The SwimSwam Podcast

Published 2022-02-22

SwimSwam Breakdown: ALL Things College Conference Meets

43 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we cover all of the Power-5 Conference Championships that occurred last weekend plus international news including an ongoing ISL/FINA lawsuit and what Aussie Olympic stars are doing this spring.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we cover all of the Power-5 Conference Championships that occurred last weekend plus international news including an ongoing ISL/FINA lawsuit and what Aussie Olympic stars are doing this spring.

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Published 2022-02-21

7x Olympic Gold Medalist Dressel Describes Painful Practices Under Coach Nesty

6 min

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SwimSwam caught up with 7-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel at the University of Florida, and Dressel described pain. Under Coach Anthony Nesty, Dressel returned to hard work three and a half days after the ISL Season 3 Final. The turnaround was fast, jarring and it hurt.

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SwimSwam caught up with 7-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel at the University of Florida, and Dressel described pain. Under Coach Anthony Nesty, Dressel returned to hard work three and a half days after the ISL Season 3 Final. The turnaround was fast, jarring and it hurt.

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Published 2022-02-16

Tanica Jamison Discusses her First Season as Houston Head Coach, Swimming History

43 min

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In this podcast, Houston head coach Tanica Jamison discussed how she is establishing herself with a new program after almost 10 years with one of the most stable programs at Texas A&M, led by one of the most consistent coaches in the sport's history, Steve Bultman. Tanica also discussed growing up in the 90s as a young, fast, swimmer, who was also black. She spoke about how her sport led her to her path and her coach, Jill Sterkel at the University of Texas was the representation that opened the door to her own coaching career.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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In this podcast, Houston head coach Tanica Jamison discussed how she is establishing herself with a new program after almost 10 years with one of the most stable programs at Texas A&M, led by one of the most consistent coaches in the sport's history, Steve Bultman. Tanica also discussed growing up in the 90s as a young, fast, swimmer, who was also black. She spoke about how her sport led her to her path and her coach, Jill Sterkel at the University of Texas was the representation that opened the door to her own coaching career.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-02-15

SwimSwam Breakdown: Curzan Record, Ledecky Impresses, & Conference Meets Loom

32 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Claire Curzan's American Record in the 100 fly, Townley Haas's retirement, and the upcoming NCAA DI conference championships.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Claire Curzan's American Record in the 100 fly, Townley Haas's retirement, and the upcoming NCAA DI conference championships.

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Published 2022-02-14

16-Year-Old Katie Grimes Discusses Favorite Sets, 4th Place Olympic Finish

49 min

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Katie Grimes made the 2020 Olympic swimming team at age 15 in the 800 free after getting 2nd to Katie Ledecky at the US trials. She discusses her entire Olympic experience, including getting 4th in Tokyo and how she was able to bounce back from that. Grimes also shares her favorite training sets, including one that she did at Olympic training camp and the Sandpipers’ “Janet Evans” set.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Katie Grimes made the 2020 Olympic swimming team at age 15 in the 800 free after getting 2nd to Katie Ledecky at the US trials. She discusses her entire Olympic experience, including getting 4th in Tokyo and how she was able to bounce back from that. Grimes also shares her favorite training sets, including one that she did at Olympic training camp and the Sandpipers’ “Janet Evans” set.

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Published 2022-02-10

SwimSwam Breakdown: What Does New 2022 World Champs Mean for ISL & US Athletes?

37 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss FINA's announcement of the new 2022 World Champs in Budapest and how that will affect the upcoming ISL Season 4, which made some announcements of their own recently, and the USA Swimming schedule, which also just came out with their revised season schedule. We also play everyone's favorite game, SINK or SWIM.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss FINA's announcement of the new 2022 World Champs in Budapest and how that will affect the upcoming ISL Season 4, which made some announcements of their own recently, and the USA Swimming schedule, which also just came out with their revised season schedule. We also play everyone's favorite game, SINK or SWIM.

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Published 2022-02-07

Bryce Mefford Unsure About Future in Swimming After Breakout Olympic Summer

40 min

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Bryce Mefford is a 2020 US Olympian and NCAA champion for Cal in his 5th year as a bear. He sat out of competition at Cal this past fall to take a break from the water after the Olympic Games but is now back in competition. Mefford discusses why his break was necessary and how his return to racing has gone so far. He also tells his favorite stories from Olympic training camp and the Games themself in Tokyo.

Mefford is weighing his options in and out of the pool, and after his final collegiate season is unsure of what the future holds. He has newfound confidence in the pool after making his first Olympic team this past summer but also wants to explore the workforce and life away from the pool.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Bryce Mefford is a 2020 US Olympian and NCAA champion for Cal in his 5th year as a bear. He sat out of competition at Cal this past fall to take a break from the water after the Olympic Games but is now back in competition. Mefford discusses why his break was necessary and how his return to racing has gone so far. He also tells his favorite stories from Olympic training camp and the Games themself in Tokyo.

