SWIMSWAM’S TOP 5 SWIMS OF THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: DAY 3 #5 – M 200 Free: Rising star and 16-year-old David Popovici drops a huge 1:44.68 in his first Olympic final, just missing a medal at 4th place and breaking the European Jr record #4 – M 200 Free: The British are coming, with Tom Dean and Duncan Scott taking 1-2 in the 200 free, both dropping 1:44.2's to top the rest of the field by nearly half a second #3 – W 100 Breast: 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby keeps her momentum rolling from Olympic Trial...
Jul 27, 2021•5 min•Ep. 615
Gold Medal Mel Stewart sat down with sports icon Jason Lezak , the man who anchored the most exciting race in Olympic swimming history, the 2008 men's 4x100 free relay. Lezak unpacks Team USA's gold medal performance last night, detailing Dressel's leadoff, the exchanges and Zach Apple 's monster anchor swim. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen ...
Jul 26, 2021•30 min•Ep. 614
We sat down with Olympic champion and USA sprinting legend, Nathan Adrian to get his wisdom through 2 days of the Olympic Games. The most interesting thing he said: we should start a petition that top seed gets to choose what lane they swim in at night. Why? Adrian prefers the outside lane for his events, especially a 100 free because that way competitors can't ride your wave as much. Adrian noted that on the lead-off of the 400 free relay, everyone knows US star Caeleb Dressel will be out fast ...
Jul 26, 2021•24 min•Ep. 613
SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 2. #5 - W 100 Back: Regan Smith breaks the 100 back Olympic record ( 4th time it went down in less than 24 hours ) with 58.76 to take the top seed heading into the final tomorrow night #4 - M 4x100 Free Relay: USA Men defend their gold in the 400 free relay, putting on a dominant performance of 3:08.97 and winning by over 1 second #3 - W 100 Fly: Maggie MacNeil , after winning 100 fly gold at world champs in 2019, backs it up with an Olympic ...
Jul 26, 2021•5 min•Ep. 612
We sat down with Carson Foster , the 19-year-old who just put up the #1 time in the world in the 400 IM from Austin, Texas . Foster breaks down what went right in his swim, what didn't go so right in his finals swim at the 2021 Olympic Trials, and what he thought when watching the 400 IM Olympic final. Foster gives a lot of insight into what the men in that 400 IM final went through to get to the top 8 and why the times may not have accurately portrayed the effort being put out . Foster also pro...
Jul 26, 2021•18 min•Ep. 611
This is 12 minutes. The full hour drops next week. Tom Dolan is a 400 IM beast, winning this race in 1996 and 2000. In 2000 Tom broke the World Record dropping a 4:11.76. Think about that! That was 21 years ago in a tiny, non-compression suit. Tom has high 400 IM swimming IQ, and he shares it here, breaking down the Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland gold and sliver medal Olympic performances. Daiya Seto is figures prominently, as does Caron Foster who dropped a 4:08.4 on Friday night at the Speedo...
Jul 25, 2021•15 min•Ep. 610
SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 1. #5: Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland going 1-2 for the USA , Kalisz winning his first-ever gold and bringing home the US's first gold of the Games #4: We take Adam Peaty going fast for granted sometimes, but let's take a moment to appreciate that through prelims and semis, he's dropped 2 Top-10 times of all-time with 57.5/57.6 #3: Yui Ohashi takes gold for the home country of Japan, winning the 400 IM at her home Olympic Games in 4:32.0 #2:...
Jul 25, 2021•5 min•Ep. 609
Who will win among the international swim stars at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo? I took this question to SwimSwam International Reporter Retta Race , and she delivers. I'm onboard with 99% of her Olympic Previews except for one. Spoiler Alert! It involves Team USA rocket Caeleb Dressel and the blue ribbon race. Retta delivers here, and you can catch her as a pundit on the BBC if you live across the pond. She'll be providing coverage for them as well. Thanks to Retta for coming on the SwimSwam...
Jul 24, 2021•47 min•Ep. 608
We sat down with Olympic champion Kaitlin Sandeno to get her expertise on what life is like leading up to and during the Olympic Games. Sandeno gives us the rundown on adjusting to life in the Olympic Village, managing nerves before your races, and keeping your pre-race emotions in check. She also gives us the lowdown on doing the 400 IM-400 Free back-to-back on the first 2 days of competition and what it's like to be one of the first racers of the Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to lis...
