Podcasts about swimswam

Today, we are previewing the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo, which start on Sunday, September 2026.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo. DeSorbo sits at the center of the most powerful women's training group in swimming, led by Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass. We've already gone deep with both women. In this conversation, DeSorbo helps swim fans fill in the gaps, getting granular on training, tapering, and more coach-led details. We start with Douglass' remarkable 2026 progression in the 50 free, going from 24.21 at the Fort Lauderdale Open to 23.59 at the Indy Pro Swim and ultimately 23.19 at the Pan Pacific Championships. DeSorbo breaks down what changed in training, why her 50 free speed appeared before the same breakthrough came in the 100 free, and what happened between Indy and Pan Pacs to unlock another level.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Worlds medalist Shaine Casas leaving Texas, what Russian sprint star Egor Kornev could have done in the NCAA, and the 2026 ASCA World Clinic in Orlando.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Olympic Champion, World Champion, and 6-time 2026 Pan Pacific Championship medalist Kate Douglass. Douglass built her career on versatility, but the 2026 season complicates—in the best way possible—an already crowded schedule of events. At the Fort Lauderdale Open in May, Douglass won the 50 free in 24.21. Six weeks later at the Indianapolis Pro Swim, she exploded to a 23.59 world record. Nine days after that, Virginia teammate Gretchen Walsh lowered the record to 23.55. Douglass answered at the Pan Pacific Championships, ripping a 23.19 world record in the 50 free, lowering the mark by more than three tenths and suddenly putting the once-unthinkable 22-second barrier into the conversation. And that one swim is the most impressive of an entire generation, according to SwimmingStats.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Tomoyuki Matsushita's medley magnificence, the recently announced 2026-27 USA National Team, and the SCM qualifier, Jose Finkel Trophy. In actuality, we spent 30 minutes debating who will be the top-4 male and female swimmers in the World going into 2027. Let us know your list!

Lani Pallister had perhaps one of the most successful summers in history in terms of medals won. She went to the Commonwealth Games and was dominant, winning the 400-800-1500 Free and helping Team AUS to gold in the 4x200. She also earned silver in the 200 free behind her teammate, Mollie O'Callaghan. After her time in Glasgow, Pallister kept her momentum going in Irvine. On Night 1, she shocked Summer McIntosh by winning the 200 free, then finished 2nd in the 1500 Free to Katie Ledecky later in the same session. She went on to beat Ledecky in the 400 free and help Team AUS to another gold in the 4x200 free relay, but Pallister saved the best for last. On the final night of competition, in the final women's race, Pallister dove into the pool against Ledecky in the 800 free and came out on top. Pallister led the race wire-to-wire and touched the wall first in 8:06.10 to Ledecky's 8:07.26, marking the first time in Ledecky's career that she had lost the race at an international competition. Pallister ended her summer with 8 golds and 2 silvers from Comm Games and Pan Pacs combined, making history in multiple ways and asserting herself as arguably the best female distance swimmer in the world. SwimSwam was excited to have her back on the podcast in what ended up being a very fun, and perhaps a bit scattered, conversation. In this 80+ minute episode, we discuss her historic summer, along with many, many... many other topics.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Head Varsity Coach at The Bolles School Jake Gibbons. This is Jake's second time on the podcast. We skip most of the biography this time, digging into what intelligence Jake has gathered developing high-level swimmers inside one of the most storied programs in the sport. We start with the rapidly changing landscape of college swimming and recruiting. Jake supports Bolles talent in navigating the college process, giving him a ground-level view of how roster limits, the transfer portal, recruiting, and the changing economics of college sports are impacting high school swimmers. We talk about what college coaches are actually looking for now and what swimmers and parents should be thinking about before choosing a program. From there, we go global. Bolles has always had a strong international footprint, and Jake has spent time studying how young swimmers are developed around the world. At Bolles, Jake is also wrestling with a challenge familiar to every program: how do you continue evolving without losing what made the program successful? We talk about building team depth while simultaneously developing top-end athletes, including Ethan Bathala, who became Jake's first swimmer to make the USA Swimming National Junior Team. Then we get into training. Jake's philosophy continues to evolve, and he is increasingly putting speed at the center. Instead of viewing speed as something added after building an aerobic foundation, Jake looks at aerobic development, skills, power and recovery as tools that ultimately support swimming fast. Finally, we talk about swim parents. Youth sports is becoming increasingly transactional, with recruiting, rankings, scholarships and outcomes dominating the conversation. Jake offers some perspective on what parents should protect along the way and why optimizing every decision around swimming success can sometimes destroy the very experiences that make the sport valuable.

