"It's an amazing feeling to come home with all these medals," American swimmer Cullen Jones said during an August 13 visit to Us Weekly's New York City offices.
Wearing his two silver medals (from the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and the 50-meter freestyle in London in 2012) and his gold medal (from the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Beijing in 2008), the handsome 28-year-old athlete admitted he felt a strong sense of personal victory this time around.
"Blood, sweat and tears went into it, and for me to be able to come home -- and to be able to bring hardware home with me! -- is definitely a blessing. I'm very happy with my performance," he said. "I definitely never lost hope that I had a shot."
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During his stay in London, the New York City native was overwhelmed by support from his family, friends and fans -- even if it arrived at odd hours. "It wasn kind of funny because of the [time] delay. At 2 o'clock in the morning my phone was going off. People are saying, 'Great swim! Great swim!' and I'm like, 'I am sleeping! It's the middle of the night,'" he told Us. "But I'm so thankful for everyone who was behind me and a part of Team Jones."
Cullen Jones visits BET's "106 & Park" at BET Studios on August 13, 2012 in New York City.
Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com
Now that he has a little downtime, Jones is entertaining the idea to appear on a reality show like fellow Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps, 27, and Ryan Lochte, 28. "I could do the Bachelor or Dancing With the Stars. I know Michael and Ryan are talking about being a part of it, and I think I would be a part of it, too," Jones said.
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(Phelps will appear in Season 5 of the Golf Channel reality TV show The Haney Project; Lochte will make a cameo on the fifth season of The CW's 90210.)
To see what else is in Jones' future -- from his work with the Make a Splash organization to his plans for the Rio Olympics in 2016 -- watch the exclusive video above now!
