Three time gold medal winning Olympic swimmer was in mob that stormed US Capitol

Klete Keller won three Olympic gold medals. Photo / Getty

Klete Keller, the American freestyle swimmer who famously helped end Australia's dominance in the 4x200m relay, was in the mob that stormed the US Capitol.

Keller was identified by former teammates and coaches after a video posted by a reporter inside the Capitol Rotunda was circulated on social media.

It shows 198cm Keller towering over the scrum as police attempt to push back the crowd. He is wearing a US Olympic team jacket that had USA printed on the back.

Keller swum at three Olympics, starting in Sydney in 2000 where he claimed bronze behind Ian Thorpe in the Aussie's dominant win in the 400m freestyle and silver as part of the US men's 4x200m freestyle relay team that was beaten by a world record-setting performance by an Australian team led by Thorpe and Michael Klim.

Klete Keller was seen wearing a US Olympic team jacket inside the US Capitol. Photo / Twitter

But he would have his revenge four years later in Athens as the additions of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte to the American team saw them end Australia's seven-year unbeaten run in the event. Keller swam the anchor and held off a fast-closing Thorpe by just 0.13 seconds. He also set an American record while claiming another bronze in the 400m freestyle, finishing behind Thorpe and Grant Hackett.

Keller claimed his third gold in Beijing as a member of America's 4x200m freestyle relay team, although he only swum the heat and was replaced for the final.

Klete Keller (fourth from left) was a member of the American 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Team with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay. Photo / Photosport

The 38-year-old has deleted his social media accounts but some of the people who recognised him in the video have said his pages have featured a stream of pro-Trump messaging in recent years.

One police officer and one protester were killed in the violent clashes in Washington, while three more died from medical emergencies.

Nearly 100 people have been arrested for their involvement and even though the video did not show Keller performing any acts of violence he could still be pursued under charges of unlawful entry.

The New York Times reports Keller had been working in real estate but his agency has since removed his profile from its website.