This is a GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast. Joining us today is Van Mathias, one of the most fascinating comeback stories in American swimming. Mathias' path to becoming the American Record holder in both breaststroke sprints was anything but conventional. At Indiana, Mathias was primarily a butterfly and IM swimmer before breaking through in the 100 breaststroke, finishing second at the 2023 NCAA Championships in 50.60. Then he essentially disappeared for two years and eventually returned to Indiana as the program's director of swimming operations. In the summer of 2025, Mathias decided to race again. After roughly eight weeks of training, he won the 50 breaststroke at U.S. Summer Championships in 26.76 and finished second in the 100 breast in 59.74, putting himself back on the U.S. National Team. Over the next year, Mathias dropped his 50 breast from 26.76 to 26.57, then 26.39 and finally an American Record 26.30. In the 100 breast, he went from 59.74 to 59.45, then 58.19 before breaking Michael Andrew's American Record with a 58.01. At the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships, Mathias proved he could perform on the big stage. He won gold in the 100 breast in 58.02, took silver in the 50 breast in 26.42 and silver in the 50 butterfly in a personal-best 22.84. He also earned gold as part of both U.S. medley relays, including the world-record-setting mixed 4×100 medley. Beyond his breaststroke American Records, he's now been 21.62 in the 50 free and 22.84 in the 50 fly, which raises the question: Was Van Mathias training for the wrong events—or training the wrong way—for most of his swimming career?

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how likely it is to see Leon Marchand competing in freestyle at LA28, US Pro's finding new training bases, and the return of the International Swimming League.

Sam Short had a historic summer that saw him break numerous barriers and top the podium nearly every time he got in the pool. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Short swept the 400-800-1500 freestyles and led off Australia's winning 4x200 free relay. Two weeks later, at the Pan Pacific Championships, he swept the same three events, breaking Ian Thorpe's 400 free meet record from 1999 and Grant Hackett's Australian record in the 1500 from 2001.  Today, Short sits down with SwimSwam to reflect on his remarkable consistency throughout the season and dissect his best races. We also speak about Johannes Liebmann's newly minted 14:26 world record in the 1500 and which world record Short would break if he could pick one. 

Join as we go IN DEPTH and discuss everything European and Pan Pacific Championships.

Join as we go through the psych sheets event-by-event and preview the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships that start this Wednesday, August 12, in Irvine, California

Join us as we compare the 2026 US National Championships and Commonwealth Games in detail.

Join us as we discuss the stars to watch in the upcoming US National Championships, including Anna Moesch, Ilya Kharun, Isabelle Stadden, and Caeleb Dressel.

In this GMM takeover the SwimSwam podcast we have Chris Plumb, Head Coach and CEO of Carmel Swim Club and Chris Webb, Director GAINswim. Our podcast topics are dryland and the 2026 GAINswim Annual Clinic, but we start with the genesis of the Plumb-Webb relationship, diving into their deep history. It extends back to 2006 when Plumb took over as head coach of Carmel.  Plumb and Webb were in their late 20s, trying to figure out how to build a top club in the country. That drive set them on an adventure around the United States and the world, seeking out the best practices, systems and dryland education.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with 10-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. to discuss his new venture, Anchor Line Sports, a sports data company that supports betting in the Olympic ecosystem. Earlier today, SwimSwam published the news that Anchor Line Sports had entered into an exclusive partnership with ALT Sports Data, positioning the company to provide betting data, analytics, and market infrastructure for Olympic-category sports, beginning with swimming.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how Bob Bowman's Texas pros swam at the Austin Sectionals, Mollie O'Callaghan announcing a stress fracture in her back, and Shayna Jack retiring after this summer.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how many world records Summer McIntosh can break at Pan Pacs, Kaylee McKeown pulling out of major meets, and recapping the European Jr Champs.

SwimSwam breaks down Summer McIntosh's revolutionary 2:01.65 200 Fly World Record from Montreal last night.

