World champion swimmer Drew Kibler chatted about his career in the sport of swimming, as well as the two recent medals that he won for Team USA at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest.
A native of Carmel, Indiana, Kibler is an athlete that is fully present in the moment and in the sport of swimming; moreover, he is searching for perspective.
American track and field legend Jesse Owens once said: “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Drew Kibler is an individual and athlete that embodies this wise quote by the late track and field icon.
2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest
At the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Kibler took home two medals: a gold in the men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay, as well as a bronze in the 4 x 100 meter mixed freestyle relay. “That felt really good. I don’t think I’ve ever fully satisfied but I can celebrate the little things along the way,” he said.
“To be able to check the 4 x 200 meter relay gold off the list after wanting it so badly ever since last summer was really special. It was great to accomplish that with my teammates Kieran Smith, Trenton Julian, and my training partner Carson Foster. It was a great experience,” he said.
Motivations
Each day, he is driven by his strong competitive nature. “I want to be the best that I can possibly be,” he said. “I am extremely competitive in everything that I do. I first started swimming at the age of seven, and I figured it out more easily, and it was the avenue that I chose to pursue that feeling of reaching potential.”
“That is challenging because you need to keep yourself honest and you need to hold yourself accountable more in that way,” he added.
“Swimming puts me in this mindset where I know that I couldn’t see myself doing anything else at any other time and that’s a very freeing feeling. I am working hard with my teammates and hopefully, getting some medals with them too,” he elaborated.
Drew Kibler: A proud Texas Longhorn
He is proud to be a Texas Longhorn under the leadership of veteran head coach Eddie Reese. “I came to Texas because I knew that’s a place where I could be challenged, and I also came for the team itself because I knew that’s where I would be pushed the most and I think that’s really fun,” he said.
“It feels amazing to be a Texas Longhorn,” he admitted. “I just graduated and finished my four years here so I am done swimming collegiately for Texas. It has been such an incredible journey and I am so thankful for what this team has given me. Swimming is a hard sport and they make it feel easy.”
He praised fellow Texas Longhorn Will Licon for being a “really awesome student of the sport of swimming” and he “loves figuring it out.” Licon is also one of Kibler’s best friends.
“In general, the camaraderie that all of the Longhorns have is the best,” he added. “Our success definitely comes from the camaraderie.”
Drew Kibler: An arena athlete
He is thrilled about his recent partnership with arena USA. “What is cool about them is that they talk about how they are a family, and when I worked with them, it really felt that they were. I am super excited to be with them, they are a really fun group of people to work with, and they have a really good team,” he said.
Favorite stroke in the sport
He listed the freestyle and the butterfly as his two personal favorite strokes in the sport. “I enjoy freestyle because it’s fun and I feel like I’m the best at it, but my favorite stroke in my whole swimming career in the butterfly since it’s just a fun one and it takes the coolest photos,” he explained.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Kibler said, “Searching for Perspective.” “This chapter of my life is all about finding perspective. I just graduated, and I am moving closer to the real world. I am finding out who I am more and more. I am very excited about growth, finding perspective, and finding myself,” he explained.
“You need to actively search out personal growth and I am trying to do that. I enjoy that and I find it to be a thrilling challenge,” he said.
Favorite mottos to live by
Kibler shared that he lives by the following motto by YouTuber Casey Neistat. “In terms of pursuing goals, ‘work hard, and be brave,’ then success is a sure thing. It sounds so simple but the harder you work, and the braver you are, the more risks you take and a lot can happen from those. I feel very brave behind the blocks,” he said.
“Another one is a ‘seize the moment’ type of motto. Presence is probably one of the most important things of all time in terms of enjoyment of life and long-term mental health. When you are present, it allows you to get the full experience of what you are experiencing,” he said.
“My goal is to not miss out on any experience that I have, I want to be fully in it. I think I can do that if I work hard, be brave, and seize the moment,” he added.
The digital age
On being a swimmer in the digital age, at a time when social media and technology are so prevalent, Kibler said, “I’m a private person, and being present is important to me. Being an athlete in the digital age is a whole new concept because there are so many more opportunities via social media.”
“In terms of training and seeking out our peak performance, we don’t use a ton of apps. What we do use is USA Swimming’s feedback that we get. They send us videos from underwater and above water, as well as information about our stroke rate and our tempos, distance per stroke, and our number of strokes per length per 50, and I love that. I can be a total nerd over those stats because they are very helpful,” Kibler elaborated.
“Swimming in the digital age is huge,” he admitted. “I have gotten so much interesting information, and it is really cool that this metric information exists.”
If he were to have any superpower, he said, “I would love to be able to know every lyric to every song ever, or be able to memorize it after the first time so that I can sing along to every song.” “I think that would be a fun concept,” he said. “Otherwise, I think teleportation would be really cool.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, Kibler said, “Success is about being really proud of your relationships and your impact on people. Also, success is not to have any regrets and finding your perspective.”
For his fans and supporters, Kibler expressed his “most massive of thank yous.” “It takes a village,” he said. “I am very thankful for all of the support I’ve ever received. I know that the support was not because of who I am as an athlete but because people value who I am as a person, and the fact the people do that means the world to me. I value all of them in return as well.”
Rapid Fire Questions with Drew Kibler
Waffles or pancakes? Pancakes
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? Country living
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Shower
Pepsi or Coke? I don’t really drink soda but I will say Pepsi
Texting or calling? Calling
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full, always
Curly fries or normal fries? Curly fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Skydiving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool all the way
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Both, simultaneously
Burgers or tacos? Tacos
Long course or short course? Long course
Money or fame? Fame
To learn more about 2022 world champion and American swimmer Drew Kibler, follow him on Instagram.
