The SwimSwam Podcast

Former Cal and U.S. National Team swimmers Nathan Adrian and Will Copeland are expanding their swim lesson business into a full-fledged USA Swimming club. Adrian and Copeland, who are the owners of the AC Swim Club, will combine operations with the Westside Aquaducks, a USA Swimming team, on Wednesday. They’ll take over the program from retiring head coach Dea Ann, who founded the club in 2006. As part of the transition, Adrian and Copeland will bring in Jon Hiett as the head coach of the Aquaducks. He spent the last 4 years as the head assistant coach with the Tualatin Hills Swim Club in Oregon, which is a USA Swimming silver medal club. While Adrian and Copeland will be involved in the administrative running of the Westside Aquaducks, Hiett will be the coach and will be responsible for athlete performance. Both Adrian and Copeland are actively instructing at the swim school. The swim school is located in San Rafael, California, while the Aquaducks train out of Petaluma, which is about 20 miles away. The 32-year old Adrian represented the US at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games, racking up 5 Olympic gold medals among 8 total. That includes an individual 100 free win at the London 2012 Olympics. He is also a 12-time World Champion in swimming. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with 2020 Olympian and silver medalist in the women's 400 medley relay, Claire Curzan. Curzan walks us through her summer, from her epic 3-event matchup with Torri Huske (both of whom would go on to make the Olympic team in the 100 fly), to Olympic Trials to Training camp to the Games themselves. Curzan also delves into what she did this summer to improve her first 15-meters, including focusing on a rowing motion to engage her arms off the start and focusing on hitting her underwater kick count with short, fast kicks. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Caeleb Dressel owns seven Olympic gold medals now, picking up five from the recent 2020 Olympic Games. In this interview he unpacks a lot. Olympic 100 meter freestyle? It started hurting him at the 60 meter mark. Please note that the 100 free will be his first “Dressel Dissects” on youtube as soon as he settles in Naples, Italy for ISL Season 3 and gets some free time. ISL Season 3? Will he race more than fans think? Dressel intends to race as much as possible. Competing is his happy place, but he’s going to play it by ear and see how he’s doing managing his time and general good health. The Olympic 100 meter butterfly start and finish? Dressel breaks down his mistakes, and he does think he’s got a 49.2 loaded with a sharper turn and finish. Kristof Milak surprised him. He did not expect a 49.6 from the 200 butterfly world record holder. 4x200 free relay? Dressel wanted to swim it. That’s why he swam the prelim 200 free at U.S. Trials. Watch the video to hear his complete answer. Mixed Medley Relay? Dressel isn’t second guessing anyone. Looking back, however, he does think leading off with a male athlete in the 100 back and 100 breast might be the best way to race that relay. 50 free? Dressel didn’t have much to say. He won the pure sprint by a wide margin — an astounding .48 — a wider margin than his other four Olympic gold medal performances. 4x100 Medley? Dressel felt that was the best race and his best swim of the entire Olympic competition. Dropping a 49.03 split while exhausted on the final night of competition is something he’s proud of. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with Justina Kozan, the 4x event winner at the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships - West in Irvine. Kozan made SwimSwam headlines with her 200 IM victory, coming home in 29.75 (faster than anyone's freestyle split in the Olympic final of that event). Kozan discusses her experience at the Summer Champs as well as at Olympic Trials, where she made her first final in the 400 IM. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

In this week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, the Olympics are over and ISL season 3 is coming in hot. Tune in to hear all about this week's Top stories. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic bronze medalist and Oceania record-holder in the 400 IM, Brendon Smith. Smith takes us through his first Olympic experience, including the historic 400 IM prelims and finals, which saw surprising twists in both. Smith came out with a bronze medal behind Americans Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland, able to put together a solid race after earning first seed heading into the final. Smith also discusses how he's spent his time since Tokyo, traveling to Rome with a group of fellow Aussies in anticipation of ISL season 3 as well as avoiding a 2-week Australian quarantine. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

