Gretchen Walsh made a huge splash at the Olympic trials in Indianapolis – setting a new world record for the 100-meter butterfly. She also made her older sister Alex, who won a silver medal in Tokyo, very happy according to coach Todd DeSorbo.
“I know how devastated Alex was when she made it for Tokyo and Gretchen didn’t," he recalls. "I think she was more upset that she didn’t get to go with her sister than she was happy that she was going. When Gretchen made it, Alex was ecstatic.”
Also making waves, former UVA swimmer Kate Douglass who won three events swimming freestyle and breaststroke. DeSorbo says swimmers who can excel at both are called unicorns.
“They’re pretty rare, pretty unique, and she does it on a level nobody’s ever done it at before.”
Now, they’re preparing to head for Paris, and DeSorbo is offering advice designed to keep the pressure off.
“The message that I would give them is to try and enjoy it – to embrace it and soak it all in. Try to be a little bit like your 10-year-old self when you dreamt of being at the Olympics. Take a step back and really look at what it took to get there. It’s pretty special.”
Also swimming for Virginia – Emma Weber, Paige Madden and future Hoo Thomas Heilman who, at 17, is the youngest guy to make the men’s Olympic swim team since Michael Phelps.
DeSorbo, who is coaching the U.S. women’s team, says UVA’s high-tech approach has given athletes an edge. Working with the head of the math department and using cameras in the pool, they’ve figured out what moves help swimmers accelerate and which ones slow them down. He adds that other teams are taking note.
“I was talking to Herbie at Arizona State at trials, and he’s hired a new coach strictly for that," DeSorbo says. "It’s definitely a benefit, you know. It just provides insights that we would not have had otherwise.”
DeSorbo says NCAA competition has given swimmers plenty of practice, and he’s tried not to make a big deal about Olympic competition.
“I keep telling them: "Let me think about it. I’ll develop a program and a plan for you. I’m going to give you this workout. You try as hard as you can. You listen, you make adjustments and let everything else kind of fall into place.'”
The games begin Friday, July 26th. In the meantime, U.S. swimmers will be training in North Carolina and Croatia.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
