Into the Mist

He was a champion swimmer, maybe a future Olympian. Then he disappeared. Where did Vinny Marciano go?

GARDINER, N.Y. — In the run-up to the 2016 Olympics, Vinny Marciano was one of America’s best young swimmers and a contender for future Games. During one meet, Marciano shattered five records for boys ages 11 to 12. As a high school freshman, he won New Jersey’s 100-yard freestyle championship and missed the U.S. Olympic trials by just 0.27 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke. He was a prodigy, mentioned in the same breath as Michael Phelps and Ryan Murphy. Then, as quietly as mist rising from a pool, he disappeared. He entered no races after December 2017, made no college commitment, quit updating his swim-saturated Facebook and Twitter accounts.