In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.
We sat down with NCAA Champion and American record holder Ian Finnerty, who just announced his retirement from swimming. Finnerty explains that staying in swimming an extra year for the 2020-21 season was a challenge in itself, as he had been ready to move on to other pastures after the 2020 Olympic Trials (and Games if applicable). After leaving Indiana University and training with Energy Standard, he wasn’t able to return to Turkey after the ISL season in Budapest, so went to train with Coley Stickels at Alabama. After Sitckels announced his leave as head coach at Bama, Finnerty decided to call it quits.
Finnerty was the first (and currently only) man to break 50 seconds in the 100y breaststroke, a feat which he first accomplished at the 2018 NCAA Championships, then repeated at the 2019 NCAA Championships, winning the event both times. He was also a 2x NCAA Champion as a part of Indiana’s 400 medley relay that one in both 2018 and 2019.
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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com
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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
I just don’t understand… “I’ve dreamed of being an Olympian…… but……”
I get it, there’s been so much crap that’s happened this year, but this isn’t just another thing- it’s the olympics- and he had a legit shot
He seems like a very smart, sincere, and thoughtful person. But the Olympic Trials are only three months away.
And who would want to end their career performing poorly at Olympic Trials because their heart wasn’t in it any more? To make an Olympic team, you have to be firing on all cylinders mentally and physically. Good for him for going out on his own terms.
Who said that he would have performed poorly? He didn’t say that, and the interviewer didn’t ask him.
Is he transferring?
Thank you for presenting his perspective on such a pivotal transition. His breakdown of the “tiers” of love & passion for the sport, and his candor about where he falls on that spectrum, was a powerful moment. Very insightful and real.
I’m surprised the Cooley story hasn’t really leaked out yet.
Was there a scandal or was he just bucking heads with the AD and University adminstration?
He was not bucking heads wtih the AD.
Unless you’ve got credible evidence that you want to hand over to the wonderful reporters at SwimSwam that they can verify, I don’t think spreading rumors on a public forum is a good/moral thing to do
This is such a damaging thing for you to say unless you have some sort of proof. The continued slander of people’s personal lives with no proof is a real problem in this comments section.
FIFY: “Continued coverup of bad news coaches is a real problem in this sport.”
Everyone wants to blame these coaches’ problems on “the swimswam comments.” But, swimming has been a bedrock of problem coaches for literal generations, and they’ve gotten away with it for literal generations.
I don’t know all of the details about what went down with Coley at Alabama, but I do know what I saw on deck at the Tennessee Invite in November.
The Coley effect. The gift that keeps on giving…
Wish him the best going forward.
So he couldn’t find a bigger team to train with? I can list many that have more than 4 and closer to 20. Plenty of teams would love to have him there. He could always come back and find a masters team in Atlanta to train with.
Did you listen to the podcast? It wasn’t just the training thing, he wants to move on to his professional life. He apparently is going to be working for Red Bull, so the man’s got some great opportunities coming his way
Best of luck on your next chapter, and thanks for all that you have done for the sport.