Lia Neal, Brooklyn teen swims her way to London Games

theGRIO VIDEO - Lia Neal isn't old enough to vote, but she's already making history...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Lia Neal isn’t old enough to vote, but she’s already making history. The 17-year-old Brooklyn swimmer placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle finals in Omaha, NB. That means she’s punched a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics. Neal is only the second African-American woman to make a U.S. Olympic Swim Team, and she’s one of three blacks to swim for the U.S. this year.

Neal already nabbed a gold medal in the 100 freestyle at the World Junior Championships. She hopes to return to her Flatbush neighborhood with another.

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