Mefford is weighing his options in and out of the pool, and after his final collegiate season is unsure of what the future holds. He has newfound confidence in the pool after making his first Olympic team this past summer but also wants to explore the workforce and life away from the pool.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-02-04

Michael Brinegar Gunning for 1,650 NCAA Title, Predicts ’Around 14:10’ to Win

39 min

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Michael Brinegar is a 2020 Olympian in the 800/1500 free and an NCAA All-American for Indiana. He sat down with us to speak about his experience at the SC World Champs (where he ended up leaving early due to potential close contact with COVID), training with Mark Schubert in high school and college, and making his first Olympic team last summer. Brinegar also looks ahead to the Big 10 and NCAA championships, where he looks to be in the hunt for a title (and American record) in the 1,650.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Michael Brinegar is a 2020 Olympian in the 800/1500 free and an NCAA All-American for Indiana. He sat down with us to speak about his experience at the SC World Champs (where he ended up leaving early due to potential close contact with COVID), training with Mark Schubert in high school and college, and making his first Olympic team last summer. Brinegar also looks ahead to the Big 10 and NCAA championships, where he looks to be in the hunt for a title (and American record) in the 1,650.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-02-03

World Champ Alia Atkinson Shares Memories, Mishaps, & More From 20+ Year Career

46 min

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Alia Atkinson is a 5x Olympian, 4x world champion, and current world record-holder. She was a dominant breaststroke throughout the entire 2010s decade and made her mark in the world cup circuit, ISL, and on the world stage. Alia recently announced her retirement after the 2021 Short Course World Championships and sat down with SwimSwam to discuss her career, including ups, downs, and inbetweens.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Alia Atkinson is a 5x Olympian, 4x world champion, and current world record-holder. She was a dominant breaststroke throughout the entire 2010s decade and made her mark in the world cup circuit, ISL, and on the world stage. Alia recently announced her retirement after the 2021 Short Course World Championships and sat down with SwimSwam to discuss her career, including ups, downs, and inbetweens.

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Published 2022-02-02

Zach Apple Unpacks His Olympic 4x200 and How He Came Back in The 4x100 Medley

65 min

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3-time World Champion, 2-time Olympic Champion and Team Speedo Athlete, Zach Apple, gets raw and real about his 2020 Olympic performance. Zach let’s us inside his head, inside the highs and lows of his Olympic roller coaster experience.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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3-time World Champion, 2-time Olympic Champion and Team Speedo Athlete, Zach Apple, gets raw and real about his 2020 Olympic performance. Zach let’s us inside his head, inside the highs and lows of his Olympic roller coaster experience.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-02-01

SwimSwam Breakdown: ISL Season 4, Post Grads Moving, & Peaty 200 Breast

45 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL announcing a massive Season 4 schedule, post grads having success with other programs, and Adam Peaty taking on the 200 breast.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL announcing a massive Season 4 schedule, post grads having success with other programs, and Adam Peaty taking on the 200 breast.

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Published 2022-01-31

Ryan Held Opens Up About Olympic Trials Disappointment, Training at ASU

50 min

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We sat down with Ryan Held, who is hot off of a 6-medal performance at the 2021 World SC Championships, including 2 relay golds and 2 individual silvers in the 50/100 free. Held takes us through his last 6 months, starting at the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Trials, when he was training with just Coley Stickels and Ali Khalafalla out of a pool in Birmingham and lifting in Stickels' basement. Held goes through the disappointment of placing 6th at Trials but then finding out he wouldn't be taken to Tokyo and processing that for the months to follow.

Held then gets into his move to Phoenix and new training home at Arizona State with Herbie Behm. Held likes the new training environment with the hungry college students as well as the small pro group made up of himself, Olivia Smoliga, and Hali Flickinger. Held also gives his thoughts on the "All-Ryan Relay" and how he thinks USA Swimming should handle the postponement of the 2022 World Championships.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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We sat down with Ryan Held, who is hot off of a 6-medal performance at the 2021 World SC Championships, including 2 relay golds and 2 individual silvers in the 50/100 free. Held takes us through his last 6 months, starting at the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Trials, when he was training with just Coley Stickels and Ali Khalafalla out of a pool in Birmingham and lifting in Stickels' basement. Held goes through the disappointment of placing 6th at Trials but then finding out he wouldn't be taken to Tokyo and processing that for the months to follow.

