The SwimSwam Podcast

Cumulatively, over the 3 stops of the 2024 World Cup circuit, Kate Douglass and Regan Smith broke 5 worlds records, 11 American records, and earned over $330,000. And they did it all for the plot. Even though the duo planned to attend the World Cup together months in advance, neither had many expectations going into the series after taking substantial time out of the pool following the Olympic Games in Paris. Both Smith and Douglass' number one priority was enjoying their time together and rolling with whatever was thrown their way, which ended up being quite a lot. However, the Olympic champions took what came to them in stride, improving at each of the three stops and ending the series as the top two performers and money earners.

Freshman Erika Pelaez showed out in her first official dual meet with NC State last week against Arizona State. Not only did she win every event she participated in, but in her first individual race, the 200 free, she broke an NC State school record, clocking a 1:43.14. Pelaez shares her perspective on what has gone so well for her at NC State so far as well as what her summer was like competing for Team USA at the Jr Pan Pacific Championships in Australia.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the World Cup, the Texas vs Indiana Dual Meet, and Michael Andrew training at Arizona State.

At the NC State-Arizona State dual meet last weekend, wolfpack freshman Leah Shackley won the 100 back in dominant fashion, touching in 50.40. This not only cleared the field by over .4 but it also earned her an Individual NCAA 'A' cut, making her one of four women to achieve that feat thus far this season. Shackley speaks on what has been going so well for her at NC State so far and how she has adjusted to the training in Raleigh.

Tatjana Smith (Schoenmaker) is a 4x Olympic medalist, 2x Olympic champion, and South Africa's most decorated Olympian in history. After winning gold and silver in Paris, Smith announced that she would retire from competitive swimming. Smith sat down with SwimSwam to share how her retirement came about and what it has been like for her so far. The breaststroke specialist gets raw about the highs and lows of stepping away from a sport that has been such a big part of her life for well over a decade.

After breaking the world record in the 50m butterfly (SCM), Noe Ponti sat down with SwimSwam to discuss his experience at the world cup so far. After placing 4th and 5th in the 100 and 200 butterfly at the Paris Olympics, Ponti took a long break from the pool before returning to training. At present, he is mentally relaxed and it seems to have an effect on him physically as well. Not only did Ponti break the world record in the 50 fly in Shanghai, he also won the 100 fly in Shanghai and in Incheon, losing his goggles in the latter but still prevailing.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing all things college swimming... plus Kate Douglass's world record in Incheon.

Malmsten COO Christian Malmsten details his family's long history of support providing lane lines for Olympic swimming competitions going back to the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Malmsten supplies lane lines for the recent Pairs Olympic Games, and Malmsten will supply lane lines for the upcoming 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the ridiculous weekend of SCM racing that included the World Cup stop in Shanghai and the Virginia-Florida NCAA dual meet.

After breaking his neck 6 months before the competition and then contracting COVID during the competition, Zac Stubblety-Cook still walked away from the Paris Olympic Games with a silver medal in the 200 breast. The Australian breaststroke specialist takes us through his whirlwind Olympic saga, what kept his head level through all of it, and how he's running a coffee business on the side.

At the tender age of 15, Australia's Tim Hodge participated in his first Paralympic Games in Rio. 5 years later in Tokyo, he was chasing gold and came close, leaving Japan with 2 silver medals a 1 bronze. In Paris, after breaking a world record and becoming World champion in 2022 and 2023 in the 200 IM S9, Hodge finally touched the wall first, winning gold in his signature event. Speaking with SwimSwam, Hodge documents the work he put in and changes he made from 2021 to 2024. From switching coaches to racing the 400 free, it was all worth it for the Para athlete who is now on top of the world.

Claire Weinstein had a whirlwind summer that saw her win medals at both the Olympic Games and Jr Open Water World Championships. The new high school graduate takes us through dealing with sickness throughout the Olympic Trials and training camp, winning her first Olympic medal, and competing in (and winning) the 3k knockout sprint in Italy.

