power, began after he climbed out of the pool for the final time. Once called a prankster who drove an old police car, this 6-foot-2 giant became yet another athlete tortured by the transition to normal life.
Keller retired after the 2008 Olympic Games, having ended a fine career with another relay gold. That same year, he married his longtime girlfriend and went back to school to complete a degree in public policy and development. He sold life insurance and soon became the father of three children.
Keller admitted he felt “lost” when he retired
But soon his life took a 'harsh and dark turn'. In just two days in 2014, Keller divorced his wife and subsequently lost his job. He spent nearly a year living in his car, squeezing his 6-foot-4 frame into a Ford Fusion and only keeping his gym membership so he could have somewhere to shower.
He suffered from depression and started several new careers. It is said that his children called him 'Uncle Klete' or 'Mr Klete'. His ex-wife testified that he attempted suicide and once pinned her against a wall before asking if she had “heard of marital rape.” Keller denied the claim.
He admitted to feeling “lost” after leaving the pool, but it appears the roots of his struggles go back to his childhood, when Keller claims he suffered physical and emotional abuse, including being hit with a tennis racket and the threat of adoption. Keller, his lawyers allege, “became estranged from his family and has not had contact with his parents or older sister for years.”
However, Keller's life seemed to return to stability when he moved to Colorado in 2017 and began working in the real estate industry. He also claims to have made up for 'lost time' with his children.
Court documents show Keller wearing a “Trump” hat and the U.S. Olympic jacket
He was branded 'an American hero' after helping the US win gold in the 4x200m freestyle in Athens
But in October 2020, a judge denied him additional visitation rights. The shock, Keller claims, “turned into simmering anger and a deep sense of injustice that I found it difficult to ignore.”
A month later, he traveled to Washington for an election protest and a pro-Donald Trump rally.
And the following January, he stormed the Capitol. According to his legal team, there is a clear line between these points. How? The judge's custody ruling “affected his judgment and led to his decision to participate in the (riot).” Or, as Keller himself claims, “I felt like my relationship with my children was taken from me without any consideration of the facts. I felt the same way about the way election irregularities were seemingly dismissed.”
A piece? Maybe. Instead, the pandemic seemed to put Keller on a path to radicalization: Friends reportedly noticed his social media posts becoming more aggressive and overtly partisan.
But the ties between Keller's politics and his personal life appear to be growing closer after his trip to the Capitol. The 41-year-old hasn't seen his children since; last year he signed the papers allowing them to be adopted by their new stepfather.
“As a direct result of his participation in the January 6 riots, Mr. Keller permanently lost his children, a punishment more severe than any court could impose.”
The former swimmer, pictured in 2002, saw his life take a 'hard and dark turn' when he retired
“What Klete Keller and others did on January 6 was unconscionable,” the government said
He was also asked to resign from real estate firm Hoff & Leigh. And then Keller had to wait while he cooperated with the government and his case dragged on. The cruel irony? Now that judgment day is finally near, it appears that Keller's life has turned around again.
The 41-year-old has a new wife and his old job back. In court documents supporting Keller's bid to avoid prison, colleagues at Hoff & Leigh are enthusiastic. 'Truly one of the nicest men I've ever met. He has had a tremendous impact not only on our company, but on my family and community,” one boss wrote.
His profile on the company website notes the former swimmer's drive and work ethic. It also lists his hobbies, which now include “going deep into the mountains on skis, bikes… and boots.”
Keller's decision to plead guilty and cooperate exposed him to threats from “the vigilante,” but also helped convince others to follow suit, according to the government.
A member of Keller's community, meanwhile, claims he now offers free swimming lessons and even takes young people out for lunch to share stories from the sport and life lessons he's learned in the choppiest of waters. “He is incredible with the kids,” they write. “He's making a huge impact on them.” Just like he did to that boy on that subway in Washington.
Keller claims to have been overcome with shame after their meeting on January 6. Because he knew that the truth – about where he had been and what he had done – would “shatter” the boy's image of this fallen American hero. On Friday, Keller will announce what other costs he must bear.