1 00:00:08,886 --> 00:00:10,262 [man] Take your mark. 2 00:00:12,723 --> 00:00:13,599 [horn blows] 3 00:00:20,272 --> 00:00:23,066 [Bronte] I've always loved the feeling of being in water. 4 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,281 Everything shuts down, and just goes really, really still. 5 00:00:30,407 --> 00:00:31,867 [Thorpe] Every stroke you take, 6 00:00:31,950 --> 00:00:35,204 it feels like you're actually skimming across the water. 7 00:00:36,914 --> 00:00:38,832 It's a very addictive feeling. 8 00:00:40,167 --> 00:00:42,294 [Cody] I just grew up around swimming. 9 00:00:43,003 --> 00:00:45,506 And it's the first thing I ever knew. 10 00:00:47,090 --> 00:00:49,301 [Kyle] I think I'm addicted to pain. 11 00:00:49,384 --> 00:00:52,179 I love pushing myself to the absolute limit. 12 00:00:53,222 --> 00:00:55,390 [Brett] Push! 13 00:00:55,474 --> 00:00:56,725 [Hanson] As an Olympic swimmer, 14 00:00:56,809 --> 00:00:59,269 there's four main phases you've got to go through. 15 00:00:59,353 --> 00:01:02,231 [Cody] I had no delusions about how difficult it was going to be. 16 00:01:02,314 --> 00:01:04,483 [Hanson] First phase is making the team. 17 00:01:04,565 --> 00:01:06,318 Not unless you've been through that 18 00:01:06,401 --> 00:01:09,279 that you realize just how hard it can be. 19 00:01:09,363 --> 00:01:11,490 [Cody] I don't want to croak when it's important. 20 00:01:11,573 --> 00:01:13,534 -[Simon] How you gonna do it? -Be fucking fast. 21 00:01:13,617 --> 00:01:16,453 [Hanson] The second phase, you've been there, done that. 22 00:01:16,537 --> 00:01:19,122 The toughest thing is climbing that mountain again. 23 00:01:19,206 --> 00:01:22,709 [Kyle] You work so hard, day in, day out, for years and years, 24 00:01:22,793 --> 00:01:25,170 and you get 47.5 seconds in the limelight. 25 00:01:25,254 --> 00:01:28,423 [commentator] And he's the Olympic champion! 26 00:01:28,507 --> 00:01:33,011 [Hanson] In phase three, athletes, coming towards the end of their career, 27 00:01:33,094 --> 00:01:36,598 trying to hang on, they want to be able to finish on a high. 28 00:01:36,682 --> 00:01:38,058 [Bronte] No one wins all the time. 29 00:01:38,141 --> 00:01:40,727 You'll win. They'll win. Nobody wins forever. 30 00:01:40,811 --> 00:01:45,274 [Hanson] Phase four, and an athlete's got to make a big decision on retirement. 31 00:01:45,357 --> 00:01:47,901 It's not an easy transition for Olympic athletes. 32 00:01:47,985 --> 00:01:50,195 [Brett] All I care about is what's coming for you. 33 00:01:50,278 --> 00:01:51,195 [Cody] We do too. 34 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:52,781 [Brett] Then fucking do something about it! 35 00:01:53,407 --> 00:01:54,908 [man] All right, boys! Come on! 36 00:01:55,534 --> 00:01:56,743 It's time to go! 37 00:01:58,829 --> 00:02:00,122 [Peter] They make you look silly. 38 00:02:00,205 --> 00:02:01,832 [Kyle] Trials is more stressful. 39 00:02:01,915 --> 00:02:03,959 There's tears, there's happiness. 40 00:02:04,042 --> 00:02:05,919 There's emotions all over the joint. 41 00:02:07,004 --> 00:02:09,715 [Thorpe] You have something that is so consuming 42 00:02:09,798 --> 00:02:11,091 of all of your life, 43 00:02:11,675 --> 00:02:14,428 and then, all of a sudden, it isn't there. 44 00:02:16,805 --> 00:02:18,056 [man] Take your mark. 45 00:02:35,574 --> 00:02:38,327 [Heston] G'day. Welcome back to the Voice of a Veteran podcast. 46 00:02:38,410 --> 00:02:42,872 Today is an epic episode. I have the man himself, the Thorpedo, 47 00:02:42,956 --> 00:02:45,667 Mr. Ian Thorpe, Australia's most successful Olympian. 48 00:02:45,751 --> 00:02:49,086 One of the most celebrated and world-renowned sporting stars. 49 00:02:49,171 --> 00:02:52,424 Ian, it's a pleasure to have you here on the show today. 50 00:02:52,507 --> 00:02:55,344 -[mumbles] Thank you. -Ian, how do you like to be known? 51 00:02:55,427 --> 00:02:57,554 How do you like people to reference to you? 52 00:02:57,638 --> 00:02:59,806 Firstly, I prefer not being called Ian. 53 00:02:59,890 --> 00:03:01,808 -I prefer Thorpie. -Thorpie? Done. 54 00:03:01,892 --> 00:03:03,435 Which is what people go with. 55 00:03:09,149 --> 00:03:12,903 [Hanson] If you get a chance to watch Ian Thorpe swimming up and down, 56 00:03:12,986 --> 00:03:15,197 it's just like poetry in motion. 57 00:03:17,741 --> 00:03:21,995 He had the body to be able to produce the perfect stroke. 58 00:03:22,079 --> 00:03:25,499 And that perfect stroke combined in the package he had, 59 00:03:25,582 --> 00:03:28,710 made Ian Thorpe the greatest swimmer we've ever seen. 60 00:03:28,794 --> 00:03:30,170 [crowd cheering] 61 00:03:32,464 --> 00:03:34,007 [Hanson] The boy was born to swim. 62 00:03:34,091 --> 00:03:37,970 And I remember seeing him swim as a 13-year-old 63 00:03:38,053 --> 00:03:39,846 at the National Age Championships. 64 00:03:39,930 --> 00:03:41,807 He won 10 gold medals. 65 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:46,979 Um, I got first in 50 meters breaststroke, 66 00:03:47,062 --> 00:03:49,398 first in the 50 meters freestyle, 67 00:03:49,481 --> 00:03:51,775 first in the 50 meters backstroke, 68 00:03:51,858 --> 00:03:54,695 first in the 100 meters freestyle, 69 00:03:54,778 --> 00:03:57,239 and first in the 200 meters IM. 70 00:03:57,322 --> 00:03:59,408 [reporter] Did you expect to win those events? 71 00:03:59,908 --> 00:04:02,244 -Some of them. -[reporter] Do you train very hard? 72 00:04:02,327 --> 00:04:04,287 -[Thorpe] Yeah. -[reporter] Do you love swimming? 73 00:04:04,371 --> 00:04:06,373 -Yeah. -[reporter] Is it your favorite sport? 74 00:04:06,456 --> 00:04:07,499 Yeah. 75 00:04:09,751 --> 00:04:12,838 [Heston] The Voice of a Veteran podcast is all about talking to those 76 00:04:12,921 --> 00:04:15,465 who might be struggling in their own transitions. 77 00:04:15,549 --> 00:04:19,261 Transitioning from high performance back to everyday life. 78 00:04:19,344 --> 00:04:22,431 And you have been at the very highest levels of performance 79 00:04:22,514 --> 00:04:23,765 in a very public way 80 00:04:23,849 --> 00:04:26,768 and have achieved amazing things from a very early age. 81 00:04:26,852 --> 00:04:29,688 You're still at a very young age yourself at the moment 82 00:04:29,771 --> 00:04:32,024 and experienced so much more than many others, 83 00:04:32,107 --> 00:04:33,817 um, could dream for their life. 84 00:04:33,900 --> 00:04:35,402 [crowd applauding] 85 00:04:35,485 --> 00:04:39,698 [man] Gold in the 200-meter freestyle, gold in the 400-meter freestyle, 86 00:04:39,781 --> 00:04:43,785 silver in the 4x200 freestyle relay, bronze in the 100-meter freestyle. 