In December of 2018, Chadwick revealed that he will be competing in the short course worlds in Hangzhou, China, and prior to that, he has the U.S. national championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. “I am very excited. It will be great opportunities to race,” he admitted. “My wife, Cassi, and I moved to San Diego to train with Team Elite Aquatics. My coach is David Marsh.”
When asked what motivates him each day, Chadwick acknowledged that he wasn’t always the “top swimmer” but his motivation was drawn from his desire to be a “top-level athlete.” “My motivation came from my faith in myself and what people were telling me around me,” he explained.
Last year, Chadwick won the gold medal in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay in Budapest, for Team USA. “That was really fun. That was my first real big win for the national team, where I represented the United States,” he said.
For young swimmers, Chadwick encouraged them to “commit to the unseen and the unimaginable.” “I am still fairly young in the sport, so I am excited to see where the next three years will go,” he said.
Digital transformation of aquatics
On the impact of technology on swimming, Chadwick said, “Technology has come a long way. It has made my side of the sport a lot more fun. I am fortunate enough to be a TYR athlete and their new Venzo suit is unbelievable.”
Chadwick is a TYR athlete, and they have a new technical race suit coming out called the Venzo. “They have been able to design a suit that doesn’t feel like you are wearing a foreign object on you. I am excited to see how that changes the sport,” he said.
He continued, “Swimming is one of the most foreign sports to any human. Swimming is very different for us. It is crazy to imagine where the world records are going to be 10 years from now. It has come a long way over the past 20 years. It has been pretty fun to watch.”
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Chadwick shared that they use underwater film footage for analysis purposes for stroke, angles, and velocities, among other statistics.
This past April, fellow swimmer Michael Andrew featured Chadwick in his YouTube vlog. “Michael Andrew and I have become really close friends the last few years. We got to overlap many times over the years, and we have very similar interests and personalities,” he said.
For his fans and supporters, Chadwick thanked them for going on this journey with him. He defined the word success as an accomplishment for yourself. “At the end of the day, it’s what you do for yourself, and what your dreams are, and that defines your success,” he explained. “Swimming is an unbelievable sport that does a great job creating outstanding athletes. A lot of changes are happening right now to help push swimming to the next level.”
To learn more about 2017 World Champion and American swimmer Michael Chadwick, follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.