SwimSwam sat down with Hannah Saiz, the first-year head coach for Youngstown State University. Saiz was an NCAA DIII National Champion, Olympic Trials finalist, and member of the US National Team before her coaching career. She's coached DIII, DI, high school, and now is in her first foray as a DI head coach. She gives great insight into being yourself during recruiting, balancing student-athlete life, and why excellence isn't the norm.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the insanity that occurred at the Sette Colli Trophy, Leon Marchand's swims at French Trials so far, and the IOC announcing a $10k per athlete grant.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Pro Swim in Indianapolis, Chinese Nationals, and the new *new* NCAA Championship meet format.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Australian and Russian Trials, Cal Poly's new $45M Football Facility, and preview the Indy Pro Swim.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ongoing Australian and Russian Trials Meets, the Longhorn Invite, and last week's many episodes of the SwimSwam Podcast. 

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Marrit Steenbergen and other star athletes from Canet and Barcelona, the IOC president saying she doesn't believe in paying athletes, and Caeleb Dressel training with Virginia.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss last night's Enhanced Games, the Pro Swim stop at Sacramento, and international meets in London and Monaco.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the Sacramento Pro Swim, Kristof Milak racing at Mare Nostrum, and the inaugural Enhanced Games on Sunday.

SwimSwam sat down with Rachel Stratton-Mills, the Director of Swimming & Diving at Northwestern and the new President of the CSCAA Board of Directors. Northwestern had a promising season this year, especially on the men's side, which saw them place 4th at the B1G conference champs and score a relay at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008. Stratton-Mills discusses the development of her team as their 3rd-year leader and is hopeful that there's much more to come. On the CSCAA side of things, the new president sheds light on the reasons changes were made this year to the NCAA Championship format and why specific changes were implemented, such as eliminating B-Finals and adding a new diving format for finals. Stratton-Mills recognizes that not all these changes were hits, but also talks us through how the new CSCAA NCAA DI Working Group of coaches is moving forward with more meaningful change to the NCAA Championships format.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Ryan Lochte starting his collegiate coaching career at Missouri State, Bob Bowman's Pro Group getting numerous additions, and what Van Mathias' ceiling is for this summer.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Ft. Lauderdale Open, Chase Kreitler resigning from Pitt, and movement in the NCAA

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the potential change to the NCAA format, big moves in the transfer portal, and the Ft Lauderdale Open.

Today on the GMM podcast we have Dan Meinholz, CEO of A3 Performance. For more than a decade A3 has been one of SwimSwam's most consistent partners, and we're especially grateful for their backing of our coverage of the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. That kind of long-term support helps us keep doing what we do. But Dan's connection to the sport runs a lot deeper than a business relationship. He's deeply chlorinated. Dan grew up in the sport, built his career as a team dealer working directly with swim clubs, and eventually made the leap to launching his own performance swimwear company, A3 Performance. Along the way, he's stayed deeply embedded in the swimming community.

In this GMM podcast episode, Hunter Armstrong opens up about the year after Paris, and it's not the story most people expect. Fresh off Olympic gold and silver in 2024, Hunter assumed momentum would carry him forward. Instead, he lost his top sponsor. The financial runway tightened. Training didn't get cheaper. And 2025 became a grind. At this point in swimming history, Olympic gold does not equal financial security. Now Hunter's made a decision that's making headlines on SwimSwam. Hunter will compete at the upcoming Enhanced Games, but he's doing it clean. To be clear, Hunter will not being be geared-up using performance-enhancing drugs. He is remaining in the drug testing pool, and he's betting on transparency, compliance, and the letter of the rules. Prize money from the Enhanced Games could help fund his training through the LA 2028 Olympic cycle. That's Hunter's calculus, but here's the tension. Hunter does not have absolute clarity on how World Aquatics will interpret its bylaws. He's read them. He believes participation without doping keeps him eligible. Yet the federation could view participation itself as grounds for sanction.

SwimSwam sat down with Nic Askew, the head coach for Howard University's swimming and diving teams (as well as tennis), who is coming off a historic performance at the NEC Conference Champs. Not only did the Howard men's swimming defend their team title from last year, but the women joined the party this year, winning their first conference championship in program history. As the coach of the only HBCU to field a Division I Swimming & Diving program, Askew knows how to put things in perspective. He knows that to win a team title, it takes a team effort. He wasn't shy about the fact that neither group had the top-end firepower in the pool of past teams. However, Askew emphasizes more than just performing for the clock. He tells his staff and athletes they have one job daily: making the team better. That can happen with effort during dryland, positive attitudes during practice, and helping teammates with their studies. Everyone plays a role when it comes to team success, no matter what times you're swimming at the end of the season. If you have an opportunity to score in a 400 IM B-Final, that is just as valuable to the team's performance as scoring in an A-Final of a 50 or 100 free. With this philosophy in mind, Askew got buy-in from his whole team, making sure everyone felt a part of something bigger than themselves. With both the men's and women's team races coming down to the final session, the belief in the team was what pushed both of these groups over the finish line first.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing last week's SEC, ACC, and Women's Big 10 Championships as well as previewing the Big 12 and Men's Big 10 Championships.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the upcoming SEC, ACC, and Women's Big Ten Championships. 