When I was a kid my father wanted me to be Alex Baumann. In addition to his dominance in the 200 and 400 IM (winning gold and breaking world records in both events at the 1984 Olympic Games for Canada) Baumann was graceful and gracious. He epitomized the Olympic ideal of sportsmanship. Baumann has spent his adult life as sport administrator at the high levels from Canada to New Zealand, and, most recently, at the helm of Swimming Australia as their CEO. He recently stepped down as CEO, a topic he covers candidly in this podcast. Baumann is as I remember him from the 1980s. We shared the deck at the first Pan Pac Championships in 1987. He's a nice guy--very easy to build a relationship with. Baumann's leadership in sport is covered here, an unpacking of the run-up to Swimming Australia's success at the 2020 Olympic Games. However, we do dive into his competitive history. Baumann experienced dramatic struggles, most of them off-camera. The fact that he was the Flag Bearer for his nation in 1984 and so successful in the pool is testament to his discipline. He's a unique person well-worth your time, and I hope you enjoy this podcast. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

SUMMER SANDERS’ star burns bright. She’s been intimate with the Olympic experience since she earned her four Olympic medals back in 1992. Summer has been to nearly every Olympic Games, summer and winter, since her ’92 star-turn as a network commentator and/or ambassador. We sat down with Summer to get her perspective on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and she had a lot of wisdom to share. Summer even put her Swim Nerd cap on regarding the 4×100 mixed medley relay–about which a lot of Team USA Olympic Alumni have had much to say. Thanks to Summer for dropping in on the SwimSwam podcast. You can follow Summer on Instagram @summersanders_ SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic champion and world record holder in the women's 400 free relay, Bronte Campbell. Campbell speaks on her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and how she managed her injuries with the extra year provided by the COVID-19 pandemic in the lead-up to the Games. Campbell also discusses her love for the water outside of swimming, her career path, and her preferred coffee order. Toward the end of our conversation, I ask Bronte about the poem she wrote and read to the 2020 Aussie Olympic team before competition started, a poem that was shared on Instagram by her teammate, Cam McEvoy. Bronte explains this tradition and how it dates back to her early days on the AUS national team. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with SwimSwam's head of photography and man on the scene at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Jack Spitser. Jack breaks down the back end of covering an Olympic Games, from the commute to and from his hotel to the different venues, the hours he worked each day, and what he looks for when he's shooting a high profile event like the Olympic Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with 7x Olympic medalist and 4x Olympian, Emily Seebohm (fun fact, she has won a medal at all 4 Olympics she's been to). Seebohm starts off with how her 2-week quarantine is going in Darwin, Australia. Personally, it has been interesting speaking with the Aussies about this, as usually you would come down from the high of the Olympics and keep yourself surrounded by people (family, friends, fans), which might prevent you from taking time to reflect on the experience and the emotions it brought (enter post-Olympic blues). I'm really interested to hear about how the Aussies feel emotionally coming out of this quarantine, as it has given them a lot of alone time to reflect and process the experience. We then discuss Seebohm's 4th Olympic experience, where, at age 29, she was actually putting more of an emphasis on the 200 back. We saw this pay off with her earning a bronze medal in the event, behind her teammate Kaylee McKeown who won gold. Seebohm would go on to present McKeown with her gold medal, getting asked by McKeown to stand at the top of the podium with her as a result. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with the double Olympic champion in both distance events, Bobby Finke. Finke takes us through both his Olympic Trials experience and Olympic experience, noting his experience from previous national teams had helped him feel ready to seize this moment. Finke gives a play-by-play of both 800 and 1500 from the Olympic Games, where he had monstrous last-50 splits to pass the field and take the gold in both races. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with the Olympic champion in the 100 breast, Lydia Jacoby. Lydia took us through her experience at her first Olympic Games, from moving through the 100 breast rounds and ultimately taking the win to losing her goggles in the mixed 4x100 medley relay. With the mixed relay, Jacoby sees it as a learning experience (because let's be honest, who hasn't lost their goggles off the blocks at some point?), one that resulted in Adam Peaty calling her a badass after the race. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Bruno Fratus has dropped a 21 second 50m free performance over 90-times in his career. He alone owns that astounding metric---which is probably why he is loved the world over. He's been in the hunt in the men's 50m free since 2011--always among the top elite swimmers fighting for a podium position.In this swimswam #podcast Bruno unpacks his sprint free history, the highs and the lows, and he restates his intentions to race until he is 35 years old at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