Held then gets into his move to Phoenix and new training home at Arizona State with Herbie Behm. Held likes the new training environment with the hungry college students as well as the small pro group made up of himself, Olivia Smoliga, and Hali Flickinger. Held also gives his thoughts on the "All-Ryan Relay" and how he thinks USA Swimming should handle the postponement of the 2022 World Championships.

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Published 2022-01-28

Shaine Casas Openly Discusses Choice to Go Pro, Train with Eddie Reese

29 min

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Shaine Casas is a 6x world championship medalist and 3x NCAA champion. His decision to leave his alma mater of Texas A&M to train with their rival Longhorns in Austin has turned quite a few heads, but today Casas sets the record straight. He takes us into his head through the whole process of trying to transfer and ultimately going pro. Few swimmers choose to put their degree on hold to focus on their athletic career, but we see it frequently in other sports. Casas says he wants to prioritize his swimming now and describes his new training environment at the University of Texas with Eddie Reese.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Shaine Casas is a 6x world championship medalist and 3x NCAA champion. His decision to leave his alma mater of Texas A&M to train with their rival Longhorns in Austin has turned quite a few heads, but today Casas sets the record straight. He takes us into his head through the whole process of trying to transfer and ultimately going pro. Few swimmers choose to put their degree on hold to focus on their athletic career, but we see it frequently in other sports. Casas says he wants to prioritize his swimming now and describes his new training environment at the University of Texas with Eddie Reese.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-01-27

Rhyan White on Going From 4th at The Olympics (Twice) to Winning a World Title

53 min

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Rhyan White is a world champion, Olympic medalist, and NCAA All-American. She was the only woman from America to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. In Tokyo, she finished 4th in both events, just missing individual medals but still helping the USA to a silver in the 400 medley relay. White discusses managing her emotions through Trials, the Games, and afterword when she came back to Alabama to kick off her senior season. She talks about the new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa, led by first-time head coach Margo Geer, and the training habits she's developed since her first Games. White bounced back in a big way after Tokyo, winning gold in the 200 back at the Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi this past December.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Rhyan White is a world champion, Olympic medalist, and NCAA All-American. She was the only woman from America to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. In Tokyo, she finished 4th in both events, just missing individual medals but still helping the USA to a silver in the 400 medley relay. White discusses managing her emotions through Trials, the Games, and afterword when she came back to Alabama to kick off her senior season. She talks about the new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa, led by first-time head coach Margo Geer, and the training habits she's developed since her first Games. White bounced back in a big way after Tokyo, winning gold in the 200 back at the Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi this past December.

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Published 2022-01-26

JOLYN CEO Mondy Herndon Explains The Upcoming Swim Collegiate Series

33 min

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In this podcast, we learn more about Mondy, the Jolyn brand, and Jolyn’s on-going support of the sport. This year they launch the Jolyn Swim Collegiate Series. This series is not for the top 5-10% of swimmers that are recruited on “national times” alone. This series focuses on the 90-95% of youth swimmers that don’t have those top national event times. The Swim Collegiate Series serves as a “recruiting pipeline” for the coaches allowing them to spot talent 2-3 years down the road.

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In this podcast, we learn more about Mondy, the Jolyn brand, and Jolyn’s on-going support of the sport. This year they launch the Jolyn Swim Collegiate Series. This series is not for the top 5-10% of swimmers that are recruited on “national times” alone. This series focuses on the 90-95% of youth swimmers that don’t have those top national event times. The Swim Collegiate Series serves as a “recruiting pipeline” for the coaches allowing them to spot talent 2-3 years down the road.

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17 min

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As reported today, FINA could be postponing the Fukuoka World Championships set for May of 2022 to July of 2023. If that is the case, what happens? SwimSwam Editor-in-Cheif, Braden Keith, and I sat down to discuss what this would mean for the US and the rest of the world. While most other countries have another opportunity at a major LCM championship later in the summer, the US only has our summer nationals in Irvine in August. We talk through possible scenarios for the 2023-2024 international swimming calendar and how the athletes may react to them.

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As reported today, FINA could be postponing the Fukuoka World Championships set for May of 2022 to July of 2023. If that is the case, what happens? SwimSwam Editor-in-Cheif, Braden Keith, and I sat down to discuss what this would mean for the US and the rest of the world. While most other countries have another opportunity at a major LCM championship later in the summer, the US only has our summer nationals in Irvine in August. We talk through possible scenarios for the 2023-2024 international swimming calendar and how the athletes may react to them.

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Published 2022-01-20

Tom Shields Was on Government Assistance Before Making $200k in Prize Money

52 min

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We sat down with 2x Olympic champ Tom Shields to discuss the ISL's no walkout clause, late payments from FINA and ISL, racing for 6 months straight, and being on government assistance leading up to the 2021 Olympic Trials. We also play a new game, "Go with the Current".

