The SwimSwam Podcast

SwimSwam sat down with 2x Olympic champion Tatjana Smith to discuss her recent decision to switch her sporting citizenship from South Africa to the Netherlands. In our conversation, Smith opens up about her frustrations with Swimming South Africa and how she has felt unsupported by the federation throughout her years representing them. She also dives into her new focus event, the 50 breast, and how training has looked vastly different for her as a result.

Today on the SwimSwam Podcast, we are discussing NC State's huge upset victory in the inaugural College Swimming League Final.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are reviewing the CSL Final in Indianapolis and discussing Egor Kornev's potential at Worlds and Luka Mijatovic's potential in the NCAA.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we have Nate Tracy, Speedo's VP of Innovation Design and Future Concepts, and Luke Mears, Lead Product Manager at Pentland Brands, to break down Speedo's latest innovation: Speedo iQ. Since the early 2000s, head-up display goggles have been heralded as the next technological breakthrough in swimming. The promise was enormous: real-time data,  and performance tracking that would fundamentally change how swimmers train and race. However, for more than two decades, one problem remained. Swimmers are fiercely loyal to their goggles.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are reviewing the inaugural US SCM World Trials and previewing the upcoming CSL Final in Indianapolis.

In the fight to keep the Indian River State College Swimming and Diving Teams afloat, a battle was won on Tuesday. At the Board of Trustees' meeting, with dozens showing up in support of the IRSC S&D teams and many giving speeches to appeal to the Trustees, the BOT voted to table the vote until the next meeting on November 17. Freshman Diver Tessa Sims was among those who spoke to the Trustees and joined SwimSwam to share her perspective on the matter as well as how IRSC Swimming and Diving are carrying momentum after this win for the...

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are going through every event for the upcoming first-ever edition of the SCM US World Trials.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Xu Jiayu's 50 Back World Record, Matt Richards going to Florida, CSL, ISL, and SCM US Trials.

News broke earlier this week that the famed Indian River State College Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving teams may be getting cut by the school after this year. According to the agenda for the college’s Board of Trustees Governance & Legislative Affairs Committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 27, the committee will consider a request to approve recommendations from President Timothy Moore and his cabinet that would eliminate both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. SwimSwam spoke with current IRSC Swim team athlete Kalaa Hall about what this news meant to the team and how they're dealin...

Johannes Liebmann was a distance swimming revelation this summer. After breaking the European record in the 800 free in April, Liebmann came to the European Champs in Paris and absolutely dominated. After winning the 800 Free and breaking his own European record in the event (7:37.59), he smashed the world record in the 1500 Free, breaking it by over 4 seconds (14:26.79).

Liebmann joined the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss his meteoric rise this year. The 19-year-old explains what training has been like with Bernd Berkhan's legendary distance crew and how he has dealt with the overnight success.

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the SCM Pro Meet at Virginia, the last stop of the World Cup, and the 5th match of the CSL.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with Kristen Linehan Omli, VP of Competitor Swim, one of the most recognizable equipment brands on pool decks across the United States. Competitor’s history in swimming runs deep. The company has been producing lane lines for decades, going back to 1968, with its products becoming a fixture at major meets, college programs, clubs and aquatic facilities around the country. Linehan brings a swimmer’s perspective to that business. If you know your history, you know the Linehan sisters dominated swimming from the late 1970s through 1999.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast with have Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo and Virginia Associate Head Coach Tyler Fenwick. Virginia is hosting what could be the most talent-dense swim meet of the fall outside of U.S. Short Course Worlds Trials and the World Championships. The UVA Pro Elite SCM Worlds Prep Meet, set for October 15-16 in Charlottesville, will bring together a loaded field of Olympic champions, world champions and world record holders for three fast sessions of short course meters racing. SwimSwam will livestream the meet, with Kevin Cargill on the call. Expected names...

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the first two stops of the World Cup, Matches 3&4 of the CSL, and generally the insane amount of fast swims we've seen in October so far.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have 3-time Pan Pacific Championships gold medalist, Katharine Berkoff. Berkoff is coming off a huge summer, sweeping her individual events at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships with gold in the 50 back and 100 back, then adding another gold as part of Team USA’s 4x100 medley relay. Her 50 back was the headline swim. Berkoff ripped a 26.90, lowering her own American Record. In the 100 back, she touched first in 57.93, beating a stacked field that included Regan Smith, who averaged 57.8 across multiple races in 2026. We unpack those swims and the rapidly changing landscape of wo...

The SwimSwam Breakdown is joined today by Elvis Burroughs and Dax Hill, AKA Night Swim, to discuss the first two matches of the College Swimming League.