87 00:04:43,869 --> 00:04:47,080 You know who I'm talking about? I'm talking about Ian Thorpe. 88 00:04:47,164 --> 00:04:48,665 [crowd cheering] 89 00:04:55,672 --> 00:04:58,467 [Thorpe] After the 2004 Olympics, I had a long break. 90 00:04:58,550 --> 00:05:01,428 I was thinking, "I'm not doing another one of these," 91 00:05:01,511 --> 00:05:03,597 because of how much pressure I was under. 92 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:05,265 And I didn't like that. 93 00:05:05,348 --> 00:05:09,019 I achieved what I wanted to achieve when I went in the race, 94 00:05:09,102 --> 00:05:10,979 and, um, I was happy with the time. 95 00:05:11,063 --> 00:05:13,815 It was weird. No one had prepared me for this. 96 00:05:13,899 --> 00:05:15,776 Uh, no one had trained me. 97 00:05:15,859 --> 00:05:20,572 I don't think anyone else could appreciate the pressure that he must be under. 98 00:05:21,281 --> 00:05:25,786 [Thorpe] Swimming was not about training and performing anymore. 99 00:05:25,869 --> 00:05:30,332 It was doing press conferences and sponsorships 100 00:05:30,415 --> 00:05:32,167 and dealing with a public image. 101 00:05:33,043 --> 00:05:34,669 Respect... [stutters] 102 00:05:35,545 --> 00:05:37,589 -That's one. [chuckles] -[man] All right. 103 00:05:37,672 --> 00:05:42,010 Even though I could have continued for a number of more years, 104 00:05:42,094 --> 00:05:44,346 possibly for two more Olympics, 105 00:05:44,429 --> 00:05:50,351 in 2006, I decided that I was going to move on with my life. 106 00:05:51,228 --> 00:05:53,188 I was a young man, 107 00:05:53,271 --> 00:05:57,067 I've achieved my lifetime dream. 108 00:05:57,150 --> 00:06:00,862 Um, and I thought, "Is there more here?" 109 00:06:02,572 --> 00:06:06,910 For athletes, that transition away from the sport can be difficult. 110 00:06:06,993 --> 00:06:10,789 You had something that is so consuming of all of your life, 111 00:06:11,623 --> 00:06:14,126 and then, all of a sudden, it isn't there. 112 00:06:14,209 --> 00:06:17,629 And you received adulation from it. 113 00:06:17,712 --> 00:06:19,256 Um, you have success, 114 00:06:19,339 --> 00:06:21,508 so the endorphins that come with it, 115 00:06:22,259 --> 00:06:25,053 um, and those from training as well. 116 00:06:25,137 --> 00:06:28,473 Being part of a group, a squad, um, that's familiar, 117 00:06:28,557 --> 00:06:30,392 that's there for you as well. 118 00:06:30,475 --> 00:06:33,311 That kind of disappears over a period of time. 119 00:06:33,395 --> 00:06:36,231 Um, and then adjusting to a new life. 120 00:06:36,314 --> 00:06:41,486 Um, that's difficult for anyone to go through that. 121 00:06:42,070 --> 00:06:45,532 The people who struggle are those that don't understand 122 00:06:45,615 --> 00:06:50,370 that this major part of their lives does not exist anymore. 123 00:06:50,452 --> 00:06:52,164 -[Heston] Yeah. -They're trying to adjust 124 00:06:52,247 --> 00:06:55,000 to what they think they should be moving into. 125 00:06:59,671 --> 00:07:01,756 [waves crashing] 126 00:07:20,150 --> 00:07:23,069 I told a lie once and said to the crowd 127 00:07:23,153 --> 00:07:26,531 that I really liked hearing them cheer for me in the last 15 meters. 128 00:07:31,286 --> 00:07:34,414 You can't hear shit. You can't hear anything under water. 129 00:07:34,497 --> 00:07:37,292 I can't hear a crowd underwater, only when you walk out. 130 00:07:38,084 --> 00:07:40,337 -[announcer 1] Bronte Campbell! -[crowd cheering] 131 00:07:40,420 --> 00:07:43,757 [announcer 2] It's the young Bronte, the silver medalist from Glasgow. 132 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:49,554 It's just this wall of sound and light, and it's loud. Noisy for ages. 133 00:07:49,638 --> 00:07:51,264 [crowd cheering] 134 00:07:55,601 --> 00:07:58,063 [Bronte] And then as they blow the whistle, 135 00:07:58,146 --> 00:08:00,649 and everyone goes completely quiet. 136 00:08:00,732 --> 00:08:02,108 -[whistle blows] -[cheering stops] 137 00:08:03,026 --> 00:08:04,486 [Bronte] No one's moving, 138 00:08:04,569 --> 00:08:06,613 and it feels like everyone's holding their breath. 139 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:08,782 You all get on the blocks. 140 00:08:08,865 --> 00:08:10,951 The guy goes, "Take your marks." 141 00:08:11,034 --> 00:08:12,619 It's always a guy. 142 00:08:12,702 --> 00:08:14,079 [man] Take your marks. 143 00:08:14,579 --> 00:08:15,413 [horn blows] 144 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,500 [Bronte] Then it's just straight into that underwater world 145 00:08:19,584 --> 00:08:22,420 of everything goes completely muted. 146 00:08:22,504 --> 00:08:24,130 There's not a lot going on. 147 00:08:25,257 --> 00:08:28,927 The noise the water makes when it moves past you is great. 148 00:08:29,010 --> 00:08:30,303 I love that noise. 149 00:08:32,097 --> 00:08:33,640 But it's almost like 150 00:08:33,722 --> 00:08:37,101 only once I've seen my result did someone turn the sound back on. 151 00:08:37,185 --> 00:08:39,688 Everyone's just going nuts. It's a circus again. 152 00:08:39,770 --> 00:08:44,025 [announcer 1] Gains record time there for Bronte, and she can't believe it. 153 00:08:44,985 --> 00:08:48,280 [announcer 2] You would not have written this as a Hollywood script. 154 00:08:48,863 --> 00:08:50,323 Oh, my goodness. 155 00:08:50,407 --> 00:08:51,950 [crowd cheering] 156 00:08:53,618 --> 00:08:56,538 I love racing. I'm really good at it. [laughs] 157 00:08:56,621 --> 00:08:59,082 I'm way better at racing than I am at training. 158 00:08:59,165 --> 00:09:01,251 [crowd cheering] 159 00:09:01,334 --> 00:09:03,003 [announcer speaking indistinctly] 160 00:09:07,048 --> 00:09:09,801 [Bronte] Every four years, you get a shot at something great, 161 00:09:09,884 --> 00:09:12,637 and you've got 30 seconds to make that happen. 162 00:09:14,723 --> 00:09:17,517 Learning from that, for me, has always then been about 163 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,979 trying to fall in love with the process of what I'm doing, 164 00:09:21,062 --> 00:09:23,440 and not make it about the gold medal. 165 00:09:25,650 --> 00:09:27,527 My actual goal for the Olympics 166 00:09:27,610 --> 00:09:31,156 is to swim my fastest-ever time in an Olympic final. 167 00:09:31,239 --> 00:09:33,325 If I could swim a PB in an Olympic final, 168 00:09:33,408 --> 00:09:35,910 I'd be amongst very few that can do that. 169 00:09:37,329 --> 00:09:39,456 I'm thinking of this as my last Olympics. 170 00:09:39,539 --> 00:09:44,294 But I also don't want to cut off the possibility of ever coming back. 171 00:09:44,377 --> 00:09:48,131 The pull of the outside world is pretty strong for me at the moment. 