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Music: Otis McDonald
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We sat down with 2x Olympic champ Tom Shields to discuss the ISL's no walkout clause, late payments from FINA and ISL, racing for 6 months straight, and being on government assistance leading up to the 2021 Olympic Trials. We also play a new game, "Go with the Current".

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Published 2022-01-19

Olympic Coach Brian Schrader Heads New World-Class Swimming Facility FAST

43 min

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oach Brian Schrader heads Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) at an elite facility opening March 2022 in Ocala, Florida. As head coach Schrader is responsible for all operations while coaching swimmers.

Brian drops in on the SwimSwam Podcast to unpack the details behind this brand-new facility. He, of course, has a long resume, having coached along side our sport’s greats, include Eddie Reese, Jack Bauerle, and Gregg Troy to name a few. Brian’s the current Lead Assistance Coach for ISL’s powerhouse franchise, the Cali Condors.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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oach Brian Schrader heads Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) at an elite facility opening March 2022 in Ocala, Florida. As head coach Schrader is responsible for all operations while coaching swimmers.

Brian drops in on the SwimSwam Podcast to unpack the details behind this brand-new facility. He, of course, has a long resume, having coached along side our sport’s greats, include Eddie Reese, Jack Bauerle, and Gregg Troy to name a few. Brian’s the current Lead Assistance Coach for ISL’s powerhouse franchise, the Cali Condors.

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Published 2022-01-18

SwimSwam Breakdown: Phelps Plays Pickleball, Sun Sells Makeup, & World Champs

50 min

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Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we go over Michael Phelps playing celebrity pickleball matches, Sun Yang netting over $500k from selling makeup, and the 2023 World Champs getting pushed to November.

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Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we go over Michael Phelps playing celebrity pickleball matches, Sun Yang netting over $500k from selling makeup, and the 2023 World Champs getting pushed to November.

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Published 2022-01-17

Nic Fink is Training with GA Tech, Getting His Masters, and Winning World Titles

43 min

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Fink talks us through managing school during the full ISL season, taking finals a week before flying to Abu Dhabi for the world championships, and going best times and winning world titles through all of it.

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Fink talks us through managing school during the full ISL season, taking finals a week before flying to Abu Dhabi for the world championships, and going best times and winning world titles through all of it.

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Published 2022-01-14

James Guy Shares The Set That Made Him Battle Ready for Tokyo

52 min

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We sat down with Olympic champion James Guy, who is currently stuck at home from a positive COVID test, although he is A-symptomatic. Guy walks us through his last 6 months, from the Olympic Games to his "reset" time to ISL. Guy breaks down in fine detail what it meant for himself and Britain to win the men's 4x200 free relay in Tokyo and the hopes they have for the men's 4x100 medley relay after winning silver.

Guy has always shown up on relays, but when asked about them he didn't say he feels differently when swimming on a relay. Contrastly, he admitted that over the past few years, he has struggled mentally in his individual events with having a plan and executing it, or rather he's tried too hard when it comes to race by himself. However, Guy has gone back to the basics of setting in-race goals and has found success, registering a 50.9 in the 100 fly twice and a 1:46.3 200 free at the 2021 European Championships before ultimately scratching all his individuals in Tokoy to focus on relays.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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We sat down with Olympic champion James Guy, who is currently stuck at home from a positive COVID test, although he is A-symptomatic. Guy walks us through his last 6 months, from the Olympic Games to his "reset" time to ISL. Guy breaks down in fine detail what it meant for himself and Britain to win the men's 4x200 free relay in Tokyo and the hopes they have for the men's 4x100 medley relay after winning silver.

Guy has always shown up on relays, but when asked about them he didn't say he feels differently when swimming on a relay. Contrastly, he admitted that over the past few years, he has struggled mentally in his individual events with having a plan and executing it, or rather he's tried too hard when it comes to race by himself. However, Guy has gone back to the basics of setting in-race goals and has found success, registering a 50.9 in the 100 fly twice and a 1:46.3 200 free at the 2021 European Championships before ultimately scratching all his individuals in Tokoy to focus on relays.

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Published 2022-01-13

NAG Record-Holder Ilya Kharun Swam 60x100 @ 1:02 With Sandpipers

25 min

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We sat down with NAG record-holder and surprise breakout star of the Speedo Winter Jr Champs, Ilya Kharun of the Sandpipers of Nevada. Ilya takes us through his evolution in the pool and with the sandpipers, shedding light on his monumental drop from 1:56 to 1:42 in the 200 fly in the 2021 calendar year. He also discusses his commitment to Arizona State and training with the Sandpipers' top group, including a set they did recently, 60x100 on your choice of interval, Ilya choosing 1:02.