In this episode of the SwimSwam Breakdown, I sat down with SwimSwam Co-Founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to analyze what happened in this post-Olympic week of swimming, which was surprisingly a lot SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with 3x Olympian and now 2020 Olympic Analyst with NBC (I think this makes her a 4x Olympian), Elizabeth Beisel. Beisel gave us the FULL rundown of what life is like for the broadcasting team at Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, sparing no detail and unafraid to get real about the physical and emotional toll these long days and weeks can take on you. To exemplify this, she recalls Rowdy Gaines DMing Airweave on Twitter and convincing them to bring 4 mattresses to the NBC trailer in Tokyo so the broadcast team could nap on them between sessions. Beisel also spoke candidly on the hardship of losing her father a week after the Olympic Trials, having to process that as well as prepare for 17 days in Tokyo. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic gold medalist Bowe Becker, the sprinter who put Minnesota on the map and surprised many by making the 2020 Olympic team. Becker takes us through his entire process of Olympic Trials and the Games, from his mindset to his swims themselves and everything in between. We then take it back to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, when Becker moved from Auburn (where he was training at the time) back home to his parents' house in Reno and didn't swim for 6 months. However, he was back in the pool once he got the call from Jason Lezak that he had a roster spot in the ISL for season 2. Becker goes through his entire comeback tour and how difficult it was to get back into shape for not only ISL but Trials as well. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Erica Sullivan, the 1500 Olympic silver medalist and recently appointed "New Lesbian Supreme". Erica walks us through her summer, starting at the Olympic Trials where she was experiencing stress to the point of having trouble eating or sleeping. Even after making the Olympic team in the 1500, Sullivan admits it felt empty and unlike what she had expected this lifelong dream to be like. After battling illness post-trials and getting back into the swing of things at training camp, Sullivan then takes us through her Olympic experience, which she describes as much more fulfilling. She was able to relax more, sleep better, and perform the way she wanted (minus getting a toe cramp behind the blocks during the 1500 final). Finally, she delves into the recognition she got once she had her press conference and showed the world the authentic personality that she had stayed true to for so many years. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with newly minted 2020 Olympic champion in the 200 breast, Zac Stubblety-Cook. After talking about his obsessive coffee habits for the first 7 minutes of the pod (this guy does not mess around with his caffeine), we get into his swimming. He takes us through his Olympic performance, and specifically through his gold medal race in the 200 breast, but then we take it back. Zac goes all the way to 2017-2018 to his first senior international team and the pressure that brought. He explains how he crumpled in that first scenario and how he addressed this anxiety and pressure moving forward. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with the 2016 Olympic champion and 2020 silver medalist in the 100 free, Kyle Chalmers to get his perspective on the 2020 Olympic Games. Chalmers starts with the lead-up to his trials which was riddled with injury, namely in both of his shoulders. Chalmers admits he couldn't even train at a full schedule until after the Australian trials. However, once he was in Tokyo, he felt confident, especially after throwing down a 46.4 anchor split on the 4x100 free relay. Chalmers takes us through the prelims and semis of the 100 free and then gives us his expert analysis on the battle he had with Caeleb Dressel in the final. It was great to get Chalmers' perspective on this because although he obviously wanted gold, he recognizes how much he went through to get to this point and what an achievement like this means to not only him but the people around him who helped make it happen. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with the Olympic champion and sprinting savant, Cesar Cielo. Cesar starts by taking us through his Tokyo experience, behind the microphone in Brazil where he was commentating for a Brazilian TV station. He describes the long hours and lack of sleep that come with broadcasting, shedding some light on what our American commentators go through as well, including Rowdy Gaines, Elizabeth Beisel, and Michael Phelps. Then we got to the good stuff. Cielo dives into what certain Olympic schedules look like for athletes, especially the behind-the-scenes recovery that you have to get to when you have a heavy schedule like Caeleb Dressel or Emma McKeon. Cielo shares what he saw from the sprint sensations and why he thinks there was something left on the table for next year. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic medalists Maggie MacNeil and Kylie Masse to get their perspectives on the 2020 Games. Both Masse and MacNeil speak about trying to find a place of fun before their finals races, not focusing on the pressure as much as swimming their own race. It seemed to work out for them, as MacNeil won gold in the 100 fly and Masse won double silver in the 100-200 backstroke. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Tom Dolan is a 400 IM beast, winning this race in 1996 and 2000. In 2000 Tom broke the World Record dropping a 4:11.76. Think about that! That was 21 years ago in a tiny, non-compression suit. Tom has high 400 IM swimming IQ, and he shares it here, breaking down the Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland gold and sliver medal Olympic performances. Daiya Seto just missed the final, and Caron Foster dropped a 4:08.4 at the Speedo Sectional Meet in Austin, Texas, 24 hours ahead of the Olympic final, a time that would’ve won the gold. There are a lot of layers to this analysis, and we air them out entirely. For those who don’t know what’s going on with Tom Dolan post Olympics: He’s been a force in the learn-to-swim industry with his Tom Dolan Swim Schools. Recently he’s merged with Big Blue Swim School becoming their President of East Coast Operations. This is not a small swim business. Big Blue Swim School is a powerhouse with 130 franchises. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

