Vazaios won the men’s 200 meter individual medley (IM) for the DC Trident in front of their home-state crowd, and in doing so, he set a new Greek national record with a time of 1:52.95 (where he was able to lower his own national record). The Greek swimmer bested such athletes as Chase Kalisz, Josh Prenot, and Ian Finnerty, among other elite swimmers.
On being a part of the DC Trident of the inaugural International Swimming League (ISL), he said, “It is way different than anything I’ve ever experienced. I really like the atmosphere and the ISL brings more excitement than some of the other swimming events. I am glad that I am a part of this new era in the sport. The ISL brings in more spectators and more broadcasting to swimming.”
For young and aspiring swimmers, he encouraged them to persevere. “Keep trying and love the sport. Try hard and be persistent. There are going to be ups and downs. Trust in the process and trust in yourself, that way you can be better in the future. Just be patient and have faith,” he said.
Affectionately known as the #UnderwaterGreekFreak, Vazaios addressed the Greek-American community. “I live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and we have a big Greek community, and it feels like family,” he said. “I think it’s really great when you meet Greeks here in the United States. They make you feel comfortable, safer and like family. You feel that extra support from the Greek-American community. I feel the Greeks here in America are more patriotic than others,” he acknowledged.
Regarding his definition of the word success, Vazaios said, “To me, success means a lot of things. It’s not just about winning medals or breaking records. Success is how you balance the failures and coming back after having a really bad race. Personally, for me, success was the fact that I was able to balance being a student-athlete the past three years, and being able to maintain a 4.0 GPA while making the national team and the Olympics, and also, being active in the community.”
“The past three years helped me build character and be proud of myself and what I do,” he concluded.
To learn more about Greek swimmer Andreas Vazaios, follow him on Instagram.