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We sat down with NAG record-holder and surprise breakout star of the Speedo Winter Jr Champs, Ilya Kharun of the Sandpipers of Nevada. Ilya takes us through his evolution in the pool and with the sandpipers, shedding light on his monumental drop from 1:56 to 1:42 in the 200 fly in the 2021 calendar year. He also discusses his commitment to Arizona State and training with the Sandpipers' top group, including a set they did recently, 60x100 on your choice of interval, Ilya choosing 1:02.

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Published 2022-01-12

Paralympic Swimmer Will Perry Speaks Out After Post About Abuse Goes Viral

35 min

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British Paralympic swimmer Will Perry has gained attention after posting on Instagram last week about an interaction that for him is all too common. After having a frustrating day, he went to the grocery store, hoping for a quiet trip to buy household food. Instead, he was ridiculed because of his size by 3 teenage girls. This prompted a rage-fueled post to his Instagram page, calling for the bullying and abuse to stop and for people with dwarfism, such as himself, to be treated as equals to those without it.

Perry joins us on the podcast to speak on his journey through dwarfism, swimming, and what he hopes to accomplish in and out of the pool moving forward.

Follow Will Perry on Instagram here.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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British Paralympic swimmer Will Perry has gained attention after posting on Instagram last week about an interaction that for him is all too common. After having a frustrating day, he went to the grocery store, hoping for a quiet trip to buy household food. Instead, he was ridiculed because of his size by 3 teenage girls. This prompted a rage-fueled post to his Instagram page, calling for the bullying and abuse to stop and for people with dwarfism, such as himself, to be treated as equals to those without it.

Perry joins us on the podcast to speak on his journey through dwarfism, swimming, and what he hopes to accomplish in and out of the pool moving forward.

Follow Will Perry on Instagram here.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2022-01-11

SwimSwam Breakdown: Sakci Calls Out FINA, 75 with Fins, and 10 WRs in Paris

46 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Emre Sakci challenging FINA for transparency, swimmers 1-uping each other on a 75 swim with fins, and Swimnex predicting 10 world records at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Emre Sakci challenging FINA for transparency, swimmers 1-uping each other on a 75 swim with fins, and Swimnex predicting 10 world records at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

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Published 2022-01-10

How Olympic Medalist Katie McLaughlin Epitomizes Perseverance

57 min

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2020 Olympic medalist and Team Speedo athlete, Katie McLaughlin, epitomizes perseverance. She’s been an elite swimmer since she was 16 years old, a fast rising age group star who earned four medals at the 2013 World Junior Championships. She followed up with strong performances at the 2014 Pan Pacs and 2015 World Championships. Landing at Cal her freshman year, swim-fans expected a clear path onto the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team, but a tragic accident during Cal’s winter training camp halted that Olympic dream.

Katie unpacks the injury, her recovery, and her long road back to being a force on Team USA. Katie’s got a swimming-range. She could be a threat on the world-stage in several events, but the 4x200 free relay is where she’s currently the most dangerous. She has delivered 1:55 splits, the second fastest legs on the 4x200 relays, at the 2018 Pan Pacifiic Championships, 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympic Games.

Katie McLaughlin is Team Speedo.
Follow Katie McLaughlin on Instagram here:
Follow Speedo USA on Instagram here.

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2020 Olympic medalist and Team Speedo athlete, Katie McLaughlin, epitomizes perseverance. She’s been an elite swimmer since she was 16 years old, a fast rising age group star who earned four medals at the 2013 World Junior Championships. She followed up with strong performances at the 2014 Pan Pacs and 2015 World Championships. Landing at Cal her freshman year, swim-fans expected a clear path onto the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team, but a tragic accident during Cal’s winter training camp halted that Olympic dream.

Katie unpacks the injury, her recovery, and her long road back to being a force on Team USA. Katie’s got a swimming-range. She could be a threat on the world-stage in several events, but the 4x200 free relay is where she’s currently the most dangerous. She has delivered 1:55 splits, the second fastest legs on the 4x200 relays, at the 2018 Pan Pacifiic Championships, 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympic Games.

Katie McLaughlin is Team Speedo.
Follow Katie McLaughlin on Instagram here:
Follow Speedo USA on Instagram here.