172 00:09:48,214 --> 00:09:51,634 But when I get there, I might not like it more than swimming. 173 00:09:51,718 --> 00:09:53,636 And so I might wanna come back. 174 00:10:08,902 --> 00:10:10,236 [upbeat music playing] 175 00:10:18,870 --> 00:10:22,040 [Kyle] The men's 100 freestyle is that real alpha-type group. 176 00:10:27,670 --> 00:10:30,548 These big alpha males in there, these big sprint boys... 177 00:10:30,632 --> 00:10:32,133 It's this big pissing contest. 178 00:10:32,217 --> 00:10:34,135 And you want to stand out as well. [chuckles] 179 00:10:37,055 --> 00:10:38,765 When I stand behind those blocks 180 00:10:38,848 --> 00:10:41,142 I like to think that it's my race. 181 00:10:41,893 --> 00:10:44,854 If I'm standing behind the blocks, I believe I can win. 182 00:10:44,938 --> 00:10:46,272 [Peter] What are you trying to do? 183 00:10:46,356 --> 00:10:47,816 Just be fucking fast. 184 00:10:47,899 --> 00:10:49,109 [Peter and Kyle laugh] 185 00:11:03,540 --> 00:11:04,666 [Peter] Two, one, go. 186 00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:07,293 Forty-seven less! 187 00:11:08,211 --> 00:11:12,715 I love training. I love pushing myself to the absolute limit. 188 00:11:15,677 --> 00:11:17,470 I love pain. 189 00:11:18,263 --> 00:11:20,056 I think I'm addicted to pain. 190 00:11:24,978 --> 00:11:28,481 When you've got so much lap pain, you feel like you're gonna spew, 191 00:11:28,565 --> 00:11:30,400 I love pushing through that. 192 00:11:30,483 --> 00:11:32,026 It's just so satisfying. 193 00:11:36,489 --> 00:11:40,076 You work so hard, day in, day out, for years and years, 194 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,037 and then you get 47.5 seconds in the limelight. 195 00:11:43,913 --> 00:11:49,544 [announcer] Eighteen years of age and he's the Olympic champion. 196 00:11:50,628 --> 00:11:54,424 Describe what it's like when your name's on the top of that list? 197 00:11:54,507 --> 00:11:57,302 It's unbelievable. I'm only 18. 198 00:11:57,385 --> 00:11:59,971 [announcer] Kyle Chalmers. 199 00:12:00,054 --> 00:12:02,015 [crowd cheering] 200 00:12:02,098 --> 00:12:03,558 [Kyle] Winning the gold medal in Rio 201 00:12:03,641 --> 00:12:06,186 was the most overwhelming experience of my life. 202 00:12:06,269 --> 00:12:10,773 [announcer] A new star of Australian swimming has emerged before our eyes. 203 00:12:10,857 --> 00:12:12,817 I've got goosebumps thinking about it. 204 00:12:14,068 --> 00:12:16,946 Look, I went away again, just turned 18, 205 00:12:17,030 --> 00:12:18,781 no one really knew who I was. 206 00:12:19,866 --> 00:12:21,117 I knew I could do well, 207 00:12:21,201 --> 00:12:24,204 but I didn't expect to win and become this national hero. 208 00:12:24,913 --> 00:12:28,124 [reporter] A royal reception for King Kyle. 209 00:12:28,208 --> 00:12:29,501 [all cheering] 210 00:12:31,002 --> 00:12:33,546 [Kyle] Day-to-day life just changed so much for me. 211 00:12:33,630 --> 00:12:35,715 Everywhere I went, I was getting stopped. 212 00:12:36,257 --> 00:12:39,636 I would have signed thousands of photos and signatures. 213 00:12:40,220 --> 00:12:43,848 I'm happy that I've been able to achieve some great things 214 00:12:43,932 --> 00:12:45,725 that lots of people never have, 215 00:12:45,808 --> 00:12:47,810 but I'm not satisfied. 216 00:12:53,942 --> 00:12:55,527 [instrumental music playing] 217 00:13:16,589 --> 00:13:20,134 [Cody] I grew up on the Gold Coast in Australia. 218 00:13:20,218 --> 00:13:23,930 The joke was that I was swimming before I could walk, 219 00:13:24,013 --> 00:13:26,474 and it's relatively true. 220 00:13:26,558 --> 00:13:28,810 I remember falling in love with it 221 00:13:28,893 --> 00:13:30,645 from the very first time I raced. 222 00:13:30,728 --> 00:13:35,733 I won my first little race and got such a kick out of that feeling 223 00:13:35,817 --> 00:13:39,195 that I said, "This is actually something I could be good at." 224 00:13:39,279 --> 00:13:44,993 I remember making it through to my first Australian school nationals 225 00:13:45,076 --> 00:13:47,412 when I was 10 years old. 226 00:13:47,495 --> 00:13:51,291 And I remember winning eight gold medals at that nationals. 227 00:13:51,374 --> 00:13:53,585 I was then put on the radar 228 00:13:53,668 --> 00:13:55,420 to all the coaches in the country, 229 00:13:55,503 --> 00:13:58,214 and everyone started to look at me as like, "Okay, 230 00:13:58,298 --> 00:14:00,466 "if this guy continues on this path, 231 00:14:00,550 --> 00:14:03,219 "by the time he's 16 or 18, he'll be really good." 232 00:14:03,303 --> 00:14:05,513 I thought swimming would be the thing. 233 00:14:05,597 --> 00:14:07,181 [guitar music playing] 234 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:20,862 [Cody] But right around, uh, 12, 13, 235 00:14:20,945 --> 00:14:24,324 I was writing these songs, and Myspace had become a huge thing. 236 00:14:24,407 --> 00:14:27,827 And so I put songs that I wrote on guitar, on Myspace, 237 00:14:27,910 --> 00:14:32,081 and started to put videos of me playing on YouTube. 238 00:14:32,165 --> 00:14:35,710 Just covers of songs that I liked and things like that. 239 00:14:35,793 --> 00:14:39,130 One of the videos hit a million views, 240 00:14:39,672 --> 00:14:41,883 kind of out of nowhere. 241 00:14:41,966 --> 00:14:44,969 It wasn't long after that that I was receiving interest 242 00:14:45,053 --> 00:14:48,264 from producers and record labels and stuff in the States 243 00:14:48,348 --> 00:14:52,977 because I was just somehow racking up these listens and views on Myspace. 244 00:14:53,061 --> 00:14:55,188 [singing upbeat song] 245 00:14:59,525 --> 00:15:02,695 Then we got a call, like, 246 00:15:02,779 --> 00:15:04,447 "We're offering you this deal. 247 00:15:04,530 --> 00:15:09,952 "You'll have to move to the States if you want to take this seriously." 248 00:15:10,578 --> 00:15:13,790 I said, "When else would this happen? 249 00:15:13,873 --> 00:15:15,583 "Like, I can't say no." 250 00:15:15,667 --> 00:15:17,543 So I had to do it. I took it. 251 00:15:17,627 --> 00:15:20,713 My family was supportive enough to come over with me. 252 00:15:21,506 --> 00:15:24,550 I started recording with the label that I had signed with 253 00:15:24,634 --> 00:15:28,012 and they were pretty eager to start releasing things. 254 00:15:28,096 --> 00:15:31,557 It wasn't long before that I was being sent out on tours, 255 00:15:31,641 --> 00:15:36,312 and it was just like my whole life had been turned on its head. 256 00:15:36,396 --> 00:15:37,814 [singing upbeat song] 257 00:15:43,945 --> 00:15:45,780 [crowd cheering] 258 00:15:52,745 --> 00:15:56,624 [Cody] The one thing I haven't really told too many people yet was that 259 00:15:56,708 --> 00:16:01,212 I knew for sure at some point I was going to come back to the sport. 