In the span of 2 years (2021-2023), Maggie MacNeil won essentially every major title in swimming that she could: Olympic Champion, World Champion (LCM and SCM), NCAA Champion, Commonwealth Games Champion, Pan American Champion, and world record holder. Last week, following the 2024 Paris Olympics, MacNeil announced she was retiring from competitive swimming. Speaking on the SwimSwam Podcast, MacNeil said she was ready to pursue other things in life and knew even before the 2024 Paris Olympics that retirement was on the horizon for her. MacNeil will look to pursue law school starting in the fall of 2025, with potential internships abroad occupying her first 6 months of next year. Currently, she is working on a 6-week intensive LSAT course. Listen as the Canadian swim star reflects fondly on her time in the pool and dives into some of her favorite moments throughout the last 5 years.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the upcoming Shanghai World Cup, the NCAA landscape, and WADA losing over 2,000 drug tests.

After coming off of a sensational NCAA season, Josh Liendo kept his momentum rolling in Paris, walking away with a silver medal in the 100 fly. The Canadian sprint star was also a part of a podium that featured 2 Canadians, himself and Ilya Kharun in the 100 fly, which is the first time that has happened since 1976. Liendo breaks down his performances in Paris, revealing how he approached his program from a mental and physical standpoint. He talks about technique in butterfly and freestyle and what changes he felt were integral to earning his spot on the podium. The Florida junior also previews the coming NCAA season, noting that we may see him competing in a 200 IM or 200 fly at a dual meet or mid-season competition.

On the eve of the 2024 Australian Short Course Nationals, Olympic champion Lani Pallister was kind enough to sit down with SwimSwam and discuss her last 8 weeks of swimming and life. Pallister admitted that she pushed through the urge to take a break from training after Paris to prepare to compete in the Surf Lifesaving as well as Short Course World Championships (via AUS short course nats). On Day 1 in Adelaide, Pallister hit a lifetime best in the 200 free (1:52.73) to win the event. After 20 minutes of talking short course swimming, potato sack racing, and the weather in Australia, Pallister dives into her experience in Paris. After qualifying for 3 individual events, Pallister ended up dropping 2 of them. Her coach, MIchael Bohl, advised dropping the 400 free to conserve her energy for the 800/1500 frees, then she contracted COVID, which led her to drop the 1500 free a few days later. Pallister bounced back in time for the 4x200 free relay, where she swam prelims, earned a spot in finals, and swam a key leg in the final to help Australia earn their first gold in the event since 2008.

Todd DeSorbo is fresh off serving as Team USA's head women's coach for swimming at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The UVA head coach reflects on training camp, the Olympic Village, and the Games themselves, happy with the overall performance of the team and himself. DeSorbo also discusses the NCAA realm, including how he's navigating recruiting in the new NIL landscape and what the Virginia team has in store for this fall.

Florent Manaudou has medaled in the last 4 Olympic 50 Freestyles, winning gold in 2012, silver in 2016 and 2020, and now bronze at his home Olympics in Paris. It hasn't been an easy path for the sprint legend though. Florent starts by speaking honestly about his emotional highs and lows coming off of the Olympics. He is already back in the pool training with the goal of competing at the 2024 Short Course World Championships and ultimately the 2026 European Championships in Paris. He goes on to recount his 2023-24 season leading up to the Paris Olympics. Manaudou admits he had been miserable for much of his career, only focusing on the outcome of his performances and diving into a depression when they didn't go his way. This year, Manaudou took more ownership of his swimming, doing what he wanted in and out of the pool to keep his body and brain healthy and happy.

After only swimming in relay prelims at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mollie O'Callaghan has been on an absolute warpath on the international swim stage since, capping it off by winning individual gold in the 200 free and relay gold in the 4x100 and 4x200 free relays in Paris. Just before Tokyo in 2019, O'Callaghan had considered herself primarily a backstroke swimmer who swam sprint freestyle. But as she's progressed under coach Dean Boxall, she's dipped her toes more and more into mid-distance freestyle training and racing. That was highlighted last year at the 2023 World Championships, where she won a world title in the event and broke a 14-year-old world record. Listen to how O'Callaghan reflects on her progression in the pool over the last 5 years and her experience in Paris.

Katharine Berkoff secured her spot in Olympic history by contributing to a USA 2-3 finish in the women's 100 back, earning a bronze medal with her third-place finish. The 25x NCAA All-American also earned Olympic gold as a member of the 400 medley relay prelims team. For Katharine, making her first Olympic team was a generational accomplishment, as her father, David Berkoff, was not only her inspiration growing up but also an Olympic swimmer in his own right. After the Paris Games, father and daughter got the Olympic rings tattooed on them.