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Published 2022-01-07

First Openly Trans NCAA Athlete Schuyler Bailar Gives Insight on Lia Thomas Competing

38 min

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We sat down with Schuyler Bailar, the first openly trans NCAA DI male athlete, to discuss what being a trans athlete, and trans human, means. This has come to the forefront of news lately in the case of Lia Thomas, the trans woman that is currently competing for the University of Penn women's swim team. Bailar describes the importance of biodiversity in sport and how we see a discrepancy in how biodiversity is accepted. Bailar explains that while males with biological advantages are often praised for them, women, especially women in marginalized groups such as black or trans women, are received in the opposite way and see harsh criticism for these biological differences.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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We sat down with Schuyler Bailar, the first openly trans NCAA DI male athlete, to discuss what being a trans athlete, and trans human, means. This has come to the forefront of news lately in the case of Lia Thomas, the trans woman that is currently competing for the University of Penn women's swim team. Bailar describes the importance of biodiversity in sport and how we see a discrepancy in how biodiversity is accepted. Bailar explains that while males with biological advantages are often praised for them, women, especially women in marginalized groups such as black or trans women, are received in the opposite way and see harsh criticism for these biological differences.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Published 2022-01-06

Coach Solomon D’Amico, The Mind Behind Lydia Jacoby’s Olympic Swimming Success

44 min

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Solomon D’Amico, co-head coach of Seward TSUNAMI SWIM CLUB, is the mind behind the success of Lydia Jacoby. Lydia has racked up endless awards since her star-turn at the 2020 Olympic Games, including the 2021 Swammy Award for Female Breakout Swimmer of the Year.

Lydia, only 17 years old, won Olympic gold in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.95) and silver in the 4x100 medley relay. In addition to his position at TSUNAMI Swim Club, Solomon’s also the head coach of swimming and track and field at the Seward High School. This unique man with an experienced past has served in the U.S. Marine Corps and he’s earned a BS in Kinesiology from Indiana University. In the podcast, Coach Solomon D’Amico talks us through Lydia’s training season, individual practices, and the challenges they overcame during the pandemic.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Solomon D’Amico, co-head coach of Seward TSUNAMI SWIM CLUB, is the mind behind the success of Lydia Jacoby. Lydia has racked up endless awards since her star-turn at the 2020 Olympic Games, including the 2021 Swammy Award for Female Breakout Swimmer of the Year.

Lydia, only 17 years old, won Olympic gold in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.95) and silver in the 4x100 medley relay. In addition to his position at TSUNAMI Swim Club, Solomon’s also the head coach of swimming and track and field at the Seward High School. This unique man with an experienced past has served in the U.S. Marine Corps and he’s earned a BS in Kinesiology from Indiana University. In the podcast, Coach Solomon D’Amico talks us through Lydia’s training season, individual practices, and the challenges they overcame during the pandemic.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Published 2022-01-05

How Swimming Phenom Thomas Heilman Broke 13 NAG Records in 11 Days

32 min

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Thomas Heilman — the 14 year old swimming phenom out of Virginia’s Cavalier Aquatics under coach Gary Taylor — broke 13 national age group records in 11 days. Thomas accomplished this feat competing at three different meets in 11 days, USA Swimming’s U.S. Open, YOTA Arena Capital Classic, and then Speedo’s Junior Nationals.

In this podcast Thomas unpacks a few of his record swims, his training, and his life throughout the pandemic leading up to this history-making accomplishment.

See all of the SwimSwam reports on his NAG records here.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Thomas Heilman — the 14 year old swimming phenom out of Virginia’s Cavalier Aquatics under coach Gary Taylor — broke 13 national age group records in 11 days. Thomas accomplished this feat competing at three different meets in 11 days, USA Swimming’s U.S. Open, YOTA Arena Capital Classic, and then Speedo’s Junior Nationals.

In this podcast Thomas unpacks a few of his record swims, his training, and his life throughout the pandemic leading up to this history-making accomplishment.

See all of the SwimSwam reports on his NAG records here.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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44 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discussed the 2021 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, the upcoming Short Course World Championships, and the prospect of Sarah Sjostrom being an NCAA swimmer.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discussed the 2021 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, the upcoming Short Course World Championships, and the prospect of Sarah Sjostrom being an NCAA swimmer.

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Published 2021-12-13

Brent Nowicki Details His Journey So Far As FINA’s Chief Executive

50 min

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Brent Nowicki’s been the new FINA Executive Director about six months. He’s young, only 42 years old, with an impressive resume. As expected he’s bringing a lot of energy and changes to FINA. Brent’s managing an extremely jam-packed calendar, and it appears he’s striving to package tentpole aquatic events as spectacles. The upcoming World Championships in Abu Dhabi will provided much needed data to determine if spectacle events can work—be a cost-benefit and be bigger driver of TV rights. Brent’s transparent on this topic. SwimSwam will touchback with him to learn more about these results.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Brent Nowicki’s been the new FINA Executive Director about six months. He’s young, only 42 years old, with an impressive resume. As expected he’s bringing a lot of energy and changes to FINA. Brent’s managing an extremely jam-packed calendar, and it appears he’s striving to package tentpole aquatic events as spectacles. The upcoming World Championships in Abu Dhabi will provided much needed data to determine if spectacle events can work—be a cost-benefit and be bigger driver of TV rights. Brent’s transparent on this topic. SwimSwam will touchback with him to learn more about these results.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-12-10