Jul 23, 2021•36 min•Ep. 607
We sat down with SwimSwam Co-founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to bring you a comprehensive preview of the biggest races to watch in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. In days 6-8 of competition is the climax of the Games, with races such as: Women's 50/100 Free: We see a lot of usual suspects in the women's sprints, be it Cate Campbell, Sarah Sjostrom, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Penny Oleksiak, and Abbey Weitzeil. We won't see defending gold medalist Simone in the 100 free, but she will be swimming...
Jul 23, 2021•41 min•Ep. 602
Today we have special guests on the SwimSwam Podcast. We are talking with the company, Malmsten , which is a family that has been a pillar of strength in swimming going back to 1974. Malmsten retains an interesting and unique place in swimming history. They are the story behind a famous pair of goggles, and Malmsten has been the standard bearer as the official RACING LANE LINES going back the 1976 Olympic Games. Malmsten has been the Official FINA Supplier of competition equipment for both the c...
Jul 22, 2021•37 min•Ep. 606
We sat down with newly signed Speedo athlete and 2021 Olympian Zach Apple . Apple talks us through both the process of signing a deal with Speedo and making the 2021 US Olympic Team in Omaha. He proceeds to give us the full scoop on Olympic training camp, including some suited swims he threw down just last week in practice. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click ...
Jul 22, 2021•32 min•Ep. 603
P2Life has been a SwimSwam partner since 2013. P2Life Founder Tim Shead has lead a fascinating life. He was intimately involved in formation of USA Swimming, coached at the international level for the United States, owns 48 Masters World Records, and is a 2014 Masters Swimming Hall of Fame inductee. SwimSwam has had a partnership with P2Life for many, many years for a few keys reasons. We respect Tim's swimming roots and passion for the sport, and that he's formulated P2Life for swimmers. Most i...
Jul 21, 2021•30 min•Ep. 605
We sat down with SwimSwam Co-founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to bring you a comprehensive preview of the biggest races to watch in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. In days 4 and 5 of competition, the Games really pick up, with races such as: Women's 200 Free: Ariarne Titmus vs. Katie Ledecky Round 2 plus Olympic champs Allison Schmitt and Federica Pellegrini Men's 4x200 Free Relay: Brits look very strong, but judging from 2019 Russia, Australia, Italy and the USA are all in it Men's 100 Fr...
Jul 21, 2021•39 min•Ep. 601
The title above is for swim fans here on SwimSwam.com. If you want to play the prediction game, see my predictions below. The title probably should be How Does Olympic Swimmer Michael Andrew Handle Media Pressure? In the aftermath of USA Swimming’s press conference last week with 2021 Team USA Olympian Michael Andrew , I asked him to come on the SwimSwam podcast. If you missed it, see his press conference here . He went viral because of his response about why he wasn’t vaccinated. (For the recor...
Jul 20, 2021•36 min•Ep. 604
We sat down with SwimSwam Co-founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to bring you a comprehensive preview of the biggest races to watch in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. In the first 3 days of competition, we'll see barn-burners like the women's 400 free, men's 100 back, women's 100 back, and both 4x100 free relays, where the Australian women and USA men looked prime to defend their 2016 titles. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscri...
Jul 19, 2021•40 min•Ep. 600
We sat down with Greg Mescall , the head of digital content for USA Water Polo . For those in our audience who are less informed about the happenings and current status of USA Water Polo (cough, me) heading into the 2021 Olympics, Greg is here to help. He gives us a verbal players guide on medal favorites, how the tournament works, and USA men's and women's chances at topping the podium. Toward the end of the podcast, we talk about Greg's personal sporting experience, not only traveling with the...
Jul 16, 2021•51 min•Ep. 599
We sat down with Liam Custer , our #3 ranked recruit in the boys' high school class of 2022 . Custer made big news last week when he announced his verbal commitment to Stanford in conjunction with our #2 recruit, Josh Zuchowski . Custer explains what went into that decision and why he and Josh wanted to commit at the same time. Custer also goes into detail about training during the COVID pandemic and the improvements he's made in the last year, which are substantial ones on paper. SWIMSWAM PODCA...
Jul 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 598
We sat down with Gabe Castaño, the Penn State grad who recently tied the Olympic 'A' cut in the 50 free with a 22.01 at the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, California . Castaño describes his Olympic qualification in detail, from going to the Mare Nostrum tour and racing for 10 days in Europe (and not achieving the A standard) to going to California as a last chance effort and racing the 50 5 times over the course of the weekend, only to tie the A cut in his time trial (50 #5) on the las...