260 00:16:08,594 --> 00:16:11,347 The day I stopped, for the last 10 years, 261 00:16:11,431 --> 00:16:14,684 I don't think there was a week or a day that went by 262 00:16:14,767 --> 00:16:16,853 that I didn't still think about swimming 263 00:16:16,936 --> 00:16:20,815 or try and figure out when I was going to swim again. 264 00:16:20,898 --> 00:16:23,568 But I just knew that I wasn't done with it. 265 00:16:23,651 --> 00:16:24,861 I knew that I had... 266 00:16:25,361 --> 00:16:28,030 You feel like you have unfinished business. 267 00:16:28,114 --> 00:16:31,284 If you feel like you have immense potential in something, 268 00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:36,289 it's like, if you stop short, that fire never goes away. 269 00:16:36,372 --> 00:16:38,207 So that fire never died in me. 270 00:16:38,291 --> 00:16:42,628 So that was really interesting, going about my business, 271 00:16:42,712 --> 00:16:46,758 touring and releasing music and being so wrapped up in this other life 272 00:16:46,841 --> 00:16:49,510 and still being like, "Is there a pool in this city?" 273 00:16:49,594 --> 00:16:51,012 Like, all that stuff. 274 00:16:51,679 --> 00:16:54,640 I would tell anybody I was close with, 275 00:16:54,724 --> 00:16:57,310 "I'm gonna start training for the Olympics in 2020." 276 00:16:57,393 --> 00:17:00,605 They were like, "What? You're going to leave this behind?" 277 00:17:00,688 --> 00:17:04,859 I was like, "Yeah, for four years, I'm going to put everything else aside 278 00:17:04,941 --> 00:17:06,819 "and train for the Olympics." 279 00:17:06,902 --> 00:17:10,739 It's hard to put a gauge on or have an expectation 280 00:17:11,783 --> 00:17:15,870 when something that doesn't have a rulebook or a playbook 281 00:17:15,953 --> 00:17:17,662 and hasn't been done before. 282 00:17:17,747 --> 00:17:22,584 No one's really ever stopped swimming at 13 and come back at 24. 283 00:17:22,668 --> 00:17:25,295 This is absolutely not like a random thing at all. 284 00:17:25,379 --> 00:17:28,758 This is nothing that was brought upon 285 00:17:28,841 --> 00:17:31,677 by COVID or out of boredom whatsoever. 286 00:17:31,761 --> 00:17:34,722 This has been my plan pretty much the whole time. 287 00:17:35,723 --> 00:17:37,767 Definitely my plan the whole time. 288 00:17:38,476 --> 00:17:40,102 Do you know where the tape is? 289 00:17:44,732 --> 00:17:46,776 Yeah. Look at that. What do you know? 290 00:17:48,110 --> 00:17:49,362 What do you know? 291 00:17:49,445 --> 00:17:50,363 Yeah? 292 00:17:50,947 --> 00:17:53,074 Crikey. [laughs] 293 00:17:55,326 --> 00:17:56,953 Yeah, I'm bloody moving. 294 00:17:58,579 --> 00:18:00,832 I don't know if this is sticky enough. 295 00:18:00,915 --> 00:18:04,919 We thought California would be semi back to normal by now. It's not. 296 00:18:05,670 --> 00:18:08,756 Finding places to train and finding pool space 297 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:12,134 has been a weekly challenge for us for the last six months. 298 00:18:12,218 --> 00:18:15,137 Like training in a country club pool with no blocks, 299 00:18:15,221 --> 00:18:18,474 flags, even often with no lane ropes. 300 00:18:18,558 --> 00:18:22,478 Which is why we're going to Orlando and why we got to get out of LA. 301 00:18:22,979 --> 00:18:25,773 This is my little logo. 302 00:18:26,691 --> 00:18:29,235 On the inside I put the Olympic rings. 303 00:18:30,111 --> 00:18:32,321 And I started logging... 304 00:18:34,866 --> 00:18:38,244 I'm starting to log my, uh... 305 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:42,415 just thoughts and progress in the pool and stuff. 306 00:18:42,498 --> 00:18:45,334 The mental side of, like, 307 00:18:45,418 --> 00:18:48,671 traveling somewhere for a purpose helps. 308 00:18:48,754 --> 00:18:52,967 We're going to Orlando to train, so that's what we're going to do. 309 00:18:53,050 --> 00:18:57,722 It's much easier to do that and to dive, you know, 310 00:18:57,805 --> 00:19:02,393 as deeply, pardon the pun, into what I'm doing now. 311 00:19:03,728 --> 00:19:05,104 [cell phone ringing] 312 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,400 -Ian. -[Thorpe] Hey, buddy. 313 00:19:09,483 --> 00:19:12,069 [Cody] Growing up a swimmer in Australia, 314 00:19:12,153 --> 00:19:16,115 Ian Thorpe is the GOAT. 315 00:19:16,198 --> 00:19:20,161 He was like the first swimming superstar, you know? 316 00:19:20,244 --> 00:19:25,124 It's really epic to have somebody like him 317 00:19:26,042 --> 00:19:29,086 so interested in my journey. 318 00:19:30,338 --> 00:19:34,425 And willing enough to, uh, actually kind of assist 319 00:19:34,508 --> 00:19:36,177 and mentor me through it. 320 00:19:36,260 --> 00:19:38,346 Where are you at the moment? 321 00:19:38,429 --> 00:19:40,431 In LA. Um... 322 00:19:40,514 --> 00:19:45,436 Just literally packing up my whole house and moving out. [chuckles] 323 00:19:45,519 --> 00:19:46,896 -Oh, wow. -[Cody] Yeah. 324 00:19:46,979 --> 00:19:51,484 We're going to Orlando for a month to train long course. 325 00:19:51,567 --> 00:19:54,779 Obviously, as you know, before that, we were just in 326 00:19:54,862 --> 00:19:57,782 some pretty crappy pools, so... 327 00:19:58,366 --> 00:20:00,785 Seeing what you've actually done, 328 00:20:00,868 --> 00:20:03,245 having a start in your backyard pool, 329 00:20:03,329 --> 00:20:05,623 then trying to find lane space to train in. 330 00:20:05,706 --> 00:20:09,001 -Yeah. -This year is the year 331 00:20:09,085 --> 00:20:12,463 where you have to be able to adapt to all of these moving pieces, 332 00:20:12,546 --> 00:20:16,592 and have to be able... And the people who do that best 333 00:20:16,676 --> 00:20:19,095 will be able to perform the best. 334 00:20:19,178 --> 00:20:22,598 You're not gonna have the perfect day. You don't get to choose it. 335 00:20:22,682 --> 00:20:25,893 -How's training going? -Training is going really good. Um... 336 00:20:25,977 --> 00:20:29,271 Um, we fixed my fly a bit. 337 00:20:29,897 --> 00:20:32,525 Um, I want to show you what the stroke looks like. 338 00:20:32,608 --> 00:20:35,486 -It looks a lot better. -Awesome. Look forward to it. 339 00:20:35,569 --> 00:20:37,488 Awesome. Talk to you soon. 340 00:20:37,571 --> 00:20:38,614 Cool. All right. 341 00:20:38,698 --> 00:20:40,157 Catch you, mate. Cheers. 342 00:20:40,658 --> 00:20:41,701 [Thorpe] Okay. Bye. 343 00:20:44,161 --> 00:20:45,121 [exhales] 344 00:20:45,204 --> 00:20:47,456 [chuckles] Yeah. So cool. 345 00:20:48,624 --> 00:20:53,671 There are going to be people that really do not like Cody 346 00:20:53,754 --> 00:20:58,092 for what he's doing. And most of that comes out of jealousy. 