Kelsi Dahlia on World Record While Only Doing Singles, Move to Sprint Training

33 min

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We sat down with Kelsi Dahlia, the Cali Condor's star who broke the world record in the 100 fly in the ISL final. Dahlia explains the pain of missing the Olympic team, how she processed that sense of loss, and came back to pool with a sense of purpose to get ready for the 2021 ISL season. Dahlia also talks about her current training plan, which has included 6 practices a week (1 per day 6 days/week, no doubles) in the Louisville sprint group.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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We sat down with Kelsi Dahlia, the Cali Condor's star who broke the world record in the 100 fly in the ISL final. Dahlia explains the pain of missing the Olympic team, how she processed that sense of loss, and came back to pool with a sense of purpose to get ready for the 2021 ISL season. Dahlia also talks about her current training plan, which has included 6 practices a week (1 per day 6 days/week, no doubles) in the Louisville sprint group.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-12-09

Penn‘s Lia Thomas Opens Up On Journey, Transition To Women‘s Swimming

26 min

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University of Pennsylvania senior Lia Thomas has been making headlines so far in this NCAA season, producing several record-breaking performances in what is her first year competing as a woman.

Thomas, a trans woman, sat down on the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss everything from when she realized she was trans, what the transition period was like, and how she's been able to adjust to life both in and out of the pool.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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University of Pennsylvania senior Lia Thomas has been making headlines so far in this NCAA season, producing several record-breaking performances in what is her first year competing as a woman.

Thomas, a trans woman, sat down on the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss everything from when she realized she was trans, what the transition period was like, and how she's been able to adjust to life both in and out of the pool.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-12-08

Coach Mark Schubert Details His New Elite Training Group at Saddleback El Toro

41 min

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In this podcast Mark unpacks what he's doing at SET Aquatics, and he dips back into his history discussing his coaching philosophy. I traveled the world with Mark for ten years on the USA Swimming National Team back in the 1980s and 90s, but I've never talked to him about his Mission Viego dynasty years. I was dumbfounded to learned he took over the program at the tender age of 23 back in 1973. Mark discusses his genesis story, nearly going into the legal profession, and how his father told him he'd never make a living as a swim coach.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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In this podcast Mark unpacks what he's doing at SET Aquatics, and he dips back into his history discussing his coaching philosophy. I traveled the world with Mark for ten years on the USA Swimming National Team back in the 1980s and 90s, but I've never talked to him about his Mission Viego dynasty years. I was dumbfounded to learned he took over the program at the tender age of 23 back in 1973. Mark discusses his genesis story, nearly going into the legal profession, and how his father told him he'd never make a living as a swim coach.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-12-07

SwimSwam Breakdown: ISL Final DQ, Heilman NAGs & Daiya in Scottsdale

36 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL Final and the controversy that surrounded it, Thomas Heilman's NAG record siege in Greensboro, and Daiya Seto training in Scottsdale.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL Final and the controversy that surrounded it, Thomas Heilman's NAG record siege in Greensboro, and Daiya Seto training in Scottsdale.

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Published 2021-12-06

Blaire Bachman Discusses Virginia Fall Training, Being a Head Coach at 24

46 min

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We sat down with Blaire Bachman, the associate head coach at the University of Virginia. Bachman takes us through her thoughts on the hoos’ performances at the 2021 Tennessee invite, their mid-season rest meet, as well as how training has been for the defending national champions (on the women’s side) this fall. We then delve into Blaire’s coaching journey and she gives us key insights on what she’s picked up over the course of her 10+ year career so far.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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We sat down with Blaire Bachman, the associate head coach at the University of Virginia. Bachman takes us through her thoughts on the hoos’ performances at the 2021 Tennessee invite, their mid-season rest meet, as well as how training has been for the defending national champions (on the women’s side) this fall. We then delve into Blaire’s coaching journey and she gives us key insights on what she’s picked up over the course of her 10+ year career so far.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-12-05

Lezak, Dahlia, Ress Break Cali‘s Down Gut-Wrenching Loss in ISL Final

14 min

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Condor's GM Jason Lezak along with World record-holder Kelsi Dahlia and American record-holder Justin Ress sat down with SwimSwam to digest the ISL final. Cali was the defending champions from 2020 and came up just short of their 2nd team title, losing to Energy Standard in a back-and-fourth match by just 12 points.