Jul 14, 2021•43 min•Ep. 597
We sat down with Josh Zuchowski , the #2 ranked recruit in the class of 2022. Zuchowski just verbally committed to Stanford along with #3 in their class, Liam Custer. Josh explains what went into this decision and his reaction to the SwimSwam commentor's reactions. We also get deep in the weeds on Zuchowski's swimming background, including what it has meant to have his father as his coach since he was 11. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen a...
Jul 13, 2021•41 min•Ep. 596
We sat down with Ron Aitken , the head coach of the Sandpipers of Nevada, the club team that has 4 current or former swimmers on the 2021 Olympic team. Aitken goes into full detail on what his 3 distance girls have been doing at the Olympic Training Camp (which he got to attend and coach at) in Hawaii. This includes a 1500 for time on a Saturday afternoon (2nd practice of the day) after hitting 70k during the week. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here t...
Jul 12, 2021•45 min•Ep. 595
The 2021 Olympic team visited with the media on Thursday from their training camp in Hawaii to chat about the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. Regan Smith , Katie Ledecky , and Lilly King discuss topics such as being a teenager on the Olympic team, growing together as Team USA, and not having McDonald's in the Olympic village. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Cli...
Jul 11, 2021•25 min•Ep. 594
The 2021 Olympic team visited with the media on Thursday from their training camp in Hawaii to chat about the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. Team captains Simone Manuel , Allison Schmitt , Caeleb Dressel , and Ryan Murphy addressed topics such as leading Team USA, this team being such a young team (11 teenagers) and no fans in the stands in Tokyo. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and s...
Jul 11, 2021•33 min•Ep. 593
The 2021 Olympic team visited with the media on Thursday from their training camp in Hawaii to chat about the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. Olympic head coaches Dave Durden and Greg Meehan discuss how training camp has gone thus far, what they've seen from certain athletes that looks promising, and much more. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to list...
Jul 10, 2021•32 min•Ep. 592
The 2021 Olympic team visited with the media on Thursday from their training camp in Hawaii to chat about the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. Michael Andrew and Chase Kalisz discuss topics such as navigating through the COVID-19 protocols, embracing the pain of the 400 IM, and the 4x100 mixed medley relay. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen an...
Jul 10, 2021•29 min•Ep. 591
We sat down with Olympic icons and RISE Athlete Co-Founders Caroline Burckle and Rebecca Soni to speak about mental wellness vs. mental fortitude, especially as it relates to the US Olympic Trials and Olympic Games. Burckle and Soni both speak candidly about their experiences at both competitions and how, although they did have outlets to express their emotions in one way or another during their swimming careers, they wish there had been more of a conversation about mental wellness 10 years ago....
Jul 09, 2021•31 min•Ep. 590
We sat down with newly minted 2021 Olympian Lydia Jacoby to discuss the 2021 Olympic Trials in Omaha and how training camp is currently going in Hawaii. Jacoby takes us through her first Trials and how she navigated the extreme high of making an Olympic team and dealing with the pressure of trying to swim her own race. She reveals that her mindset heading into the meet was focused on performance, knowing that if she didn't make the team this go-around, she would still have a long career ahead of...
Jul 07, 2021•27 min•Ep. 588
Olympic superstar Dara Torres drops in on this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast. Dara is the first swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008), and the oldest swimmer to make an Olympic Team, which she did at the age of 41. On the Olympic stage Dara earned twelve medals — four gold, four bronze, four silver — tying her with teammates Jenny Thompson and Natalie Coughlin for the most Olympic medals won by a woman. In this podcast Dara unpacks the recent women's s...
Jul 06, 2021•25 min•Ep. 589
CONTENT WARNING: We do discuss sensitive topics, including suicide, in this video/podcast and there is brief profanity. If you're having suicidal thoughts, please call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org We sat down with 2x Olympian Tom Shields , fresh off of his 2nd Olympic qualification in the 100 fly in Omaha. Shields dives in with us, talking for nearly an hour about his whole quad and how he's navigated th...
Jul 05, 2021•55 min•Ep. 587
In this Gold Medal Minute takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast with 3-time Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy , we cover a lot of topics. Unpacking 2017-2021 2017 World Champs - Murphy was off because he achieved everything he wanted at the 2016 Olympics. In '17, he lost a bit of focus. He was still fast, but at the top, he learned that year that he has to be fully engaged. 2018 Pan Pacs - when Murphy hit his 200 back PB (1:53.57), he rested a full six weeks. Murphy has big man strength. He knows he needs...
Jul 03, 2021•28 min•Ep. 586