2008 Olympian and Olympic medalist Caroline Burckle sat down to discuss one of the biggest topics of the 2020 Olympic Games: mental health for athletes. This was brought to the forefront of the Games when Olympic gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition. Burckle emphasizes that when she was competing, it would have been helpful to merely have someone to talk to consistently about struggles she was going through in or out of the pool, and cherishes the times she did get to have those conversations. Burckle is no stranger to lending that listening ear, having started RISE Athletes with Co-Olympian Rebecca Soni, a business that provides young athletes with mentors who have been at the top of their sport and know the ups and downs that come with it. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

For the last day of 2020 Olympic swimming, we broke down the Top 10 swims in Tokyo, halved into the Top 5 women's races and the Top 5 men's. For more, check out our full breakdown at SwimSwam. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin who, for the first time in 21 years, is simply spectating an Olympics rather than competing or commentating. Coughlin gives her take on the young stars of the Olympics as well as the veterans, explaining why the pressures on each group of athletes is very different. Coughlin explains that at her first Olympics in 2004, even though she was no rookie to the international competition scene, there was a freedom that she didn't have at her 2nd Olympics, coming in as a defending champion in the 100 back. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Backstroke legend Lenny Krayzelburg sat down with SwimSwam to give his perspective on the 2020 Olympic Games. Lenny was been in a similar boat as Ryan Murphy was heading into these Olympics - defending champion in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. He comments on what it's like to be in that position, how he handled himself heading into the 2004 Games, and what he saw from Murphy in these Games. I'll be honest though. The hands-down best part of this conversation is when I ask Lenny "So how do you balance having a great swim for you but not winning the race?" and he didn't really have an answer because Lenny mostly just won races. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with the breaststroking man who's always in front of the camera, Cody Miller. Cody goes DEEP on the women's 200 breast, revealing what he saw as the difference maker between Olympic champion Tatjana Schoenmaker's prelims/semi swims and her finals swim where she broke the world record. Cody also gives insight into Lilly King's mentality after losing her Olympic title in the 100 breast and heading into the 200 breast, where she went a huge personal best by nearly 1.5 seconds. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

#5 – W 50 Free: Emma McKeon has been on a roll at these Olympic Games, and she continued that in the 50 free semi-finals, setting a new Olympic record at 24.00 #4 – W 200 Back: Kaylee McKeown successfully completes the backstroke sweep, getting her hand on the wall first at 2:04.68 to win gold in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes #3 – W 800 Free: Katie Ledecky won her 3rd-straight Olympic title in the 800 free, touching at 8:12.57 tonight to notch her 7th career Olympic gold and 10th overall medal #2 – Mixed Medley Relay: In it's first Olympic iteration, the mixed medley relay did not disappoint (unless you're USA, but we'll get to that), showing multiple lead changes while Great Britain swam an incredible 4 legs, breaking the world record in 3:37.58 #1 – M 100 Fly: This ended up being a lot tighter of a race than most would have expected, with Dressel going out fast and Milak coming home like a freight train, nearly catching the world record-holder and touching 2nd at 49.62. Dressel was able to hold off Milak and dip under his own world record, touching for gold at 49.45 BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: Team USA Coaching on Mixed Medley Relay We've all been trying to do the math on the mixed medley relay, especially since the USA had so many different options... but we don't see how the lineup we put forward could have added up to gold paper. The differential between the breaststroke/freestyle legs just wasn't there, and having a female butterflier swimming from behind with all those waves doesn't set them up for success. A tough race to watch for Team USA HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: 400 Medley Relay - Can USA Hold on? We know that Team USA is on form and looks primed for both medley relays. But so do the other countries that will challenge for gold. In the women's relay, if Lydia Jacoby can put the US in a lead over Australia and try to maintain through fly so Abbey Weitzeil has a chance to hold off Cate Campbell, I think our chances are good. In the men's race, Ryan Murphy obviously has to get a strong lead so Michael Andrew can try and hold off Adam Peaty. I think Dressel can get slightly ahead of an on-fire James Guy, which leaves Zach Apple to hold off Duncan Scott. I think Zapple is up to the task, but we've seen Duncan Scott go crazy on the relay anchor before, and he will be hungry for gold.

