In the video above, captured by Carolina Moncorvo of SwimBrasil.com.br, American swimmer Anthony Ervin discusses the 2015 Kazaan World Championships.
The video was taken while Ervin was in Brazil contesting the Raia Rapida meet, where he won the 50 freestyle event but the home-country Brazilians took the overall title.
I HOPE we’re seeing a little bit of this from Michael Phelps now! Everybody said his retirement in 2012 was great because he won the most medals in London (ie valuing the end result) and it was a fitting end to his career. However, he retired because the pressure he put on himself to be the GOAT made him hate training and want to get out of the sport. Now, he seems to have regained some of that child-like enjoyment of being in the water and spending time with friends that make swimming fun, and even an appreciation for the daily challenge of out-doing yourself in training that makes swimming frustratingly rewarding! I want him to win in Rio more… Read more »
Something I think most of us don’t do enough of, especially adolescent swimmers who can now comprehend things a little better, enjoying the process and the people around you.
What if all swimmers trained and competed as if they were gambling with house money, as if they couldn’t lose. I imagine you end up like AE, in the twilight of his career, enjoying every minute of it.
Really interesting interview. Thanks for putting it on SwimSwam.
Very good interview! It sounds like Ervin has learned to enjoy the process, not just focus on the end result, which is a great lesson we all need to learn in life! 🙂