“The Los Angeles Current is awesome,” he said. “It is a blessing. A lot of the guys and girls on my team I’ve known for a while. I never thought we would be teammates outside of a USA setting. I’ve known Ryan Murphy since I was 10 years old so to finally be teammates with him is awesome.”
For Licon, the ISL U.S. derby in College Park, Maryland, was a “really cool experience.” He had the greatest remarks about his team’s General Manager Lenny Krayzelburg. “Lenny is a great guy and one of my idols growing up,” he said. “The day he called me to join the Los Angeles Current was one of the coolest days of my life.”
He praised the inaugural ISL as a whole for being able to take off like it did this year.
At the Pan American Games, this past summer, Licon won two gold medals in the men’s 200 meter breaststroke and the men’s 200 meter individual medley (IM).
He listed the breaststroke as his personal favorite stroke. “It’s a difficult stroke, but I somehow developed an act for it since I’ve done it so much,” he said.
Each day, Licon is motivated by the support that he receives from his family and friends throughout the years. “I want to make the most out of the time that I have in this sport,” he said. “I would tell the kids to have a blast with the sport.”
On the impact of technology on the sport of swimming, he said, “The metrics are good to see. Technology seems to be catching on. It helps us learn from it. I think the results are showing.”
Licon is looking forward to the 2020 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
He also had kind words about his fellow swimmer, John Shebat, with whom he trains at the University of Texas at Austin. “John is such a great guy,” he said.
For young and aspiring swimmers, he said, “Have fun and really love what you are doing. If you do both of those things, it will take you really far.”
He concluded by expressing his gratitude to his fans and supporters. “I don’t think I can say ‘thank you’ enough. I owe them everything. Without them, none of this would be possible,” he said.