Today on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing the Asian Games so far, UVA's SCM Pro Am Meet in October, and Shaine Casas coaching high school. 

Angharad Evans has had a heck of a summer, raking in 7 medals across the Commonwealth Games and European Championships. This included double individual gold (100/200 Breast) at Comm Games in Glasgow and Gold (100 Breast) and Silver (200 Breast) in Paris at Euros. Evans has not had a linear progression up to this point, and we dive into that journey in today's podcast. In 2021, at age 18, Evans came to the USA to train and study at the University of Georgia. Prior to her arrival, Evans hadn't visited UGA and didn't have much of a concept of what her experience there would be...

Today, we are previewing the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo, which start on Sunday, September 2026.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Virginia Head Coach Todd DeSorbo. DeSorbo sits at the center of the most powerful women’s training group in swimming, led by Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass. We’ve already gone deep with both women. In this conversation, DeSorbo helps swim fans fill in the gaps, getting granular on training, tapering, and more coach-led details. We start with Douglass’ remarkable 2026 progression in the 50 free, going from 24.21 at the Fort Lauderdale Open to 23.59 at the Indy Pro Swim and ultimately 23.19 at the Pan Pacific Championships. DeSorbo breaks down what changed in tra...

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Worlds medalist Shaine Casas leaving Texas, what Russian sprint star Egor Kornev could have done in the NCAA, and the 2026 ASCA World Clinic in Orlando.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Olympic Champion, World Champion, and 6-time 2026 Pan Pacific Championship medalist Kate Douglass. Douglass built her career on versatility, but the 2026 season complicates—in the best way possible—an already crowded schedule of events. At the Fort Lauderdale Open in May, Douglass won the 50 free in 24.21. Six weeks later at the Indianapolis Pro Swim, she exploded to a 23.59 world record. Nine days after that, Virginia teammate Gretchen Walsh lowered the record to 23.55. Douglass answered at the Pan Pacific Championships, ripping a 23.19 world record in the 50 free, lowering the mark by more...

19-Year-Old Nikita Sheremet had just about as good a sprint season as one can have. After becoming an NCAA All-American for Louisville in the 50 free as a freshman, Sheremet came into this summer's European Champs as one of the premier sprinters in the psych sheets. However, many didn't see what would come next. After clocking a PB of 216 earlier in the season, Sheremet dropped a 21.5 in prelims of the 50 free at Europeans. In semis that night, Sheremet furthered his PB with a 21.3. But in finals, the Ukrainian dropped the hammer, clocking a 21.1 to win his first European title and...

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing Tomoyuki Matsushita's medley magnificence, the recently announced 2026-27 USA National Team, and the SCM qualifier, Jose Finkel Trophy. In actuality, we spent 30 minutes debating who will be the top-4 male and female swimmers in the World going into 2027. Let us know your list!

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we sit down with 8-time Olympic medalist Regan Smith after a 2026 season that has been fast, revealing and, at times, frustrating. At the Pan Pacific Championships, Regan came away with gold in the 200 backstroke, silver in the 50 and 100 back, and a fourth-place in the 200 IM. But the results don’t tell the whole story. In both of her signature backstroke events, Regan was faster in prelims than in the final. She went 57.86 in the 100 back prelim before finishing second in 58.11, then dropped a 2:04.13 in the 200 back prelim before winning the final in...

Lani Pallister had perhaps one of the most successful summers in history in terms of medals won. She went to the Commonwealth Games and was dominant, winning the 400-800-1500 Free and helping Team AUS to gold in the 4x200. She also earned silver in the 200 free behind her teammate, Mollie O'Callaghan. After her time in Glasgow, Pallister kept her momentum going in Irvine. On Night 1, she shocked Summer McIntosh by winning the 200 free, then finished 2nd in the 1500 Free to Katie Ledecky later in the same session. She went on to beat Ledecky in the 400 free and help...

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast we have Head Varsity Coach at The Bolles School Jake Gibbons. This is Jake’s second time on the podcast. We skip most of the biography this time, digging into what intelligence Jake has gathered developing high-level swimmers inside one of the most storied programs in the sport. We start with the rapidly changing landscape of college swimming and recruiting. Jake supports Bolles talent in navigating the college process, giving him a ground-level view of how roster limits, the transfer portal, recruiting, and the changing economics of college sports are impacting hi...

