Marcus James Titus (born May 20, 1986) is a deaf American swimmer who has made it as far as eighth place in the 2012 Olympic Trials. Titus won a state championship at Flowing Wells High School and is a 12-time-All-American at Arizona, he was a major figure in the US’s 2008 NCAA championship team, and he was previously a coach for the 2013 Deaflympic team. He is also known for being a spokesperson for deaf and hard-hearing athletes in the swimming world. Titus is the deaf world record holder in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter breaststroke and 100-meter breaststroke, all of which he set records for at the World Deaf Championships. Titus's career highlights include finishing third in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2009 ConocoPhillips National Championships, placing fourth in the same event the following year in 2010 and, lastly, placing third again the year after that in the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships. In his later career, Titus tried out for the 2012 Olympic Trials, coached the 2013 Deaflympic team, and is planning on returning to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympic Trials. ==Early years Marcus Titus was born on May 20, 1986 in Tucson, Arizona. Titus was born deaf. However, his parents, Mark and Mieko Titus, didn't discover this until the age of three. Titus can hear a close-up conversation at about fifty percent capacity when wearing a device in his right ear. His interpreter, Hans Ferguson, helps him communicate better at meets by using hand signals to inform him when to take his mark and begin the race. Titus attended a Deaf Institute until fourth grade, in which he then went to public school. It was here he found his love for swimming and has continued this dream of competitive swimming. He began swimming at the age of twelve for his high school team, Flowing Wells. There Titus earned four varsity letters in swimming and was named High School All-American as a senior. He participated in the 4x100 medley relay team, helping to lead his team to first place at the National Championships. Titus earned four varsity letters in swimming at Flowing Wells High School in Compton, California. He participated in the 4x100 medley relay team, helping to lead his team to first place at the National Championships in which his split time was 1:04.14. At a Speedo Champion Series, Titus took first place in the 100