American swimmer and Olympian Bryce Mefford chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his experience at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.
Olympic gold medalist and retired figure skater Scott Hamilton once said: “adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless.” An individual and athlete that embodies this wise quote is 22-year-old Olympic swimmer Bryce Mefford.
“It was a great experience,” he said about the Olympic Games. “I was just out of a medal position so that was a little unfortunate but fourth place was definitely a position that was pretty cool to be in.”
Mefford swam for the Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, California. He competes at the collegiate level for the University of California, Berkeley, where he is coached by Dave Durden, who also served as the Head Coach of the Men’s U.S. Olympic swimming team.
At the 2021 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Mefford finished in second place in the 200 meter backstroke final right behind teammate Ryan Murphy. “That was extremely cool to finish in second place at the Olympic Trials behind Murphy,” he said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to him.”
Mefford subsequently finished in fourth place at the men’s 200 meter final at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where Murphy claimed the silver medal for Team USA.
Each day, he is motivated primarily by his parents and his family. “My parents were both swimmers, and my sister and brother are both swimmers so they were the ones that definitely pushed me and supported me the most. I swim with my brother [Colby] every day in practice, he is a big motivator, and I always want to make him proud,” he said.
Mefford had great words about Cal teammate Ryan Hoffer. “Swimming with Ryan Hoffer is pretty cool,” he said. “Training with Hoffer is incredible, he always brings the vibe up, and we always have good practices when we are together. I love him, he is a beast.”
For young and aspiring swimmers, Mefford encouraged them to “keep their head on straight, continue doing what you love, and to continue to push through hard challenges.” “I broke my hand twice during the past year and I swam with it. Pushing through that was my big challenge,” he said.
“Remember that you can do anything and that you can push through anything,” Mefford added.
He listed the backstroke and the butterfly as his two personal favorite strokes in the sport.
On his definition of the word success, Mefford responded, “Success is something that comes over time. Success is more of a cumulative thing, it’s not necessarily one or two races in a single meet. I believe I have been pretty successful over the last few weeks and I am happy with where I stand. Everyone on this team is very successful in regard to where they came from and where they are doing.”
For his fans and supporters, he said, “I am so unbelievably grateful to everyone that has helped me, especially my parents and my family. They were so important and so crucial to where I am today. My coach, Dave Durden, is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), he has opened so many doors for me and I am thankful for him. Also, several swim teams that I have been a part of have given me so much love. I have an entire army in my hometown behind me that has supported me and I am so grateful for all of them.”
To learn more about American swimmer Bryce Mefford, follow him on Instagram.