347 00:20:58,718 --> 00:21:02,179 But he'll have media pressure. Like, "Why is he doing this?" 348 00:21:02,263 --> 00:21:06,100 You know, "This is stupid. He wants the attention." 349 00:21:06,183 --> 00:21:09,103 Or "It's for his career in something else." 350 00:21:09,186 --> 00:21:11,856 You can find strength in proving people wrong, 351 00:21:11,939 --> 00:21:14,275 um, if you look at it that way. 352 00:21:15,276 --> 00:21:16,861 Right now... 353 00:21:17,820 --> 00:21:21,532 he wouldn't final at a national championship. 354 00:21:21,615 --> 00:21:23,325 That's the reality. 355 00:21:23,409 --> 00:21:28,372 Um, but the improvement that he's making, 356 00:21:28,456 --> 00:21:33,544 there's this possibility that he may be at a level 357 00:21:33,627 --> 00:21:35,796 where he can actually place, 358 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,299 and I think with someone like that, 359 00:21:38,382 --> 00:21:43,179 that is making these momentous giant steps back, 360 00:21:43,804 --> 00:21:48,100 he shouldn't put restrictions on what he should be able to improve in a year. 361 00:21:53,647 --> 00:21:55,149 [crowd cheering] 362 00:21:57,234 --> 00:22:01,155 [Thorpe] In Australia, swimming is the most high-profile Olympic sport. 363 00:22:01,238 --> 00:22:03,574 That pressure that came from it, 364 00:22:03,657 --> 00:22:07,286 that's difficult for anyone to go through. 365 00:22:07,369 --> 00:22:11,248 Parts of my sport that I enjoyed have been taken away from me. 366 00:22:11,332 --> 00:22:15,628 The parts that I didn't like were the ones that were being emphasized. 367 00:22:16,378 --> 00:22:21,884 When I couldn't train and have the privacy around training that I wanted, 368 00:22:21,967 --> 00:22:24,345 um, that was it for me. 369 00:22:24,428 --> 00:22:27,890 And that's what happens for a lot of swimmers. 370 00:22:32,561 --> 00:22:34,730 [Kyle] It's a very convenient area. 371 00:22:34,814 --> 00:22:37,274 Um, everything's really close to me. 372 00:22:37,358 --> 00:22:41,278 Well, everything I need. I never leave this little bubble. 373 00:22:42,655 --> 00:22:44,949 And it's seven minutes to the pool. 374 00:22:46,450 --> 00:22:50,037 I went from being son of Brett Chalmers, [chuckles] 375 00:22:50,871 --> 00:22:53,249 to he went to father of Kyle Chalmers. 376 00:22:53,332 --> 00:22:55,960 -within 47 seconds, pretty much. -[interviewer chuckles] 377 00:22:56,043 --> 00:22:58,295 Um, because he was that elite athlete. 378 00:22:58,379 --> 00:23:00,840 [announcer] Chalmers will get run down, gets the kick away. 379 00:23:00,923 --> 00:23:02,466 It's a huge kick. 380 00:23:02,550 --> 00:23:04,260 [Kyle] He's a very strict, hard dad. 381 00:23:04,343 --> 00:23:08,764 He's a real typical country, off-the-farm kind of man. 382 00:23:09,849 --> 00:23:12,351 As a kid, I always wanted to please him. 383 00:23:12,434 --> 00:23:16,730 No matter what, whether it was from racing, like competing to footy, 384 00:23:16,814 --> 00:23:19,567 whatever I was doing, it was like, "Look at this, Dad. 385 00:23:19,650 --> 00:23:21,610 "I'm doing it," type thing. [chuckles] 386 00:23:21,694 --> 00:23:24,071 And he was the best. He'd get up in the morning, 387 00:23:24,155 --> 00:23:26,991 drive me to training. And I hated training as a kid. 388 00:23:27,074 --> 00:23:29,034 I would not want to go. [chuckles] 389 00:23:29,118 --> 00:23:31,245 It would be the argument every morning 390 00:23:31,328 --> 00:23:33,414 when he'd come in, turn the lights on 391 00:23:33,497 --> 00:23:35,708 at like 3:30, 4:00 in the morning. 392 00:23:35,791 --> 00:23:38,043 I'd be like, "This sucks. I'm not getting up." 393 00:23:39,545 --> 00:23:44,425 Swimming coaches wanted me to swim before I played footy on a Saturday. 394 00:23:44,508 --> 00:23:46,719 I was like, "This is not possible for me. 395 00:23:46,802 --> 00:23:48,596 "Footy is my main focus." [chuckles] 396 00:23:48,679 --> 00:23:50,431 [man] When did that focus shift for you? 397 00:23:50,514 --> 00:23:51,557 2015. 398 00:23:52,933 --> 00:23:54,018 [announcer 1] Kyle Chalmers! 399 00:23:54,101 --> 00:23:56,896 [announcer 2] He's 16, he's been on the radar for Swimming Australia 400 00:23:56,979 --> 00:23:58,397 for a couple of years now, 401 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,443 [Kyle] In 2015, it was the World Championships trials for Kazan. 402 00:24:02,526 --> 00:24:05,821 I was still focused on footy. I was doing footy pre-season. 403 00:24:05,905 --> 00:24:10,117 [announcer] Here's Chalmers, just 16 years of age, the baby of the competition... 404 00:24:10,201 --> 00:24:14,413 [Kyle] Made it through the semifinals, ranked third going into the finals. 405 00:24:14,496 --> 00:24:18,167 And I remember that 24 hours from the semi to the final, 406 00:24:18,250 --> 00:24:21,337 dreading it, going, "I do not want to make this team." 407 00:24:21,420 --> 00:24:23,088 [announcer] McEvoy's in... 408 00:24:23,172 --> 00:24:24,757 [Kyle] I think that final, 409 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:29,136 I don't actually think I swam the best I possibly could have swam 410 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:32,097 because I knew that I didn't want to be on that team. 411 00:24:32,181 --> 00:24:35,351 [announcer] And McEvoy surprises again! 412 00:24:35,434 --> 00:24:37,686 I ended up making the team. [laughs] 413 00:24:40,898 --> 00:24:43,025 Two months out from world champs. 414 00:24:43,108 --> 00:24:46,654 Played a game of footy 'cause my dad was the coach of the school team. 415 00:24:46,737 --> 00:24:50,199 Ended up cracking a bone in my wrist falling down. 416 00:24:50,282 --> 00:24:53,035 So I couldn't swim with the wrist. 417 00:24:53,118 --> 00:24:56,163 I had the head coach of Swimming Australia call me in and go, 418 00:24:56,247 --> 00:24:59,166 "You've got to make this decision right here, right now. 419 00:24:59,250 --> 00:25:02,294 "You playing footy or representing Australia at swimming?" 420 00:25:02,378 --> 00:25:04,046 The only reason I chose swimming 421 00:25:04,129 --> 00:25:06,298 was 'cause I'd signed on and I'd earn money. 422 00:25:06,382 --> 00:25:07,341 That was great. 423 00:25:07,424 --> 00:25:11,262 But for me, that was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. 424 00:25:11,345 --> 00:25:13,222 [announcer] Second swimmer in for Australia. 425 00:25:13,305 --> 00:25:15,933 The youngster, the teenager, Kyle Chalmers. 426 00:25:16,016 --> 00:25:18,811 It's been a really good swim from him. 427 00:25:18,894 --> 00:25:22,731 [Kyle] World Champs in 2015, I was going to Kazan. 