During the quarantine, she shared that she replaced swimming with cycling. “Cycling was one of the best ways to replace swimming when one could not find a pool during the quarantine,” she said.
Gastaldello was just announced as the co-captain of the Los Angeles Current swimming team in the second season of the ISL. “I am very excited about it,” she admitted. “That feels very good, I felt rewarded for my performances last year. I am proud for sure, it’s my first that I am a captain, ever. I’ve been a leader before but this is my first time being a captain.”
“The ISL is revolutionizing the sport of swimming,” she said. “It’s very exciting and it is definitely progressing the sport. My personality fits perfectly for the ISL so hopefully, I will be able to bring that into the big meets. The ISL has given me the confidence I need to keep moving forward.”
“I am super happy to be a co-captain with Ryan Murphy,” she said. “Ryan and I know each other for a while now. We know each other since the World Junior Championships in 2011 in Peru. It is nice to be on a team with other Americans. Ryan is such a great dude and he is just a good person. I think it’s a very good combo because he and I are the ying and the yang. We are very motivated and I just can’t wait. We will bring the best of ourselves to this team.”
She had nothing but the greatest remarks about her team’s General Manager Lenny Krayzelburg. “I love Lenny and that’s why I signed with them again. No. 1, Lenny is the only one that believed in me when nobody else did. Last year, once he found out that I was looking for a team, he told me that he wanted me. I will never forget that. Lenny is a great person and obviously a great athlete as well. He is trusting me and I trust him, and it’s a great relationship,” she said.
“While I did pretty good last year in the ISL, but to be honest, I am never really happy. I want to do the best, and I want to be stronger. I really like being a team player and I will do whatever it takes for this team to succeed,” she added.
For Gastaldello, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games was a relief for her. “I don’t think I was ready,” she said. “The postponement has given me the opportunity to refresh and reset. It will help me get better and stronger. I am very excited because I feel that next year I will be a much different athlete in a positive way.”
When asked what commonalities she sees among champions, she stated that they have a strong “mindset.” “Champions tend to be perfectionists. We want to achieve excellence because perfection doesn’t exist,” she admitted. “Don’t be afraid to put in the work and sacrificing a lot of things. Also, they need to perform under pressure constantly.”
To learn more about French swimmer Beryl Gastaldello, follow her on Instagram and on Twitter.
