The SwimSwam Podcast

Lydia Jacoby Looking Forward to Opportunities Presented by Going Pro, Focusing on LCM

Olympic champion Lydia Jacoby recently announced her decision to forego her remaining 2 years of NCAA eligibility and transition to being a professional athlete. Jacoby will continue to pursue her degree in fashion at Texas and for the time being, train in Austin. However, this will allow her more flexibility to travel, rest in the fall, and compete in events like the World Cup and Pro Swim series. Jacoby openly discusses her decision in addition to her summer of travel, going to New York Fashion Week, and what her swimming might look like moving forward.

How Sweden's Antonio Lutula Helped Guide Sarah Sjostrom to 50/100 Free Gold in Paris

Antonio Lutula has been the head coach at the Swedish National Centre in Stockholm since January 2022 and has already accomplished what many coaches wait a lifetime for. He led sprinting superstar Sarah Sjostrom to Olympic gold in both the 50 and 100 freestyle in Paris, her first Olympic titles in both events. Lutula discusses what coaching at the National Centre is like, why Sarah Sjostrom has been so consistent in racing, and what were the keys to winning gold in Paris.

Despite Surprise Bowman Departure, 2x Bronze Medalist Ilya Kharun is Thriving at Arizona State

Fresh off of leading Arizona State to its first NCAA team title in program history, Bob Bowman announced he would be leaving to head up the swim and dive program at Texas. A number of athletes left Arizona State following this announcement, either to follow Bob Bowman to Austin or pursue their swimming at other programs. One athlete who had trained under Bowman and was expected to follow him (from the outside) was freshman Ilya Kharun. The Canadian national had seen vast improvement under Bowman in just one year, capping his season with an NCAA title in the 200 fly. However, having built a life and community in Tempe already, Kharun opted to stay and train under newly named head coach and ASU alum Herbie Behm. It seemed to work for the rising sophomore, as he qualified for his first Canadian Olympic team and left Paris with 2 bronze medals in the 100 and 200 fly. In this podcast, Kharun discusses his decision to stay at ASU, what training with coach Behm has been like, and how he managed his event load in Paris and wound up on the podium twice.

Hunter Armstrong Describes Overcoming Losing Loved Ones & Depression to Win Gold in Paris

Hunter Armstrong was one of the more surprising narratives from Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. While the former world record holder in the 50 back narrowly missed the final of the 100 back, his freestyle seemed to more than make up for it. He split 46.7 to help the men win the 400 free relay then was given anchor duty on the 400 medley relay, where he split 47.1 and touched for 2nd. In this discussion, Amrstrong doesn't hold back about a number of topics. He's describes losing his grandfather (Cancer), primary coach (Matt Bowe, moved from Cal to Michigan), and girlfriend (break up) all in the span of 8 months and the depression that sent him into. This caused Armstrong to routinely miss practice and not be at his best in training during the spring of 2024. Armstrong also speaks on wanting to be on the 800 free relay in Paris, being afraid of racing backstroke, and being a volunteer swim teacher for special needs children. This is a can't miss discussion with one of Team USA's best athletes.

Ben Proud Breaks Down Intricacies of Sprinting, Winning Olympic Silver in the 50 Free

Ben Proud had won every accolade out there in the 50m free: LCM World title, SCM world title, Commonwealth champion, European champion. But in Paris, he finally earned an individual Olympic medal, touching second for silver. Ironically, it came at a point in his career when he wasn't focused on the result of the race.

After Tokyo, Proud almost stepped away from swimming entirely. He knew something about his approach to swimming had to change and it did in 2022. In the last two years, Proud has loved swimming and now feels he can continue on for at least through the end of 2025.

Hubi Kos Explains How Training with Bob Bowman Made the Olympics Easy

In just 12 months, Hubi Kos became a world champion, NCAA champion, European champion, and finally Olympic champion, taking gold in Paris in the men's 200 back. With Leon Marchand as his training partner and Bob Bowman as his coach, Kos has made great strides in the pool over the last 18 months since he's lived in the US. Kos explains that Bowman obviously knows how to train athletes bodies but what really sets him apart is how he prepares his athletes mentally. Because of the rigorous challenges Bowman puts his athletes through on a daily basis in practice, Kos says it makes navigating the Olympic Games feel easy.

The Bachelorette's Thomas Nguyen Discusses Discusses Experience with Reality TV, Pro Swimming

Thomas Nguyen is best known now for being a contestant on the 21st season of The Bachelorette. But before that, he was an NCAA DII All-American for Florida Southern and trained with SwimAtlanta in hopes of representing Vietnam in the 2016 Olympic Games. Listen to what Nguyen has to say about his experience in the dating and swimming pools over the last few years.

Siobhan Haughey on Being a Hong Kong Icon, Partnership with Chanel, & Uncertain Future in Swim

Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey showed out in Paris, winning bronze medals in the 100 and 200 freestyles, both of which were the fastest fields in history. That put Haughey's overall Olympic medal count at 4 (after winning double silver in Tokyo), making her the most decorated Olympian in Hong Kong's history. The world champion and NCAA All-American joined the SwimSwam podcast to discuss her experience in Paris, her iconic partnership with Chanel, and having no real training base but still staying at the top of her game.

A Constraints-Led Approach to Swimming with Andrew Sheaff

"It’s extremely challenging to help swimmers develop skills that win races. It’s overwhelming trying to teach skills to each and every athlete, particularly when it seems like no one is listening. And everything that’s learned seems to disappear once it’s time to start training, or when it really counts in championship races that matter. The solution isn’t to get better at what you’re doing. You don’t need new drills, you don’t need new cues, and you don’t need an expensive video system. You need a different approach." Listen to how coach Andrew Sheaff is changing how he looks at teaching and learning for both swimmers and coaches.

10x Olympic Medalist Caeleb Dressel Unpacks His Paris Olympic Games

10-time Olympic swimming medalist Caeleb Dressel is happy to be back on his Florida farm after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. His results were mixed. He knows that. He knows he fought hard, and he didn't exactly have the Olympic Games he wanted. At a minimum, he's just glad he did it, went to Paris, because there were two moments when he thought he might not go at all. Dressel thought a repeat of the 2022 World Championship would happen, when he abruptly left in the middle of the competition. After making The U.S. Olympic Team at the U.S. Olympic Trials, in the middle of the meet, Dressel considered pulling out. Mentally he was battling---at war in his head. His wife, parents, and therapist were all there, all supporting him. So, he pushed on. After the U.S. Olympic Trials, Dressel considered pulling out again. He wondered if it would be better to give other, up and coming swimmers a shot at the Olympic stage. Dressel battled these thoughts. At one point, he considered only swimming the Olympic relays. It all made sense in his head. We now know Dressel completed his Olympic schedule, and in this podcast he gives a beat-by-beat account of what he experiences. It's real, raw, and courageously vulnerable.