428 00:25:22,815 --> 00:25:24,900 Only South Australian kid going. 429 00:25:24,984 --> 00:25:27,152 Didn't know a single swimmer at all. 430 00:25:27,653 --> 00:25:29,613 I remember crying. [chuckles] 431 00:25:29,697 --> 00:25:31,657 "No, I don't want to go." 432 00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:37,413 Uh, Mum crying, Dad being that, "What the hell are you crying about? 433 00:25:37,496 --> 00:25:39,331 "Get it together," type thing. 434 00:25:39,415 --> 00:25:42,167 [announcer] And it's the baby of the team, Chalmers. 435 00:25:42,251 --> 00:25:44,920 He wasn't even born when teammate Grant Hackett 436 00:25:45,004 --> 00:25:48,132 contested his first World Championships in... 437 00:25:48,215 --> 00:25:49,466 [Kyle] I was 16 at the time, 438 00:25:49,550 --> 00:25:52,761 so I'm the second-youngest male to ever represent Australia, 439 00:25:52,845 --> 00:25:54,388 behind Ian Thorpe, so... 440 00:25:54,471 --> 00:25:56,432 That was a very daunting experience. 441 00:25:56,515 --> 00:25:58,350 [announcer] Well done, young man. 442 00:25:58,434 --> 00:26:01,228 Kyle Chalmers closes it out for Australia. 443 00:26:01,312 --> 00:26:03,480 [Kyle] Australia did extremely well that year. 444 00:26:03,564 --> 00:26:06,608 I remember being so proud of these guys winning gold medals, 445 00:26:06,692 --> 00:26:08,610 and I went, "Swimming's really cool. 446 00:26:08,694 --> 00:26:11,113 "This is something I actually want to do." 447 00:26:11,196 --> 00:26:14,116 After that, I wanted to be an Olympian desperately. 448 00:26:14,199 --> 00:26:15,200 [tattoo machine whirring] 449 00:26:17,202 --> 00:26:18,829 [Kyle] All right, let's do it. 450 00:26:18,912 --> 00:26:21,206 -Ready? -Yeah. Yes, Laz. 451 00:26:21,290 --> 00:26:22,541 Yes, Laz. 452 00:26:22,624 --> 00:26:24,501 [tattoo machine whirring] 453 00:26:24,585 --> 00:26:26,670 [Kyle] Laz is one of my best mates. 454 00:26:26,754 --> 00:26:30,632 We come from two completely different walks of life. 455 00:26:30,716 --> 00:26:32,676 He's a tattoo artist. 456 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,304 [Laz] How does that feel? Pressure's okay? 457 00:26:35,387 --> 00:26:37,598 -Mate, you're killing me. -Really? 458 00:26:37,681 --> 00:26:39,683 -Are we almost done? -No. 459 00:26:39,767 --> 00:26:41,602 [Kyle] We just hit it off really well, 460 00:26:41,685 --> 00:26:43,604 and I never talk to him about tattoos, 461 00:26:43,687 --> 00:26:46,023 and he never talks to me about swimming. 462 00:26:46,106 --> 00:26:48,567 He probably doesn't even know what event I swim. 463 00:26:49,985 --> 00:26:54,406 Back in today, Laz is putting the butterfly-bee on me, so... 464 00:26:54,490 --> 00:26:56,116 Uh, a great Muhammad Ali quote. 465 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,619 "Float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee." 466 00:26:59,328 --> 00:27:01,747 -I think it's a... -"Rumble, young man, rumble." 467 00:27:01,830 --> 00:27:03,248 ...very cool quote. 468 00:27:06,335 --> 00:27:09,421 For me, I've always wanted to get tattoos. 469 00:27:09,505 --> 00:27:13,300 Um, I think mainly because my mom always said no. 470 00:27:13,384 --> 00:27:14,802 I'm the person that, 471 00:27:14,885 --> 00:27:17,930 if I'm told no, it makes me want to get it even more, so... 472 00:27:18,013 --> 00:27:19,556 -[Laz] Sorry, Jodie. -Sorry, Jodie. 473 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:21,183 -But we're back. -[Laz] We love you. 474 00:27:23,811 --> 00:27:27,398 I remember when I was maybe 16, when I made my first Australian team, 475 00:27:27,481 --> 00:27:29,775 we get given a number on the swim team. 476 00:27:29,858 --> 00:27:32,569 So I'm number 761. 477 00:27:32,653 --> 00:27:36,407 So that means I'm the 761st person to represent Australia. 478 00:27:36,490 --> 00:27:37,950 That was such a proud moment. 479 00:27:38,033 --> 00:27:40,285 I was like, "I want to get that tattooed." 480 00:27:40,369 --> 00:27:43,747 And from there, the addiction's kicked off. 481 00:27:43,831 --> 00:27:47,376 When I got back from the Olympics is when I got more tattoos. 482 00:27:51,088 --> 00:27:55,384 Then I got the number 31 on my wrist here for the 31st Olympics. 483 00:27:55,467 --> 00:27:58,429 He did that there, which is "Citius Altius Fortius," 484 00:27:58,512 --> 00:28:00,722 which is the Olympic motto. 485 00:28:00,806 --> 00:28:02,850 After World Championships in 2019, 486 00:28:02,933 --> 00:28:05,853 I came in and got my first side of my sleeve done. 487 00:28:05,936 --> 00:28:08,397 I got a big lion to represent courage. 488 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:13,402 Uh, I wanted that with a chain going down to my heart. 489 00:28:13,485 --> 00:28:15,320 I've had three heart surgeries. 490 00:28:15,404 --> 00:28:19,032 And the broken chain is like the heart was holding me back. 491 00:28:19,116 --> 00:28:20,868 Now the heart's been fixed, 492 00:28:20,951 --> 00:28:23,537 so the chain's been broken, and I'm the lion. 493 00:28:24,663 --> 00:28:27,499 It's called Supraventricular tachycardia. 494 00:28:27,583 --> 00:28:29,710 I have an extra circuit in my heart. 495 00:28:29,793 --> 00:28:32,713 My heart rate would go 200 plus and stay up there. 496 00:28:32,796 --> 00:28:35,757 I'd feel dizzy and be close to blacking out. 497 00:28:35,841 --> 00:28:39,845 Then it started to happen more frequently, started happening in the pool. 498 00:28:39,928 --> 00:28:43,765 So they decided to burn that extra circuit. 499 00:28:43,849 --> 00:28:44,850 And it grew back. 500 00:28:44,933 --> 00:28:48,687 2015, I had it. 2017, had another surgery. They thought they'd fixed it. 501 00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:51,940 They took the circuit out the last time, no issues since. 502 00:28:52,024 --> 00:28:56,195 But, yeah, it's a lot more common than people think and know. 503 00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:00,240 -[Laz] It's done. -Legend. 504 00:29:01,742 --> 00:29:03,202 That's cool. 505 00:29:03,285 --> 00:29:05,287 Cool, cool, mate. Very cool. 506 00:29:07,122 --> 00:29:08,957 -There you go, mate. -Thank you. 507 00:29:09,041 --> 00:29:10,792 -Well done. -Well done. 508 00:29:10,876 --> 00:29:13,837 [Hanson] Four years after Kyle Chalmers won the Olympic gold medal, 509 00:29:13,921 --> 00:29:15,464 he's ready for phase two. 510 00:29:15,547 --> 00:29:18,926 It's not going to be easy for him to defend. 511 00:29:19,009 --> 00:29:21,094 He's had his hurdles to overcome too. 512 00:29:21,178 --> 00:29:24,264 Um, he's had his heart issues. He's had shoulder surgery. 