This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Texas/NC State dual meet, Russia and Belarus swimming in the 2023 Asian Games, and SwimSwam's wild 2024 Olympic Trials predictions.
We sat down with Yale swimming's Iszac Henig, who discussed writing for the New York Times about his experience during the pandemic and, two years later, his decision to join the Yale men's team. Henig also spoke about being a subject of media attention during the 2021 - 2022 season as he raced his way to a podium finish at the 2022 Ivy League Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships. Henig also spoke about how he approaches mental health as a trans man, goal setting as a competiti...
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Leon Marchand's NCAA record in the 400 IM, UVA's event lineup for NCAAs, and suiting up at dual meets.
On Saturday, we witnessed ASU's Leon Marchand break the NCAA record in the 400 IM . Today, we spoke with ASU head coach Bob Bowman to get his thoughts on the matter. On Marchand, Bowman says that the French Phenom reminds him of Michael Phelps in 2003, giving his an anecdote from Leon's practice on Monday. At the end of a 7500 threshold set, Leon looked so good that Bowman told him to let it rip and see what he could go on a 500 free at the end of the practice instead of swimming it threshold as...
Two-time Olympian, two-time Olympic medalist and Speedo Athlete, Hali Flickinger, took the longest break of her career since winning gold (4×200 free relay) and silver (200 fly) at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest. She needed the time to reevaluate life and what she wants. Swimming, when it was 100% of her focus, created to much stress and anxiety. Hali had touched the wall second in her individual events one too many times. That wasn't working, wasn't the goal, and wasn't making he...
Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant returns to NCAA swimming competition this weekend at the University of Florida vs Florida Atlantic University (FAU) dual meet. We sat down with Emma to unpack her big Sporti Swim Collection release, which lead SwimSwam traffic for 24 hours, and she dropped this news on us. Emma turned a lot of heads when she decided to transfer from NCAA powerhouse UVA to the University Florida. "It was a tough decision," she explained, but she wanted to be closer to home in S...
20-year-old Lani Pallister dominated the distance events at the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne, taking gold in the 400, 800, and 1500, and as a member of the world-record-setting 4x200 free relay. The Australian lends her perspective on this feat and her path to the top over the last year when she nearly gave up on training in Australia altogether. When Pallister moved to train with Michael Bohl at the beginning of 2022, she gave herself one year and if it wasn't going well b...
Kate Lundsten has been the Head Coach of the Aquajets Swim Team since 2004. In that stretch, she has been named to multiple USA Swimming International Staffs, coached multiple NAG records, and built a reputation of excellence with 7 Silver and 5 Gold medals in USA Swimming’s Club Excellence program. In this conversation, Kate discusses her coaching style as a combination of fun and holding the kids accountable. She likes to teach by asking the kids the right questions so that they can figure out...
2022 was the best year of Kasia Wasick's career, having garnered 5 silver medals from international meets including World Championships (LCM), European Championships, and Short Course World Championships. Wasick discusses her love for racing and how that, combined with her diverse sprint training at UNLV, has driven her to have success in every form of swimming this year. As Wasick looks toward her 5th Olympics in 2024, the fact that it is in Europe brings the Polish native confidence that it co...
We sat down with newly minted world champion and world record holder in the 50 breast (SCM), Ruta Meilutyte. The 2012 Olympic champion goes deep into how getting DQ'ed in the 100 Breast was a wake-up call for why she was even competing again in the first place. After getting her mind right, the breaststroke savant was back in action in the 50 breast, swimming to a world title and registering a best time and world record in the process.
Renata Porter, founder of yoursportsresource.com, returns to the SwimSwam podcast. Renata’s a dedicated swim business expert with a focus on youth sports clubs. Her company provides actionable guidance and support helping swim clubs shift from old mindsets to running the club as the business that it is. We’re coming up on the end of the year—that time for New Year’s resolutions. If you're a swimming coach or a swim club board member, a great new year’s resolution would be to build more trust. Th...
We sat down with World Jr Record holder and World champs medalist Ilya Kharun to discuss his 2022 Short Course World Championships performance. Kharun takes us through each of his individual swims (50, 100, 200 fly) as well as what his first experience competing for Canada was like. Kharun had thought he was eligible to compete for the USA just this summer, having been named to the USAS Jr Pan Pacs Roster. However, once it was realized by all parties that Kharun only had a Canadian passport, the...
We sat down with new SCM world champ in the 100 and 200 fly, Chad le Clos. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist talks us through his last 2.5 years, from Energy Standard dissolving because of COVID through being a nomad and training wherever he could to finally landing in Germany with Dirk Lange. Le Clos emphasizes how much of a difference it has made in having a steady training base. He also alludes to difficulties outside of the pool setting him back in early 2021 and affecting his performances thro...
Daniel Wiffen is the first man from Ireland to ever own a European record in swimming. He broke it last week in the 800 SCM free, going a time of 7:25.96. Wiffen talks us through racing at the Scottish/Irish Championships, winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games, and training at the University of Loughborough.
