Five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Nathan Adrian chatted about his 2022 induction into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame.
Tim Tebow once said, “Success comes in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t come with money and it doesn’t come with fame. It comes from having a meaning in your life, doing what you love, and being passionate about what you do. That’s having a life of success. When you have the ability to do what you love, love what you do, and have the ability to impact people. That’s having a life of success. That’s what having a life of meaning is.”
A person who is worthy of this inspirational quote by Tim Tebow is American Olympian Nathan Adrian.
Adrian is a distinguished leader in and out of the pool at the University of California, Berkeley. He helped lead the Golden Bears to the NCAA team championship in 2011 and is an Academic All-American and five-time individual NCAA champion.
On his Cal Athletic Hall of Fame induction, Adrian said, “That felt great. It’s really a huge honor. I remember distinctly when Natalie Coughlin and Anthony Ervin got inducted and I thought it was really cool, and I had hoped that I would someday get inducted as well.”
Adrian is regarded as one of the best swimmers and relay anchors in America, having powered Team USA in multiple international competitions. He was routinely the anchor for Team USA at the 4 x 100 meter freestyle and the 4 x 100 meter medley relays. Adrian’s ability to handle pressure under those fierce circumstances is one of his greatest attributes.
His most notable performance involved winning the gold medal for Team USA at the men’s 100 meter freestyle race at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Adrian is an eight-time Olympic medalist, these include five gold medals, and he has competed in three Olympic Games (2008, 2012, 2016). Most recently, he earned four medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; moreover, he has won 32 medals in major international swimming competitions.
He was honored as the 2011 CSCAA Swimmer of the Year and was recognized as the Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in public health in 2012 and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. As a senior, he received the Tom Hansen Conference Medal as Cal’s outstanding senior male student-athlete and was named the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s swimming and diving.
Adrian is a co-owner of the AC Swim Club in San Rafael, California. “The AC Swim Club is good and busy,” he admitted. “We are doing lessons, running our team, we are growing and finding our way in this world. We are trying to make a positive impact in our industry, and I think we are doing that. It’s a lot of work but it’s certainly rewarding.”
His plans for the future are to continue doing what he is doing. “I’ve been coaching and teaching some lessons. Hopefully, expanding on that and growing it all.”
“The USA Swimming Foundation is going great, and I have some things coming up with them soon,” he shared.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Adrian said, “Gearshift.”
In his personal life, he and his wife, Hallie, are parents to their two daughters Parker Jacquelyn and Brooklyn James. “The girls are great. They are doing really good,” he said. “Parker is 21 months and Brooklyn is 12 weeks old.”
He serves as a new athlete ambassador for FitBiomics, which is a biotech that enhances human health and wellness. “They are doing some cool and interesting things,” he said. “They release their products and they do some pretty intensive testing on sports-specific gut bacteria. Microbiome is the next frontier. To be a part of it now is pretty cool and exciting.”
If Adrian were to have any superpower, he revealed that it would be “flight” or “teleportation.”
Rapid Fire Questions
Adrian also took some time to answer a few “Rapid Fire” questions.
Waffles or pancakes? Waffles
Flying or driving? Driving
City living or country living? Suburbs
Summer or winter? Summer
Library or museum? Library
Bath or shower? Bath
Pepsi or Coke? Coke
Half-full or half-empty? Half-full
Curly fries or normal fries? Curly fries
Skydiving or scuba diving? Skydiving
Indoor pool or outdoor pool? Outdoor
Tea or coffee? Coffee
Rain or snow? Snow
Singing or dancing? Singing
Burgers or tacos? Burgers
Long course or short course? Long course
Money or fame? Money
On his definition of the word success, he said, “Success at this point is getting through the day and making sure that Brooklyn and Parker are fed, happy, and put to sleep in a safe crib.”
For his fans, Adrian expressed his gratitude. “Thank you,” he told them. “It meant the world to feel their support while I was swimming. Their support was very palpable.”
To learn more about Nathan Adrian, check out his official website and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