513 00:29:24,348 --> 00:29:27,601 But if anyone can overcome hurdles, I'm sure Kyle can. 514 00:29:29,061 --> 00:29:32,773 If we look at who has one, two 100 meters freestyles, 515 00:29:32,856 --> 00:29:34,358 the Duke has, 516 00:29:34,441 --> 00:29:40,322 and Johnny Weissmuller also defended and won two in a row, 517 00:29:40,822 --> 00:29:44,868 two iconic swimmers from a completely different era. 518 00:29:44,952 --> 00:29:47,538 When we go to more recent history, 519 00:29:47,621 --> 00:29:50,832 there's Pieter van den Hoogenband, um, and Alex Popov. 520 00:29:50,916 --> 00:29:53,710 They're the two best sprinters that the world's seen. 521 00:29:53,794 --> 00:29:57,631 That list is a significant list. 522 00:29:57,714 --> 00:30:00,759 But Kyle has the chance to join that. 523 00:30:00,842 --> 00:30:02,261 He is under pressure. 524 00:30:02,344 --> 00:30:05,847 Um, but part of that pressure will be what motivates him to train well. 525 00:30:11,186 --> 00:30:14,690 [Bronte] Having gone to two Olympics and four World Championships 526 00:30:14,773 --> 00:30:16,608 [chuckling] and two Commonwealth Games... 527 00:30:16,692 --> 00:30:19,611 I've been doing this for almost 10 years. 528 00:30:19,695 --> 00:30:23,949 I know not to set expectations, especially these games. 529 00:30:24,032 --> 00:30:27,661 Nobody knows what they'll look like, if we're going to have crowds, 530 00:30:27,744 --> 00:30:29,454 who's going to go over there. 531 00:30:29,538 --> 00:30:32,332 We don't know how long we're going to be over there for. 532 00:30:32,416 --> 00:30:36,336 I just focus on doing the next best thing, and the next best thing. 533 00:30:37,546 --> 00:30:39,339 All that swimming is just like... 534 00:30:39,423 --> 00:30:43,594 Just trying to get from one wall to the other faster than someone else. 535 00:30:43,677 --> 00:30:47,180 What that is is breaking down every single moment into 536 00:30:47,264 --> 00:30:49,975 what's coming now and now and now and now, 537 00:30:50,058 --> 00:30:53,687 for every millisecond of 52 seconds, 538 00:30:53,770 --> 00:30:56,023 which is an intense amount of concentration. 539 00:31:00,611 --> 00:31:03,572 Everything in my life's so fast. 540 00:31:03,655 --> 00:31:07,534 My races are decided by one hundredths of a second. 541 00:31:09,036 --> 00:31:13,206 But, um, plants, they force you to slow down a bit. 542 00:31:13,957 --> 00:31:17,669 You've got these things that take a little bit of a slow time. 543 00:31:17,753 --> 00:31:21,798 You look after them, care for them, and very slowly, they reward you. 544 00:31:22,549 --> 00:31:25,802 Like, this guy I've had since he was about half that height. 545 00:31:25,886 --> 00:31:28,639 Went through issues. He's got burned leaves. 546 00:31:28,722 --> 00:31:30,557 You look after him for a few months 547 00:31:30,641 --> 00:31:33,769 and he pops out a new leaf, and you're celebrating that, 548 00:31:33,852 --> 00:31:36,271 and suddenly, that's the highlight of your day. 549 00:31:38,649 --> 00:31:41,568 Doesn't really say "ruthless swimmer," does it? 550 00:31:41,652 --> 00:31:44,946 But I've made it that way on purpose. 551 00:31:45,030 --> 00:31:49,034 It's a bit of a antidote against the outside world, 552 00:31:49,117 --> 00:31:51,078 which is a bit fast and furious. 553 00:31:53,497 --> 00:31:54,873 [reporter] In breaking news, 554 00:31:54,956 --> 00:31:58,502 several states have now declared all of Sydney a hot spot 555 00:31:58,585 --> 00:32:00,879 and will soon slam their borders shut. 556 00:32:00,962 --> 00:32:04,883 Sydneysiders are no longer welcome anywhere beyond New South Wales. 557 00:32:05,801 --> 00:32:08,178 [Bronte] COVID's this thing that keeps popping up. 558 00:32:08,261 --> 00:32:10,639 It's like some weed that goes underground 559 00:32:10,722 --> 00:32:12,849 and just pops up somewhere else. 560 00:32:12,933 --> 00:32:17,354 It's not great when you hear places are going into lockdown. 561 00:32:17,437 --> 00:32:20,065 It's not what I thought would be happening. 562 00:32:20,148 --> 00:32:23,652 Before Christmas, I thought I'd go up to Brisbane, no worries. 563 00:32:23,735 --> 00:32:26,113 I thought I could see my family over Christmas, 564 00:32:26,196 --> 00:32:28,115 but not to be. 565 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:30,701 [line ringing] 566 00:32:32,369 --> 00:32:34,121 -[Simon] Hello. -Hey, how are you? 567 00:32:35,706 --> 00:32:37,457 -[Simon] Good. Yourself? -Yeah, good. 568 00:32:37,541 --> 00:32:41,420 Do you reckon I could go to Canberra and train there for a bit? 569 00:32:41,503 --> 00:32:44,172 So I could be with Shannon's squad 570 00:32:44,256 --> 00:32:46,133 then go up to Brisbane after that? 571 00:32:46,925 --> 00:32:49,761 [Simon] At this stage, best option would be 572 00:32:49,845 --> 00:32:51,763 quarantine in New South Wales. 573 00:32:51,847 --> 00:32:52,931 Yeah, okay. 574 00:32:53,014 --> 00:32:57,436 We'll stick to Port Macquarie, but it'll just be... 575 00:32:58,019 --> 00:33:00,689 It'll just be me, then, without the other squad. 576 00:33:00,772 --> 00:33:01,773 [Simon] Yeah. 577 00:33:02,524 --> 00:33:03,984 -Okay. -Thanks for that. 578 00:33:04,067 --> 00:33:05,819 -[Simon] See you, Bronts. -See you, Simon. 579 00:33:05,902 --> 00:33:06,820 [Simon] Bye. 580 00:33:07,654 --> 00:33:10,157 It's stressful when you just want to get into it. 581 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,827 I just want train with my squad and coach, and crack into it. 582 00:33:13,910 --> 00:33:15,746 It's 2021, an Olympic year again. 583 00:33:17,330 --> 00:33:20,250 If I have to train by myself for two weeks, that's fine. 584 00:33:20,751 --> 00:33:23,003 I'll just head up to Port Macquarie... 585 00:33:24,171 --> 00:33:25,839 stay up there for two weeks, 586 00:33:25,922 --> 00:33:29,468 and hopefully that'll be the best way to get me into Brisbane. 587 00:33:29,551 --> 00:33:33,764 All I need to do is find a way across the border, basically. 588 00:33:33,847 --> 00:33:37,142 We're just having two friends over from up the road, 589 00:33:37,225 --> 00:33:38,810 we'll cook some food, 590 00:33:38,894 --> 00:33:41,521 and break the news that we're going to have to... 591 00:33:42,272 --> 00:33:44,941 leave, and I'm not gonna be back for a few months. 592 00:33:45,025 --> 00:33:46,318 Do you have a knife? 593 00:33:46,902 --> 00:33:48,528 When you're an elite athlete, 594 00:33:48,612 --> 00:33:51,198 you make the decision that's best for your sport. 595 00:33:51,281 --> 00:33:55,911 And we put in my swimming before pretty much anything else. 596 00:33:55,994 --> 00:33:57,537 Just for this little bit. 597 00:33:57,621 --> 00:33:58,789 Let's have a toast. 598 00:33:58,872 --> 00:34:00,207 Cheers to Bronte. 