First-time Olympian and American swimmer Patrick Callan chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his experience at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games and his future plans.
Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
He competed for Team USA in the men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay race, where they finished in fourth place in the finals at the Tokyo Olympic Games. “It felt wonderful to compete at the Olympic level,” he said. “It was a little crazy, but a total dream come true all around. It was fun.”
“Getting fourth place was hard, for sure,” he said. “Just being a part of an American relay was good though.”
Callan, a Michigan Wolverine
Callan was born and raised in Oklahoma, but he swims for the University of Michigan as a Michigan Wolverine. “It’s definitely very unique to be a part of the Michigan team and the legacy of Michigan swimming. It goes back to the 1920’s. I think it’s really neat to be a part of the Olympian legacy here in Michigan. Sharing this feat with Jake Mitchell was really nice,” he said.
On his daily motivations, he said, “For the past couple of the years, I was motivated by the Olympic Games and the goal to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team. That has been on my mind ever since I realized that it was a possibility probably around 2016 or 2017. Every single day I went in the pool thinking about that same meet. Years later, finally, I was able to see it all come to fruition. Looking back, it was all worth it.”
He spoke highly about the U.S. men’s Olympic swimming team’s captains Ryan Murphy and Caeleb Dressel, and he shared that the Olympic training camp in Oahu, Hawaii, was “a lot of fun.” “Being in Hawaii was awesome. Training here in Michigan, we don’t get a lot of the outdoors, so that was a really cool change,” he said.
Future plans and goals
Regarding his future plans, he said, “It’s college season now and then I will obviously try to make the U.S. Olympic team again for Paris 2024.”
He listed the “freestyle” as his personal favorite stroke in swimming. “That’s about all I do,” he admitted. “I love the racing aspect of swimming.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said with a sweet laugh, “A nice little break.” “I haven’t had much of a break in a long, long time, so it’s nice to take a couple of weeks off, step back, and just enjoy life,” he said.
Advice for hopefuls, and success
For young and aspiring swimmers, he said, “Trust yourselves and trust your coaches and everyone around you. They will help get you where you need to be if you trust that. In prior years, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of self-doubts, but I just kept trusting myself and my coaches. That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past couple of years.”
Callan defined the word success as enjoyment in the sport of swimming and the process. “I feel I am successful as long as I am enjoying it,” he explained. “Everything happens for a reason so I take things in stride, and I enjoy every day as it comes. I am always finding ways to get better, that’s how I have been successful.”
For his supporters and fans, Callan said, “Thank you, especially to my teammates and coaches over the past couple of years. I could have not done it without them and my family. They all kept telling me that my time was going to come even when I didn’t believe in myself, and they were all right.”
To learn more about Olympic swimmer Patrick Callan, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
