Names: Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk
Sport: Swimming
Hometown: Brisbane and Blacktown, Australia
Age: 24 (both)
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Why you should care about them: D'Arcy and Monk, who have since been labeled the "bad boys" of Olympic Swimming, were recently asked to remove pictures of themselves posing with semi-automatic weapons from their personal Facebook profiles.
Gun Control Australia spokesman John Crook said it was a new low for the pair.
"If ever there was a photo of two kids playing macho boys this is it," he said.
Mr. Crook said Monk was holding the same pump-action shot guns used by Martin Bryant, who murdered 35 people in Port Arthur in 1996.
D'Arcy was pictured holding semi-automatic pistols, similar to those used by Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui.
"It's a disgrace to the Olympic swimming team," Mr. Crook said.
As punishment, a disciplinary panel made up of Swim Australia officials recently informed the swimmers that they will be sent home from London immediately after the swimming program ends and banned from social media sites for a month starting on July 16. Which means the pair has yet again failed to measure up to Michael Phelps, who managed a three-month suspension for his own "offensive photos."
Olympic/world championships experience: D'Arcy: 2007 World Aquatics Championships, 2010 Commonwealth Games (where he finished second behind Michael Phelps). He qualified for the 2008 Olympic team, but was kicked off after a "violent altercation" with teammate Simon Cowley led to assault charges. D'Arcy fractured Cowley's jaw, eye socket, hard palate, cheekbone, and nose. He was also removed from the 2009 Australian national team for his conviction on those charges.
Monk: 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2007 World Aquatics Championships, 2008 Beijing Olympics
Scouting report from some guy on the internet:
Via H.P. and football:
I'm going to admit that I don't like the guy [D'Arcy] and he's a jerk but he can swim and he's going to London.
Advice for the Olympic Swimming team, ban the swimmers from twitter and facebook.
Sexy-pose threat level:
Monk's previous sexy pose:: here.
D'Arcy's previous sexy pose: here.
Olympic archetype: Tonya Harding
Did you know?: Kenrick Monk made the news last year when he fractured his elbow, explaining to the police that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run while he was riding his bike home from training. Later, Monk would rescind his claim, tearfully admitting to the public that he had made the whole story up, afraid to tell his coach that he had actually fallen off his skateboard.
Forecast for 2012: D'Arcy, who once beat Phelps, is the national record holder for the 200m butterfly and will be a contender for the gold in London this year. Kenrick Monk is a member of the 4x200 freestyle relay.
Relevant Bob Costas facial expression: