Two-time World Championships swimming gold medalist Justin Ress has the heart of a champion.
Former U.S. Army general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell once said: “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” American athlete Justin Ress is an inspiring swimmer and individual that epitomizes this wise quote.
Relay gold medal
An American swimmer, Ress won two gold medals at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, which include gold medals in the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay, and the men’s 50 meter backstroke. “It was hard to put into words what the relay gold medal meant to me,” he said. “It feels like I really figured out how to break through as an individual this season, and becoming an adult. When that came together outside of the pool, it came together inside the pool. I felt like the relay was something for me to prove about being a competitor and what it means to me as a person to be able to succeed at that level.”
“On top of that, to be able to do that with Ryan Held was amazing. I lived with him for two years at NC State University, so to be a roommate, teammate, and relay-mate for so long in college and getting to do that on the biggest stage there is (besides the Olympics) was such an incredible feeling. Standing on that podium with Ryan was great. Ryan is an awesome person,” he elaborated.
50 meter backstroke gold medal
Initially, Ress won the men’s 50 meter backstroke race with a time of 24.12 seconds, two-tenths faster than fellow American Hunter Armstrong. He was subsequently disqualified; however, in a wild turn of events, a reversed disqualification earned a gold medal and Hunter Armstrong silver in the men’s 50m backstroke at the 2022 Swimming World Championships.
“That was a rollercoaster for sure,” Ress admitted. “If I had gotten eighth in that place that wouldn’t have felt anywhere near as bad as winning and then stripped of it for a DQ. I had nothing left to prove at that point. Overall, me as a person had spoken for itself up until that point. That 50 backstroke race was just the cherry on top, I didn’t need to do it for anybody, but myself. I was just having fun. With that mindset, I raced at the top of my game and it came together perfectly.”
“I was in the team area for 20 minutes freaking out about being DQes and what was going to happen. They almost never overturn the DQs, so when they told me it got turned over that was 20 more minutes of being in total shock,” he added.
Hunter Armstrong was supportive the entire time and showcased tremendous sportsmanship, which proved that a teammate meant to him more than a world championship medal. “Hunter was great, his sportsmanship was incredible. He went above and beyond with his support,” Ress said.
In the future, Ress hopes to compete at the Olympic Trials, in an effort to punch his ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “That’s a huge goal of mine, perhaps the main goal through 2024,” he shared.
Ress is now in Mission Viejo, California, where he is training in the Mission Viejo pro group under acclaimed coach Jeff Julian.
International Swimming League
“I want ISL to flourish. I want it to become a premier sports league at the same level as the NBA and the NHL level, that’s my dream,” he said. “If it comes anywhere remotely close to that, I would love to do ISL until I’m 35 or 40. That’s the dream.”
Speaking of ISL, he enjoyed being a part of the Cali Condors swimming team (with Jason Lezak as the General Manager) for three years. “The Cali Condors are a special group, for sure,” he said. “My favorite part of the ISL is actually getting to meet and know international swimmers, and American swimmers too. That is such a cool thing about ISL.”
“Jason Lezak is definitely hands down the best General Manager in the world, he is definitely somebody that I look up to because I consider myself a relay guy,” Ress added.
Ress revealed that he lives by the following mottos: “I’m here for the ride,” “roll with the punches,” and “go with the flow.”
Ironically enough, Ress listed the “butterfly” as his personal favorite stroke in the sport. “Honestly, I like butterfly a lot because it doesn’t make me very tired,” he admitted.
TYR Sport
He loves his partnership with TYR Sport. “There are not enough good words I can say about TYR,” he said. “They took a little chance on me but their level of support has been unreal.”
Justin Ress: the Gamer
Aside from being an accomplished swimmer, Ress is a gifted gamer in his own right. “Gaming is always well. It has always been great,” he said.
He enjoyed doing a virtual seminar on both swimming and gaming. “That was fun and interesting. They approached me out of the blue, and it was really cool,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Ress said, “The Awakening.” “I feel like a new person in California. I feel like a much better person, one that is always growing and always developing,” he said.
Blink-182 music
Ress is a huge fan of Blink-182. When asked if he played Blink-182 music while at the Budapest World Championships, he responded, “I always hope, one day, when I am on a travel trip, I see a guitar on the street just lying there and just play. I miss guitar and my keyboard so much on trips.”
“You can always mix Blink-182 in your playlist,” he added.
Rapid Fire Questions
Ress also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? On average, waffles
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? City living, I like suburbias
Summer or winter? Winter
Library or museum? Museum
Bath or shower? Shower
Pepsi or Coke? I don’t drink either, I love Sprite
Texting or calling? Texting but I like video calling
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full
Skydiving or scuba diving? Skydiving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor pool
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Singing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Long course or short course? Short course
Money or fame? Money
To learn more about two-time world champion swimmer Justin Ress, follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
