The SwimSwam Podcast

Olympic Champion Maggie MacNeil Reflects on Her EPIC Swimming Career

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.

World Cup, College Swimming, & WADA Fumble | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

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

Josh Liendo Carrying Momentum from Paris Podium into 2025 NCAA Season

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.

Lani Pallister Shares Detailed Account of Getting COVID and Winning Gold in Paris

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 Reflects on Time as US Olympic Head Coach, Preview 2025 Virginia NCAA Season

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.

How Sprint Star Florent Manaudou Medaled in the 50 Free at 4 Different Olympic Games

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.

How Mollie O'Callaghan Transitioned from Sprint Backstroker to 200 Free Olympic Champion

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 on Bronze in Paris, Backstroke Starts, and Getting Olympic Rings Tattoo with Dad

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.

Carson Foster Loving New-Look Bowman Texas Training Group Coming Off Olympic Success in Paris

Carson Foster finished his summer as a first-time Olympian and a 2x Olympic medalist. Returning to Austin this fall, Foster is going through a ton of change. His longtime coaches at Texas, Eddie Reese and Wyatt Collins, are now replaced by Bob Bowman and his staff. In his personal life, Foster just married his longtime partner, Meredith, and is now living with her. SwimSwam spoke with the world champion about his whirlwind summer and all the changes he's adapting to now in Austin.

Torri Huske on Winning Gold, Relay Starts, and The Public Under-appreciating Silver/Bronze

Torri Huske finished 4th in the 100 fly at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. A year later, she won the world title in the same event. At the next year's world championships after taking on an extreme course load at Stanford, still managed a bronze in the event. And finally, in Paris, Huske topped the podium once again... plus much, much more. It's no exaggeration to say the Paris Olympics was Torri's best international competition to date. Not only did she score gold in the 100 fly (55.5), but she also won silver in the 100 free (52.5) and as a part of the 400 free relay (52.0) as well as gold in the mixed 400 medley relay (Free, 51.8) and 400 medley relay (Free, 52.4). Huske breaks down the training she did leading into the Games, how her less-than-ideal experience last summer helped her learn moving into this year, and what she did to improve her relay starts.