Newly minted 2x Olympic champion in the 200 free and 4x200 free relay Tom Dean of Great Britain joined us today on the SwimSwam Podcast. Dean breaks down both of his golden races, describing how he adjusted to the Olympic environment and embraced the pressure of an Olympic final. You may want to stay tuned until the very end... Dean gives away his secret on how to store your gold medals safely when traveling. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist Katie Hoff has high swimming IQ. She's been to the big show and experienced the pressure. In SwimSwam's ongoing coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games, Hoff helps us unpack the women's 400 IM, 400 free, 200 IM, 200 free and 4x200 freestyle relay. Also, she provides her insight into managing mental health during the Olympic pressure-cooker. Stay engaged and follow Katie Hoff on Instagram here - kthoff7 SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with sprinting legend James Magnussen to unpack the 100 free final and ended up unpacking the entire Olympic Games. We talk about most of the big races that have happened so far and specifically Australia's golden moments. We are used to seeing the Aussie trials come in March and then them not race again until the Games, but James is relieved that the system has finally changed and it seems to be paying off, with stars like Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus maintaining their dominance from Trials to the Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

#5 – M 800 Free: In a race of the ages, Greg Paltrinieri was out like a shot in lane 8, holding a solid lead through the first 600. However, the field began to catch him in the last 200, but it was Bobby Finke, who flipped 4th at the 750, who came home in 26.3 to pass 3 other competitors to win in an American record in 7:41.87 #4 – M 200 Breast: Zac Stubblety-Cook swam a similar race to Finke, biding his time throughout the first 150 and splitting 32.2 coming home to touch first at 2:06.38, the #3 performance ever and an Olympic record #3 – W 200 Fly: Zhang Yufei was out like a shot, touching at 26.9 and 58.2. She didn't slow down either, taking gold in 2:03.86, the fastest time we've seen in the event since 2009, when the super-suited world record was set #2 – M 100 Free: The men's 100 free delivered just as expected, with Caeleb Dressel going out fast and Kyle Chalmers coming home strong. In the end, Dressel held on for gold, his first individual Olympic title, in an Olympic record time of 47.02 #1 – W 4x200 Free Relay: This race was nuts. Australia put their big guns first and surprisingly China was able to hang with them, battling for first the first 600 meters while the US did a good job at lurking in 3rd. Then Katie Ledecky dove in, splitting a massive 1:53 to pass Australia and nearly China as well, but Li Jingjie held on for China and delivered them gold, with all 3 teams going under the previous world record and China ultimately owning it in 7:40.33 BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: Australia 4x200 Free Relay We feel guilty saying it because they were under the old world record, but there were so many situations where Australia wins this relay. The heavy favorite on paper, we thought this was a shoo-in for the Aussies, and leaving a 1:55.11 lead-off from prelims off of the finals relay coupled with Titmus adding a second from her individual left them vulnerable, and USA and China took full advantage HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Men's 200 IM Final - What the heck is going to Happen? With big-time players Daiya Seto, Michael Andrew, Wang Shun and Duncan Scott looming, it is anyone's race in the 200 IM final. We know Michael will be out fast at the 150, so ultimately it comes down to who can come home the strongest on the freestyle leg. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with Olympic champion Melanie Margalis, the IM savant who is enjoying being a swim fan for once. Margalis swim nerds it up, delving into why it is so difficult to have both your 200 IM and 400 IM fire on the same level at the same meet, how to improve a single stroke in your IM, and what she saw from double gold-medalist Yui Ohashi. Margalis also recalls multiple stories from Olympic ready rooms, world championships, and NCAA meets, including when she thought she'd be anchoring the Olympic 4x200 free relay. Coming in at just under an hour, we cover a lot of ground! SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Aaron Peirsol has seven Olympic medals and still holds the 200 backstroke world record, 1;51.9. He has wisdom and insight to share. He unpacks that in this SwimSwam podcast, a part of our ongoing Olympic coverage bringing you stars to provide a deeper point of view on each and every event. Peirsol details the United States' long successful history in backstroke, going back to the 1976 Olympic Games and John Naber. Peirsol also allows us into their tight, inner-circle. They talk, they lean on each other, and they provide support to the next rising star...whoever that may be. I hope you enjoy it. Peirsol is great company and conversation on any topic. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