599 00:34:00,290 --> 00:34:01,833 -We'll miss you. -[Bronte] Cheers. 600 00:34:01,917 --> 00:34:04,461 -[woman] Good luck. -[man] We'll miss you, Bronte. 601 00:34:04,544 --> 00:34:05,712 I'll miss you guys. 602 00:34:07,255 --> 00:34:08,840 [alarm ringing] 603 00:34:11,134 --> 00:34:12,427 [Cody sighs] 604 00:34:19,643 --> 00:34:20,644 [grunts] 605 00:34:26,733 --> 00:34:28,360 What's on the menu today? 606 00:34:29,318 --> 00:34:31,863 [Brett] I'm working on the quote of the day today. 607 00:34:32,697 --> 00:34:33,907 By Nietzsche. 608 00:34:34,990 --> 00:34:39,454 He was one the first to say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 609 00:34:39,538 --> 00:34:41,998 I'm doing something very similar to that. 610 00:34:42,082 --> 00:34:46,378 "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." 611 00:34:47,295 --> 00:34:49,213 -That is the quote today. -Is it? 612 00:34:49,297 --> 00:34:51,800 -[chuckles] Yeah. -Yes! 613 00:34:51,883 --> 00:34:53,050 [Cody laughs] 614 00:34:53,844 --> 00:34:54,678 That is it. 615 00:34:55,428 --> 00:34:57,264 This guy's got some good stuff. 616 00:34:57,347 --> 00:34:58,807 -I love it. -Yeah. 617 00:34:58,890 --> 00:35:01,017 [Cody] When I met my coach, Brett, 618 00:35:01,101 --> 00:35:03,353 we got connected through some mutual friends, 619 00:35:03,436 --> 00:35:06,398 and we started chatting during the lockdown. 620 00:35:06,481 --> 00:35:10,485 And I told him I wanted to start swimming again and training. 621 00:35:10,569 --> 00:35:15,866 I think the first day he got to LA, he gave me this really nasty set. 622 00:35:15,949 --> 00:35:18,326 By the end, I was just completely drained. 623 00:35:18,410 --> 00:35:21,746 I stared at him like, "Why you doing this to me the first day?" 624 00:35:21,830 --> 00:35:23,790 He's like, "You want to be a swimmer?" 625 00:35:23,874 --> 00:35:26,459 I'm like, "Yeah, I do." He said, "That's why." 626 00:35:26,543 --> 00:35:28,169 [Brett] It's all about... 627 00:35:28,295 --> 00:35:30,755 It's all about routine and habits, my friends. 628 00:35:32,173 --> 00:35:33,633 Routines give you confidence. 629 00:35:34,968 --> 00:35:38,722 I am a two-time Olympic athlete for Australia, 630 00:35:38,805 --> 00:35:44,311 and then was coaching at Auburn University from 2006 to 2018. 631 00:35:44,394 --> 00:35:46,897 You don't need to engage your abs to float. 632 00:35:46,980 --> 00:35:50,108 But once you do the hips... 633 00:35:50,191 --> 00:35:52,944 [Brett] Matt is a two-time Olympian as well. 634 00:35:53,028 --> 00:35:54,529 He is an NCAA Champion. 635 00:35:54,613 --> 00:35:58,283 To have someone in your corner as a teammate, 636 00:35:58,366 --> 00:36:00,619 as a friend, as a training partner, 637 00:36:00,702 --> 00:36:03,330 it's been super critical for us, actually. 638 00:36:03,413 --> 00:36:06,333 You're shifting weight from one side to the next. 639 00:36:06,416 --> 00:36:09,753 Here, here, boom, shift. 640 00:36:09,836 --> 00:36:11,838 [Cody] First thing I told my coach, Brett, was, 641 00:36:11,922 --> 00:36:14,257 "I want you to make me great in four years." 642 00:36:14,341 --> 00:36:16,927 But after that first four weeks of training, 643 00:36:17,010 --> 00:36:19,596 he said "I could make you great in 12 months." 644 00:36:20,263 --> 00:36:23,224 I was like, "Okay, I trust you." 645 00:36:23,308 --> 00:36:25,226 You have to trust your coach, right? 646 00:36:25,310 --> 00:36:26,770 Every hundredth counts. 647 00:36:28,271 --> 00:36:32,400 [Cody] He said, "I could have you competing at Olympic trials next year." 648 00:36:32,484 --> 00:36:34,277 I said, "All right, I'm in." 649 00:36:34,361 --> 00:36:35,612 [Brett] Let's get it on. 650 00:36:36,696 --> 00:36:37,989 Time is against us. 651 00:36:38,073 --> 00:36:40,116 Cody's gonna have a lot of eyes on him. 652 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,078 The swimming world will be watching what he's doing. 653 00:36:43,161 --> 00:36:44,621 There's more pressure on him 654 00:36:44,704 --> 00:36:47,791 than any other swimmer I've met, other than Michael Phelps. 655 00:36:47,874 --> 00:36:49,668 He's world-renowned. 656 00:36:49,751 --> 00:36:55,131 So I'm gonna put him in uncomfortable situations physically, mentally. 657 00:36:55,215 --> 00:36:58,385 He's not going to feel like he wants to be in that space, 658 00:36:58,468 --> 00:37:01,846 but I'm gonna force him to keep going back into that space, 659 00:37:01,930 --> 00:37:04,599 so that when we get to the moment of truth, 660 00:37:04,683 --> 00:37:06,643 we're 100% prepared. 661 00:37:06,726 --> 00:37:09,604 I want speed, I want race. As fast as you can now. 662 00:37:09,688 --> 00:37:10,897 Listen for the whistle. 663 00:37:10,981 --> 00:37:12,315 Clear your mind. 664 00:37:13,233 --> 00:37:14,401 [whistle blows] 665 00:37:21,491 --> 00:37:23,451 [Brett] He's getting beat every time. 666 00:37:23,535 --> 00:37:26,705 This is where the competition in practice is so critical. 667 00:37:26,788 --> 00:37:27,664 [whistle blows] 668 00:37:29,290 --> 00:37:31,793 [Brett] Yeah. Yeah. Yes, that's it. 669 00:37:31,876 --> 00:37:34,379 It's gonna get heavy here. You'll feel this one. 670 00:37:34,462 --> 00:37:35,380 [whistle blows] 671 00:37:40,051 --> 00:37:41,094 [Cody] Fuck. 672 00:37:41,177 --> 00:37:43,430 [Brett] Too heavy? Let's get it. Come on, find a way. 673 00:37:43,513 --> 00:37:46,224 Think of staying bigger in that point. 674 00:37:46,307 --> 00:37:48,059 -[whistle blows] -[Brett] Go. 675 00:37:49,519 --> 00:37:52,897 Push! Push! Push! Up! 676 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:54,399 Yes! 677 00:37:54,482 --> 00:37:55,608 [whistle blows] 678 00:38:06,036 --> 00:38:08,747 [Brett] It's a little faster. That was too comfortable. 679 00:38:14,544 --> 00:38:17,213 30.3. That's a lot closer there. 680 00:38:17,297 --> 00:38:18,590 Only 3/10ths off. 681 00:38:19,507 --> 00:38:21,885 Considering what an Olympian needs to do 682 00:38:21,968 --> 00:38:24,429 in the 12 months leading up to the games... 683 00:38:28,016 --> 00:38:29,350 [Brett] 2.25, man. You got this. 684 00:38:29,434 --> 00:38:31,061 [Thorpe] It means that when you wake up 685 00:38:31,144 --> 00:38:34,105 and you don't know which part of your body isn't sore, 686 00:38:34,189 --> 00:38:35,815 -you keep going to training. -[whistle blows] 687 00:38:35,899 --> 00:38:37,317 [Brett] Come on. Push! 688 00:38:44,032 --> 00:38:44,949 [Cody groans] 689 00:38:45,700 --> 00:38:48,870 When it hurts incredibly, 690 00:38:49,370 --> 00:38:52,207 you find something else to give. 691 00:38:53,291 --> 00:38:55,043 You find more. 692 00:38:56,336 --> 00:38:57,295 [vomits] 693 00:39:01,091 --> 00:39:02,300 [upbeat music playing]