Ryan Held Opens Up About Olympic Trials Disappointment, Training at ASU

We sat down with Ryan Held, who is hot off of a 6-medal performance at the 2021 World SC Championships, including 2 relay golds and 2 individual silvers in the 50/100 free. Held takes us through his last 6 months, starting at the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Trials, when he was training with just Coley Stickels and Ali Khalafalla out of a pool in Birmingham and lifting in Stickels' basement. Held goes through the disappointment of placing 6th at Trials but then finding out he wouldn't be taken to Tokyo and processing that for the months to follow.

Held then gets into his move to Phoenix and new training home at Arizona State with Herbie Behm. Held likes the new training environment with the hungry college students as well as the small pro group made up of himself, Olivia Smoliga, and Hali Flickinger. Held also gives his thoughts on the "All-Ryan Relay" and how he thinks USA Swimming should handle the postponement of the 2022 World Championships.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com