On the eve of the first day of pool racing at the World Aquatics Championships, some of the sport’s biggest names share their thoughts about the coming eight days of competition.
Ariarne Titmus - Australia
"I am just really excited to be honest (about the 400m freestyle). I haven't looked into the hype around it. I think it's the first time the three of us have raced where Summer is now the world record holder and it's a lot more of an even keel between the three of us. We have this opportunity to push each other and see how fast we can go. I think it's exciting for women’s sport that the hype around the opening night of racing is around the Women’s 400m Freestyle.
"I don’t personally know Summer too well, but what I have seen on the pool deck she reminds me a lot of me (at that age). I was completely fearless. Summer is exactly the same. I was never afraid to take it to (Katie). I feel a sense of pride that maybe I kind of paved the way for her. Summer is her own person, what she is doing is amazing at age 16.
"It’s crazy to think that my last Worlds was four years ago where I had my major breakthrough. Coming into 2019 I didn't have the belief in myself that I was going to win. Katie was a ‘3:56’ swimmer and I was a ‘3:59’ swimmer. I truly didn't believe that I was going to beat her. I thought I was going to be in the race, but I didn’t think that was going to be my first race that I would beat her. This one is different because I feel that I can no longer fly under the radar."
Summer McIntosh - Canada
"I am really excited for the 400m Freestyle. When it comes to balancing all of my events I take it day by day. With the 400m Freestyle on day one that’s my main focus right now. After breaking the world record nothing has really changed. Obviously, I am proud of that accomplishment but it's just another thing I am looking to improve on and I am just trying to push forward as much as possible."
Ryan Murphy - United States of America
"From the USA side, what we are trying to communicate is really what have been the hallmarks of our team from the time that Lilly (King) and I have been on the team. Some of the cultural differences and some of the cultural consistencies from 2014 starting with me (on my first National Team trip) and how that has changed over time. There are things that we enjoyed and things we want to carry over to the younger generation of ‘Team USA.’
"We can take a ton of pride in our relays. There are a lot of people we grew up looking up to - Ian Crocker, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Michael Phelps & Nathan Adrian. They were all part of that relay and they have had a huge impact on our culture. We want to swim really well because we know we can. We know that if we swim to our potential we are going to be in a really good spot to win that relay. We want to make the previous generation proud and we hope they will be watching on TV."
Lilly King - United States of America
"Ryan (Murphy) and I were once both youngsters on the team at one point and we sometimes remind those young athletes that they are here for a reason. A lot of people sometimes get on ‘Team USA’ and feel that they don't belong. Or they get on the team and meet teammates who were Olympians when they were 10 or 12 years old - a crazy experience. They sometimes wonder if they deserve to be on the team. The best advice I can give them is to reinforce that ‘they made the team, they are here, and they are legit’.
"Personally, I like to operate with the mindset that I am not talented enough to ‘not put in the work and to have the success that I want’. I have seven days of racing for me personally and I know if I am not putting in the work, those seven days of racing are not going to turn out to be what I want them to be. The ‘less is more’ for me does not work, I know that for sure. I know that for some of those sprint guys, it has. Kudos to them, but I know that I cannot get away with that."
Maggie Mac Neil - Canada
"Relays for us have been really important ever since 2015 and going forward (as) we have started to excel even more at them. They have always been a main focus for us in our camps, and we are excited to hopefully add some new members and to secure our spots for Paris."