This is a GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast. Joining us today is Van Mathias, one of the most fascinating comeback stories in American swimming. Mathias' path to becoming the American Record holder in both breaststroke sprints was anything but conventional. At Indiana, Mathias was primarily a butterfly and IM swimmer before breaking through in the 100 breaststroke, finishing second at the 2023 NCAA Championships in 50.60. Then he essentially disappeared for two years and eventually returned to Indiana as the program's director of swimming operations. In the summer of 2025, Mathias decided to race again. After roughly eight weeks of training, he...

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast, we have Gretchen Walsh, fresh off her haul of seven medals at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships: five golds and two silvers. And Pan Pacs was arguably her weakest overall competition of the year. In 2026, Gretchen made the choice to travel and race fast everywhere: Beijing, Rome, Fort Lauderdale, U.S. Nationals and Pan Pacs. She noted that she took for granted all the racing she did as an NCAA star, and she wanted that experience back. The results were impressive, but Gretchen is candid that she was not satisfied with her...

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we are discussing how likely it is to see Leon Marchand competing in freestyle at LA28, US Pro's finding new training bases, and the return of the International Swimming League.

2024 Olympian and recent Pan Pacs silver medalist in the 200 Breast Josh Matheny has announced he's leaving Indiana University in search of a new training home. In June, after having a rough first season as a pro swimmer and not performing how he'd hoped at the Pro Swim in Indianapolis, Matheny decided he needed a change. He asked USA Swimming National Team Director Greg Meehan if he could train at the Olympic Training Center until Pan Pacs, to which Meehan agreed. After discussing this change with Indiana coach Ray Looze as well, Matheny spent his last 6 weeks of summer preparing...

Hungary's Hubi Kos had a triple-crown performance in Paris at the European Championships. Winning the 200 Back and 200 IM individually, Kos also swam on Hungary's winning 4x100 free relay. Kos' Hungarian teammate, fellow superstar swimmer Kristof Milak, anchored that relay in a historically fast split, 46.2.

Before the meet, Kos had publicly voiced his frustrations about Milak sitting out of the relays in the past. Kos wanted to earn a medal for Hungary in a relay badly and knew that Milak would be key to that success. However, to Kos' surprise, Milak ended up swimming on Hungary's free relay...

Jack Alexy joins this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam Podcast to break down his Pan Pacific Championships performance and where those swims place him in a very elite, very crowded global sprint field. Alexy won the 100 freestyle in a Pan Pac Championship Record of 47.14, took silver in the 50 free in 21.42, and delivered a pair of sub-47 relay anchors for Team USA. He split 46.78 on the winning 4x100 freestyle relay and 46.97 on the winning 4x100 medley relay. And, of course, Alexy owns the 100 free American Record at 46.81, set at the 2025 World Championships. But the international competition has only gotten faster.<...

2x Olympic medalist Carson Foster returned to the SwimSwam Podcast to debrief the recent Pan Pacific Championships and the 2025-26 season. At Pan Pacs, Foster hauled in 3 silver medals, taking 2nd in the 200 Fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. He was notably left off of USA's 4x200 free relay, a relay he's been a big part of for Team USA for the last 4 years. He isn't shy about his desire to be on the relay, but also defends Team USA's decision. Foster also speaks on tapering with Bob Bowman and what the mood of the Texas Pro Group was like when...

Sam Short had a historic summer that saw him break numerous barriers and top the podium nearly every time he got in the pool. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Short swept the 400-800-1500 freestyles and led off Australia's winning 4x200 free relay. Two weeks later, at the Pan Pacific Championships, he swept the same three events, breaking Ian Thorpe's 400 free meet record from 1999 and Grant Hackett's Australian record in the 1500 from 2001. 

Today, Short sits down with SwimSwam to reflect on his remarkable consistency throughout the season and dissect his best races. We also speak about J...

Join as we go IN DEPTH and discuss everything European and Pan Pacific Championships.

Join as we go through the psych sheets event-by-event and preview the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships that start this Wednesday, August 12, in Irvine, California

Join us as we compare the 2026 US National Championships and Commonwealth Games in detail.

Join us as we discuss the stars to watch in the upcoming US National Championships, including Anna Moesch, Ilya Kharun, Isabelle Stadden, and Caeleb Dressel.

In this GMM takeover the SwimSwam podcast we have Chris Plumb, Head Coach and CEO of Carmel Swim Club and Chris Webb, Director GAINswim. Our podcast topics are dryland and the 2026 GAINswim Annual Clinic, but we start with the genesis of the Plumb-Webb relationship, diving into their deep history. It extends back to 2006 when Plumb took over as head coach of Carmel.  Plumb and Webb were in their late 20s, trying to figure out how to build a top club in the country. That drive set them on an adventure around the United States and the world, seeking out t...