At the end of November, the US Olympic Committee looked back on the year by hosting the 2017 Team USA Awards at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
From the aquatics world, Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel were nominated for Female and Male Olympic Athlete of the Year, and the US Women’s Water Polo Team was nominated for Olympic Team of the Year. Though neither swimmer was in attendance, Ledecky took the win.
Besides the awards themselves, the hot topic of the night was the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as a number of attendees were heavily involved in the city’s bid. SwimSwam spoke with Janet Evans about the host bid process, as well as her relationship with Ledecky. LA 2028 Chair Casey Wasserman discussed what it was like to work with Evans.
Also in attendance was five-time Olympic Medalist and former World Record-holder John Naber, who clearly is loving all of the excitement around swimming today.
We also spoke with water polo player John Mann. After competing for Team USA at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Mann is in a transitional moment of his career as he begins to pursue a professional life outside of the sport, while still considering his prospects within it.