Paralympic swim coach dies in mountain-climbing accident

U.S. Paralympic swimming coach Jimi Flowers, whose passion, insight and motivation helped turn the Americans from a little-known contender into an acclaimed powerhouse, died Friday in a climbing accident near Aspen.

The 47-year-old Colorado Springs resident fell while descending with Doug Ingram, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s director of international games, near the summit of Capitol Peak, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

Flowers tumbled hundreds of feet around 2:45 p.m., and it took nearly 30 minutes for a helicopter with rescue personnel to reach him after landing on the 14,130-foot mountain 15 miles southwest of Aspen. He was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m. Ingram wasn’t hurt.

The past two years, Flowers, who is survived by a wife and two children, worked as the Olympic Training Center’s resident coach for disabled swimmers, overseeing seven who combined for 12 medals at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. American swimmers won 44 overall, including 17 golds, tops in the world.

For eight years, Flowers managed the OTC’s aquatics center. He previously was USA Swimming’s national team director, and he had served as an assistant coach at Auburn.

“It’s a huge loss,” U.S. Paralympics chief Charlie Huebner said Saturday. “When you needed to be uplifted, you went to Jimi’s office. He promoted excellence in swimming and life. He put you in a great mood.”

USOC acting chief executive officer Stephanie Streeter said, “He embodied everything that you would want in anyone who was part of the Olympic movement. He was a great guy and a good friend, a model family man.”