SWIMSWAM’S TOP 5 SWIMS OF THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: DAY 4 #5 – M 200 Fly: World record holder Kristof Milak backed up his world title, doing his thing and dominating the field in the 2nd 100, touching for his first Olympic gold in 1:51.25 #4 – W 200 IM: Yui Ohashi completed the IM sweep in her home country, taking the 200 in 2:08.52 to become the 7th woman in a row to win both medley events at the Olympic Games #3 – W 1500 Free: After placing 5th in the 200 free, Katie Ledecky bounced back in a big way, getting back in the pool just over an hour later to dominate the first Olympic iteration of the woman's 1500 and win gold, her first of these Games #2 – W 200 Free: That race where Ledecky got 5th, Ariarne Titmus earned her 2nd gold in Tokyo, swimming a similar race to the 400 and coming back on the rest of the field in the last 50 to touch the wall 1st #1 – M 4x200 Free Relay: It was a perfectly executed race for Great Britain, who had 3 of the 6 fastest splits of the field to win their first gold in this event since 1904 and come .03 within the super-suited world record held by the USA BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: USA Leaves Dressel Off Relay Where was Caeleb Dressel? He should have been on the 4x200 free relay, even Michael Phelps agrees with us. Although USA put up some very solid splits, we're confident they would have got on the podium with Dressel leading off. Would they have gotten past Britain? No way. But they get a medal with Caeleb on it. HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Men's 100 Free Final - What the heck is going to Happen? The men's 100 free depth is overwhelming, with 47.9 missing the final altogether. Caeleb Dressel is just 2nd seed with a 47.2, behind Kliment Kolesnikov's 47.11 European record. Mel says there's too much speed in this field and Kyle Chalmers won't even medal... I think he's a fool and that the defending Olympic champ will absolutely put himself into the top 3. All will be revealed in this next finals session in what could very well be the race of the century. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with 3x Olympic champion Rebecca Soni, the breaststroke legend who won back-to-back Olympic titles in the 200 breast. After seeing 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby take the title in the women's 100 breast, Soni compared Jacoby's reaction to what Soni felt when winning her first 200 breast title in 2008. Soni emphasizes that exceeding your expectations as an athlete at the top level is a very rare thing and something to be appreciated and enjoyed. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic and world champion Ricky Berens to get his perspective on the 2020 Olympic 200 free final and what he see's for the 4x200 free with USA. Berens breaks down the subtleties of what it takes to swim a great 200 free and where the world is at in that progression. While chances are grim, he explains why USA still has a chance to win gold tonight against Britain, Russia, and the rest of the field. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

SWIMSWAM’S TOP 5 SWIMS OF THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: DAY 3 #5 – M 200 Free: Rising star and 16-year-old David Popovici drops a huge 1:44.68 in his first Olympic final, just missing a medal at 4th place and breaking the European Jr record #4 – M 200 Free: The British are coming, with Tom Dean and Duncan Scott taking 1-2 in the 200 free, both dropping 1:44.2's to top the rest of the field by nearly half a second #3 – W 100 Breast: 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby keeps her momentum rolling from Olympic Trials, getting her hand on the wall first to hit Gold, while defending champ Lilly King earns Bronze behind her #2 – M 100 Back: Evgeny Rylov breaks a European record en route to gold (51.98) and a 1-2 Russian finish as his countryman Kliment Kilosnikov finishes right behind him at 52.0 for silver #1 – W 100 back: This highly anticipated showdown did not disappoint, and once again Australia took control as Kaylee McKeown moved ahead of the field with 15m to go and touched first at 57.47, the #2 performance ever and just .02 behind her own world record BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: Men's 200 Fly It was disappointing to see 14 men go 1:55 or slower in the semis, with #2 being 1:54.9. With Kristof Milak going the easiest looking 1:52 that has ever been swum, we would have thought the rest of the world might have been able to catch up a bit. But the real belly flop was Chad le Clos' 31.8 final 50, which was not only entertaining (and painful) to watch, but surprisingly effective, with the fly-and-die swim netting him the 3rd seed. le Clos could easily turn that belly flop into a medal today. HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Will USA Vets Show Up? We've seen USA youngsters firing in Tokyo just as we did in Omaha, and I'm not saying that the Vets aren't swimming well. They just aren't getting their hands on the wall like we're used to seeing them do and it worries me as an American. But as Mel notes, it's early in the meet, and USA is used to being in situations like this and staying resilient through the latter half of big meets like this. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