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Condor's GM Jason Lezak along with World record-holder Kelsi Dahlia and American record-holder Justin Ress sat down with SwimSwam to digest the ISL final. Cali was the defending champions from 2020 and came up just short of their 2nd team title, losing to Energy Standard in a back-and-fourth match by just 12 points.

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Published 2021-12-04

Sarah Sjostrom, James Gibson Discuss Last-Minute Tactics to Reclaim ISL Trophy

10 min

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In a razor-thin battle with the Cali Condors that saw the clubs trade the lead back and forth during the final day of competition, Energy Standard clinched the Season 3 ISL championship title thanks to the efforts of Ben Proud and Adam Barrett in the men’s butterfly skins. Energy Standard’s Sarah Sjostrom finished as the leading scorer in the final with 61 points, followed closely by Fink (59.5) and Cali’s Hali Flickinger (51.0).

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In a razor-thin battle with the Cali Condors that saw the clubs trade the lead back and forth during the final day of competition, Energy Standard clinched the Season 3 ISL championship title thanks to the efforts of Ben Proud and Adam Barrett in the men’s butterfly skins. Energy Standard’s Sarah Sjostrom finished as the leading scorer in the final with 61 points, followed closely by Fink (59.5) and Cali’s Hali Flickinger (51.0).

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Published 2021-12-02

Olympic Medalist Hali Flickinger Intimately Details The Past Two-Year Grind

45 min

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We sat down with two-time Olympic medalist and Team Speedo athlete Hali Flickinger. This Cali Condors swim star has been busy since Tokyo. In this podcast Hali dives into the past, detailing her journey to the Olympic podium since her days competing at YMCA Nationals. Hali's a workhorse, grinding in practice to compete on the biggest stage in sport in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM. The move to train under iconic swim coach Bob Bowman paid off, but she did not expect to train through a pandemic on her road to the Olympic Games. Hali gets raw and real in this interview explaining the ups and downs, and how she managed her mental health. Her Speedo MAKE WAVES moment includes her mental health management. She leaned into her swim-family, her Olympic teammates, a special crew that assembled nightly during the Games. Listen for the name of this unique group of elite women. You'll appreciate the power of this sisterhood.

Follow Hali Flickinger on Instagram.

Follow Speedo USA on Instagram.

Speedo USA is a SwimSwam partner.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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We sat down with two-time Olympic medalist and Team Speedo athlete Hali Flickinger. This Cali Condors swim star has been busy since Tokyo. In this podcast Hali dives into the past, detailing her journey to the Olympic podium since her days competing at YMCA Nationals. Hali's a workhorse, grinding in practice to compete on the biggest stage in sport in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM. The move to train under iconic swim coach Bob Bowman paid off, but she did not expect to train through a pandemic on her road to the Olympic Games. Hali gets raw and real in this interview explaining the ups and downs, and how she managed her mental health. Her Speedo MAKE WAVES moment includes her mental health management. She leaned into her swim-family, her Olympic teammates, a special crew that assembled nightly during the Games. Listen for the name of this unique group of elite women. You'll appreciate the power of this sisterhood.

Follow Hali Flickinger on Instagram.

Follow Speedo USA on Instagram.

Speedo USA is a SwimSwam partner.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Published 2021-12-01

Olympic Medalist Noe Ponti on Training in Switzerland for Foreseeable Future

46 min

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We sat down with Olympic bronze medalist in the 100 fly, Noe Ponti. The butterfly specialist is fresh off of breaking 4 new Swiss records at the Swiss SC championships. Ponti was public on his Instagram that winning his bronze medal was fairly life-changing and prompted him to depart from NC State after having been in the US for just a few weeks this fall. Ponti speaks on how being at home in Switzerland brings him happiness and will therefore be staying there for the foreseeable future.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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We sat down with Olympic bronze medalist in the 100 fly, Noe Ponti. The butterfly specialist is fresh off of breaking 4 new Swiss records at the Swiss SC championships. Ponti was public on his Instagram that winning his bronze medal was fairly life-changing and prompted him to depart from NC State after having been in the US for just a few weeks this fall. Ponti speaks on how being at home in Switzerland brings him happiness and will therefore be staying there for the foreseeable future.

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Music: Otis McDonald
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Published 2021-11-30

SwimSwam Breakdown: ISL Final, Minn Invite, & US Open Converge for Big Weekend

43 min

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown we discuss the upcoming ISL Grand Final (Eindhoven), Minnesota Invite (Minneapolis), and US Open (Greensboro), where many, many swim stars will competing in one pool or the other.

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown we discuss the upcoming ISL Grand Final (Eindhoven), Minnesota Invite (Minneapolis), and US Open (Greensboro), where many, many swim stars will competing in one pool or the other.

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The SwimSwam Podcast

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