Here are five reasons EW readers in particular should root for him.
Hes endured an infamous wardrobe malfunction:At the 2009 World Championships,his suit split down the back.
It doesnt get much worse than that.
Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Well, it could have split down the front.
It could have, he concedes.
At least the camera didnt have a view when I flipped the turn.
Im sure the ref had an interesting view.
Hes aGame of Thronesfan.Its a perfect guys show.
Theres a lot of killing.
Theres a lot of… Am I allowed to say that?
he asks, laughing again.
It keeps you on your toes.
Theres a good cliffhanger every week.
His response when asked to name his favorite inspirational sports movies.There arent any great inspirational swimming movies.
We have like,Swimfan, but its not very inspirational, he says.
Those are the two big ones.The Fighterwith Christian Bale is a good movie… IsCool Runningsconsidered inspirational?
Do you get the chills watching that one?
Hes a gamer.Im a 24-year-old boy.
I play a lot ofCall of Duty.
Any Olympic athlete, I think were all way too competitive.
If Im playing it for like five minutes, and Im just getting killed, I turn it off.
And if Im losing at a football game against my little brother, its a restart button.
Hes readThe Hunger Games.Team Peeta or Team Gale?
Is that like aTwilightquestion?
Bonus fun fact: Berens is one of the athletes teamed with BMW to help U.S.
Swimming with new technology.
Engineers put sensors on his joints to work on the dolphin kick.
Before, all we had were videos to compare.
We didnt know what makes us go faster.
Theyre gonna tell us what movement works better for us, he says.
Its something that no other country has.
Read more:
EWs daily Olympics coverage
Rowdy Gaines 5 Races You Dont Want to Miss