Gold Medal Mel Stewart sat down with sports icon Jason Lezak, the man who anchored the most exciting race in Olympic swimming history, the 2008 men's 4x100 free relay. Lezak unpacks Team USA's gold medal performance last night, detailing Dressel's leadoff, the exchanges and Zach Apple's monster anchor swim. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic champion and USA sprinting legend, Nathan Adrian to get his wisdom through 2 days of the Olympic Games. The most interesting thing he said: we should start a petition that top seed gets to choose what lane they swim in at night. Why? Adrian prefers the outside lane for his events, especially a 100 free because that way competitors can't ride your wave as much. Adrian noted that on the lead-off of the 400 free relay, everyone knows US star Caeleb Dressel will be out fast and they gravitate to him like a magnet, trying to benefit from the wake he creates. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 2. #5 - W 100 Back: Regan Smith breaks the 100 back Olympic record (4th time it went down in less than 24 hours) with 58.76 to take the top seed heading into the final tomorrow night #4 - M 4x100 Free Relay: USA Men defend their gold in the 400 free relay, putting on a dominant performance of 3:08.97 and winning by over 1 second #3 - W 100 Fly: Maggie MacNeil, after winning 100 fly gold at world champs in 2019, backs it up with an Olympic title, swimming the #2 time ever in 55.59 #2 - M 100 Breast: Adam Peaty defends his Olympic title in the 100 breast, swimming the #5 time all-time at 57.37 and dominating the field as per usual for him #1 - W 400 Free: Ariarne Titmus vs. Katie Ledecky round 1 did not disappoint as we saw the two titans battle it out for 400 free gold, where Titmus ultimately got her hand on the wall first, touching at 3:56.69, the #2 time ever, while Ledecky finished at 3:57.36, the #3 time ever Belly Flop of the Day: Russia Men's 4x100 Free Relay Coming into the meet, our editor-in-chief Braden Keith had picked them to take gold, and just about everyone else knew they were looming as a title contender. After a shaky prelims, we saw Russia put together an even shakier finals performance, back-ended by a 48.1 from relay-stalwart Vlad Morozov and a 48.4 anchor from Kliment Kolesnikov, coming off of a 52.2 swim in the 100 back semi less than an hour before. This led the team to finish 7th overall, nearly 2 seconds outside of the medals. Hot Topic of the Day: Titmus vs. Ledecky Titmus took round 1 of this Clash of the Titans, but what does this say about both swimmers moving into the rest of the meet? We know Ledecky is firing, and it seemed like she played into Titmus' hand in the 400 free strategically. In the 200, Ledecky could make it interesting but it seems like Titmus has too much speed to catch. Meaning it all comes down to the 800 free. We say Ledecky swims her own race at the end of the meet, learning from her 400 and staying away from Titmus early on so she has no wave to ride, successfully defending her last 2 Olympic titles i in the event. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

We sat down with Carson Foster, the 19-year-old who just put up the #1 time in the world in the 400 IM from Austin, Texas. Foster breaks down what went right in his swim, what didn't go so right in his finals swim at the 2021 Olympic Trials, and what he thought when watching the 400 IM Olympic final. Foster gives a lot of insight into what the men in that 400 IM final went through to get to the top 8 and why the times may not have accurately portrayed the effort being put out. Foster also provides insight into the work he's been doing since coming back to Austin from the Olympic Trials, including 10x100 (suited) on 1:10 best average, where he held 57s, the time he would want to come home in at the end of a 400 IM. Foster says getting the feeling of that '400 IM pain' on numbers 5,6,7,8 gave him confidence heading into the sectional meet this weekend. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