Carsten Vissering was an absolute force during his time in the pool. Breaking national high school and age records as a teenager, he went on to swim for the University of Southern California in college. As a Trojan, Vissering won an NCAA title in 2018 as a part of the 200 medley relay and 2 Pac-12 Titles. Once Vissering walked away from swimming, though, he wasn't done with elite sport. After aquatic retirement, Vissering still wanted to compete and ended up stumbling into bobsledding in 2022. He made the US national team and worked his way up the ranks until, earlier this month, he qualified for the 2026 US Olympic team. Vissering will compete next month in Milan Cortina dawning the Red, White, and Blue. SwimSwam sat down with the now winter athlete to discuss what training, competition, and the mental side of bobsledding is all about. Vissering details the nuances and hardships of the sport. He also tells his personal side of the story, sharing his drive to still compete, the will to learn and grow in a new sport, and the balance it takes to be a full-time athlete and work at a Big Four consulting firm.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we review the Pro Swim Series in Austin, USA Swimming's financial situation, and the future of the Enhanced Games.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the upcoming Pro Swim Series in Austin and make our wild predictions for the 2026 year of Swimming.

Cody Miller signing onto to the Enhanced Games was a curveball, but not wholly unexpected, which is partly why we asked Miller to come on the podcast. For the record: SwimSwam has no commercial or financial affiliation with the Enhanced Games. We are covering it journalistically. That will make some people uncomfortable. But discomfort isn't a disqualifier, especially when the moment is this consequential.

Recently, at the Katie Ledecky Invite, a swim meet hosted by Nation's Capital Swim Club and named for their most notable alumna, history was made. Katie Ledecky herself participated in the last night of competition, swimming in the 1,650 freestyle. The 14x Olympic medalist wowed her hometown crowd as she threw down a monstrous 14:59.62, breaking her own American and US Open records in the event and making her the first woman in history to dip under the 15-minute barrier. This swim not only rippled across the entire current swimming landscape, but it will undoubtedly inspire swimmers for years to come. SwimSwam spoke with two young girls, Milly Birch and Emma Stein, who were at the venue during this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Milly, 14, swam in the lane next to Katie during the 1,650 while Emma, 11, was on deck watching with her friends. Listen to how Katie Ledecky is not only breaking down barriers for herself, but showing many more that they can do the same.

Head Coach Matt Bowe is in his 3rd year at Michigan, and the results are starting to show. Recently, at the CSCAA Dual Meet Tournament, the UM women placed 2nd and the men were 3rd (out of 4 teams), both breaking school records. Both teams not only won very close matchups that came down to the last relay (women vs Tennessee and men vs Virginia), but the women also handed the Virginia women a rare loss in the 200 medley relay. Bowe came on the SwimSwam podcast to discuss how he has been building culture since arriving in Ann Arbor and what navigating the NCAA landscape has looked like in a post-House settlement world.

SwimSwam's Editor-in-Chief, Braden Keith, sat down with the new CEO of USA Swimming, Kevin Ring, for a candid conversation. Keith asked Ring 10 hard questions about the state of USA Swimming and what he will do to address those issues. Ring answered honestly and with some breaking news peppered in. This includes raising APA rates (athlete salaries) for the first time in over a decade and holding an SCM meet to help select rosters for SCM World Championships.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are previewing the US Open, Short Course European Championships, and the Minnesota Invite.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Rylee Erisman reclassifying to 2026 and going to Cal, Audrey Derivaux to Texas, and recap the first week of Mid-Season Meet pandamonium.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we preview the major Mid-Season Meets coming up this week in the NCAA.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss phenomenal age group swimming from China's Yu Zidi and USA's Luka Mijatovic and the new Pro Swim Series format.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the final World Cup stop in Toronto plus look at the college swimming action from over the weekend.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the second World Cup stop in Westmont and preview the final stop in Toronto. 

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the first World Cup stop in Carmel and preview the second stop in Westmont.