We sat down with recent SC Worlds medalist Javier Acevedo to discuss his last few years in the pool. After finishing his time at Georgia, Javi got the chance to compete for the LA Current in the ISL, where Marsh continued the trend that UGA's Jack Bauerle had started of using the Canadian as a breaststroker. Javi has continued to hone his versatility, culminating in a silver medal in the 100 IM last week in Melbourne. Acevedo is very excited to keep striving to improve heading into Fukuoka and P...
We sat down with world champion and world record holder Isaac Cooper to get his perspective on the 2022 short course world championships. Cooper had a roller coaster of a meet, starting things off with surprise medals in the 100 back and 4x50 medley relay and even a shocking win in the 4x50 free relay. In the 50 back, Cooper was the top seed headed into finals and initially swam the fastest time in the final before a re-swim was called for due to a starting error. In the re-swim, Cooper placed 2...
We sat down with newly crowned world champion Kyle Chalmers to dissect his performances at the short course world championships. Chalmers breaks down his historic swims and the pressure of racing on home soil. The Olympic champion is currently getting a week of training under his belt with fellow Icon and world-topper, Adam Peaty. Chalmers says they are wired similarly and it's been a great learning experience training with him.
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we do a deep dive into the swims and history made at the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne.
Married with two children and a third on the way in June, Ryan Lochte is already busy, but he has a lot more planned for the year ahead. The 12-time Olympic medalist recently signed with Excel Sports Management, a powerhouse agency repping Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Taylor Swift. Ryan’s signed an endorsement with an Italian shoe company riddickshoes.com, he’s the ambassador of a new swimming meet billed as the International Age Group Championships, and he’s launching his own swim camp seri...
SwimSwam spoke with team USA head coach Braden Holloway directly after the conclusion of the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne as he was walking back to his hotel. Holloway spoke to USA's resiliency, noting that even when things weren't going their way, the team could still put their best foot forward. He also gave the coaching rationale for the relay lineups of the mixed 4x50 medley relay as well as the men's 4x50 free relay. Notably, on that free relay, Michael Andrew was left...
Nicholas Santos made history when he took gold in the 50 fly this week by becoming the oldest swimmer to ever win a world title. Santos had said before the meet that this would be his last and he stuck to them, confirming with SwimSwam that he will be retiring. Santos explains his decision to step away from competitive swimming even though he is still very much on top in his pet event.
We sat down with Jordan Crooks, the leading man in the 50 and 100 freestyle in the NCAA. Crooks broke down what has gone well for him this season, from confidence to completely revamping his stroke count in the 50 free. Crooks also previews what he will be looking for at the SC World Champs in Melbourne, where he was the top seed in the 100 free final and ultimately placed 7th.
SwimSwam sat down with 26x NCAA All-American Izzy Ivey, who recently announced her transfer to the University of Florida for her final (5th) year of eligibility. She takes us through the last 9 months of her swimming career, from taking an extended hiatus from the pool after NCAAs (and again after Teri McKeever was suspended from the Cal team for allegations of abuse) to training with Dave Durden and ultimately deciding to move to Gainesville. On the matter of Teri McKeever, Ivey says that she h...
SwimSwam sat down with 2020 Olympian Zach Harting, who was a last-minute addition to the US roster for the 2022 world short course championships in the 200 fly after it was revealed that Carson Foster was ineligible for the event. Harting was tapering anyway for the US Open, where he neared his PB in the 100 fly (51.9 in prelims) and took 2nd place in the 200 fly (1:57) behind his Louisville teammate, Nick Albiero. The 200 fly specialist says this works out great, as he can just stay on his tape...
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we dissect the US Open and Minnesota Invite as well as preview the upcoming Winter Jr Champs East/West and Short Course World Championships.
SwimSwam sat down with the Winner of this year's Miss Ambassador and Miss California US Nation Beauty Pageants, Andreea Dragoi. The sophomore at San Jose State actually missed a 3rd beauty pageant because she was competing with her SJSU swim team at the Mizzou Invite. Dragoi takes us through her upbringing as an athlete, which evolved into solely swimming, including growing up and training with world record holder David Popovici since childhood. Dragoi started modeling in Romania but it was only...
Swim Swam sat down with Yusra Mardini , the Syrian Refugee that has swam at 2 Olympic games (Rio, Tokyo) as a member of the Olympic Refugee team. Mardini and her sister, Sara, are the subjects of the #1 Netflix movie "The Swimmers", which tells the story of the two crossing the Agean Sea from Turkey to Greece with 18 other refugees in a raft that is meant to hold 6-7. Mardini discusses the boat trip, making and promoting "The Swimmers", and what her life looks like now after 2 Olympic Games. The...
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, Tom Shields joins us again to discuss the Minnesota Invite, US Open, and 2024 Olympic Trials Tickets going on sale.
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we do a deep dive into the first week of Mid-Season meets plus review the 2022 Golden Goggle Awards.
We sat down with Madisyn Cox, the 10x NCAA All-American and 5x World Champ medalist who recently announced her retirement from swimming. Cox takes us through the last year of her career, from her last meet at the Texas Swim Center, where she went 3 lifetime bests, to the Olympic Trials, where she was .02 off of making the 2020 Olympic team. She also discusses what her life looks like now that she is living in Houston and attending UTHealth Houston.
