“It feels really good,” he said about the International Swimming League. “I have a great sense of pride being a part of the Cali Condors team and to share camaraderie with the athletes. At the same time, it is very competitive but it is a lot of fun.”
He praised Jason Lezak for being an “awesome and fantastic” General Manager. “I think the ISL is really ground-breaking on the sport of swimming and from a swimmer’s perspective that is really great. That is why I signed up originally to be a part of it,” he said.
Larkin shared that he is “very excited” to compete in the ISL grand finale match in Las Vegas. “I have never been to Las Vegas, and that in itself is exciting and the ISL final will be massive. There will be some really fast swimming. For us to be a part of the inaugural final is really exciting as well,” he said.
For him to win two Olympic medals in 2016 was very gratifying. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of the sport of swimming. I grew up remembering the 2000 Olympics in Sydney very well and I told my mom that I wanted to swim in the Olympics someday, and that dream came to fruition in 2016 when I got to swim in the Olympics,” he said. “It’s a massive honor and a massive achievement. I am looking forward to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.”
Larkin, who is coached by Dean Boxall, listed the backstroke as his personal favorite stroke, which ironically enough, is his stroke of specialty. “The backstroke is sometimes referred to as the ‘lazy person’s stroke’ since you are lying on your back, but it’s enjoyable, that’s for sure,” he said.
For young and aspiring swimmers, he said, “You need to love what you do, since when you love what you do, then you never work a day in your life, which is how I feel sometimes. It’s about finding elements of the sport that you love and harnessing them as much as you can.”
On the impact of technology on the sport of swimming, he said, “We film our swimming sessions every afternoon. We will sit with a biomechanist probably twice a week, where we look back and go over the technical aspects of the stroke.”
For his own recovery, Larkin uses a Hypervolt massage gun and NormaTec. “That is really good and I use NormaTec once or twice a week, in addition to spas and ice baths. We have really good facilities here,” he said.
Regarding the title of the current chapter in his life, he said, “Finding myself again on an international level.” “Almost a little bit of redemption,” he explained.
He expressed his sincere gratitude to all of his fans and supporters. “The fact that I am also inspiring little kids or the next generation is incredibly humbling,” he said.
Last year, Larkin was profiled in a vlog on the YouTube channel of fellow world-class swimmer Michael Andrew. “Michael is lovely. It was a pretty casual interview and very easy,” he said.
Larkin defined the word success as “looking back and not having any regrets on the sport.” “Finishing the sport and a career that you are proud of not only swimming-wise but as a person as well,” he said.
To learn more about Australian swimmer Mitch Larkin, follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