This is 12 minutes. The full hour drops next week. Tom Dolan is a 400 IM beast, winning this race in 1996 and 2000. In 2000 Tom broke the World Record dropping a 4:11.76. Think about that! That was 21 years ago in a tiny, non-compression suit. Tom has high 400 IM swimming IQ, and he shares it here, breaking down the Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland gold and sliver medal Olympic performances. Daiya Seto is figures prominently, as does Caron Foster who dropped a 4:08.4 on Friday night at the Speedo Sectional Meet in Austin, Texas, 24 hours ahead of the Olympic final, a time that would've won the gold. There are a lot of layers to this analysis, and we air them out entirely next week. This 12 minutes is a big teaser. For those who don't know what's going on with Tom Dolan post Olympics. He's been a force in the learn-to-swim industry with his Tom Dolan Swim Schools. Recently he's merged with Big Blue Swim School becoming their President of East Coast Operations. This is not a small swim business. Big Blue Swim School is a powerhouse with 130 franchises. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 1. #5: Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland going 1-2 for the USA, Kalisz winning his first-ever gold and bringing home the US's first gold of the Games #4: We take Adam Peaty going fast for granted sometimes, but let's take a moment to appreciate that through prelims and semis, he's dropped 2 Top-10 times of all-time with 57.5/57.6 #3: Yui Ohashi takes gold for the home country of Japan, winning the 400 IM at her home Olympic Games in 4:32.0 #2: Tunisia's surprise Olympic champion in 18-year-old Ahmed Hafnaoui, who won the 400 free with a gutsy swim out of lane 8 #1: We've got to give it up for the Australian women's 4x100 free relay, which not only won gold by over 3 seconds but smashed their own world record in the process Belly Flop of the Day: Daiya Seto With the top 6 finishers all dipping under the 4:10 mark in today’s men’s 400m IM heats, reigning world champion Daiya Seto found himself out of the final in 9th place. Putting up a strong race through the beginning of the freestyle leg, the man let himself get passed by several swimmers to shockingly wind up sitting on the sidelines for the final. “I thought I’d finish in 8th place but I misread the time needed to advance,” he said. “At the end, I misread the freestyle pace. It’s a shame because I’m in good shape. Hot Topic of the Day: Men's 400 IM Times The first swimming medal of these 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was earned by American Chase Kalisz in the men’s 400m IM. The silver medalist from Rio clocked a time of 4:09.42 to lead teammate Jay Litherland and Aussie Brendon Smith who finished in the silver and bronze medal positions, respectively. Yes, Kalisz won by nearly a second. However, the entire field was on the sluggish side, at least compared to historic data. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora

Who will win among the international swim stars at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo? I took this question to SwimSwam International Reporter Retta Race, and she delivers. I'm onboard with 99% of her Olympic Previews except for one. Spoiler Alert! It involves Team USA rocket Caeleb Dressel and the blue ribbon race. Retta delivers here, and you can catch her as a pundit on the BBC if you live across the pond. She'll be providing coverage for them as well. Thanks to Retta for coming on the SwimSwam Podcast! She'll be back to unpack her predictions next week... SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic champion Kaitlin Sandeno to get her expertise on what life is like leading up to and during the Olympic Games. Sandeno gives us the rundown on adjusting to life in the Olympic Village, managing nerves before your races, and keeping your pre-race emotions in check. She also gives us the lowdown on doing the 400 IM-400 Free back-to-back on the first 2 days of competition and what it's like to be one of the first racers of the Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with SwimSwam Co-founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to bring you a comprehensive preview of the biggest races to watch in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games. In days 6-8 of competition is the climax of the Games, with races such as: Women's 50/100 Free: We see a lot of usual suspects in the women's sprints, be it Cate Campbell, Sarah Sjostrom, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Penny Oleksiak, and Abbey Weitzeil. We won't see defending gold medalist Simone in the 100 free, but she will be swimming the 50 Men's 200 IM: Can Daddy Daiya or Chase Kalisz come down from the 400 IM to challenge Michael Andrew's speed in the 200? Mixed 4x100 Medley Relay: Making it's Olympic debut, we will see how different countries strategize to try to get their hand on the wall with 2 women and 2 men each SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Today we have special guests on the SwimSwam Podcast. We are talking with the company, Malmsten, which is a family that has been a pillar of strength in swimming going back to 1974. Malmsten retains an interesting and unique place in swimming history. They are the story behind a famous pair of goggles, and Malmsten has been the standard bearer as the official RACING LANE LINES going back the 1976 Olympic Games. Malmsten has been the Official FINA Supplier of competition equipment for both the competition pools and warm-up pools for all World Championships as well as the Olympic Games. On this podcast we host the founders Tommy and Margareta Malmsten, and their son, Chief Operating Officer Christian Malmsten. We also talk with two Olympic swimmers on the team, the Head of Exports Eva Marie, and the CEO and President of Malmsten INC., Mike Orn, who is leading the company’s service in North America. Go here to see Malmsten’s HQ. Malmsten is a SwimSwam partner. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with newly signed Speedo athlete and 2021 Olympian Zach Apple. Apple talks us through both the process of signing a deal with Speedo and making the 2021 US Olympic Team in Omaha. He proceeds to give us the full scoop on Olympic training camp, including some suited swims he threw down just last week in practice. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com