Haley Anderson will be making her third Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020 after qualifying for the first time, at the age of 20. Competing in open water, Haley offers a unique approach to competition that seems to have given her the edge and mental stamina needed for her events.
Listen in as Haley shares her experience growing up in a family of professional swimmers. She shares what makes open water swimming a particularly rewarding challenge as she talks about potential obstacles (hot water temps & bacteria) headed her way in Tokyo. Find out how she made a name for herself, navigated life as a USC swimmer and her thoughts on the ISL’s chosen events.
Key Takeaways:
- How Haley Anderson is preparing for her third Olympic cycle.
- Insights into open water swimming.
- Haley’s thoughts on the ISL and her future in swimming.
Episode Timeline:
- [00:00] Intro
- [00:29] Haley Anderson on approaching her 3rd Olympic cycle
- [02:04] Qualifying for the 2012 Olympics at 20 years old
- [03:25] Her experience in the London Olympics
- [04:57] Growing up in a swimming family
- [08:55] Haley’s mentality going into events
- [10:48] Training for 2 hour swims
- [12:47] Practicing in pool and open water
- [14:11] Gym, lifting and mobility
- [17:31] Haley's approach to nutrition
- [19:43] Overtraining and fatigue
- [20:55] How breaks and recovery have changed for her over time
- [22:20] Haley's strategy for open water events
- [25:30] Rules, etiquette and drafting in open water
- [28:24] Navigating variables and gaining confidence in open water
- [32:15] Sponsorships
- [33:22] Choosing to go to USC
- [34:36] First American to be chosen for the 2020 Olympics
- [38:01] Warm water, e-coli and other course drawbacks
- [40:17] Thoughts on the ISL and swimming after Tokyo
- [42:34] Outro
Key Quotes:
- “There's a lot of strategy involved in open water and a lot of growth in each race. Even when you do really well in a race you can still learn from it. If you do bad you can learn a lot more from it.” -Haley Anderson [31:31]
- “For them to then create this new opportunity but then leave out a big chunk of swimmers... for a new thing to say they're this great new thing to create opportunities but then 'oh but it's not for everybody' is pretty frustrating.” -Haley Anderson [41:00]
Connect:
Find | Brett Hawke
On Instagram @hawkebr
Find | Haley Anderson
At teamusa.org
On Instagram: @swimhaley
On Twitter: @swimhaley
On Facebook: @haleyandersonUSA
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Special Thanks:
Inside with Brett Hawke is presented by Fitter & Faster. Host a swim camp. More than 1,000 swim clinic sessions in 46 States plus Canada & the Bahamas in 2019.
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