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PHILLIPS 66 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPSAugust 5, 2014Nathan AdrianIRVINE, CALIFORNIA NATHAN ADRIAN: First off, welcome to everybody. It's exciting to see you all here and have a little bit of excitement and buzz around our typically kind of off year. I don't really know what to say. We have kind of generated a four‑year quadrennial plan based off of how we did in London, we meaning myself and the coaches that I work with. And here we are on our 2014, and I think everything is going according to plan so far. As long as I put myself on that team and go down there and have a decent competition, I think we should be well on our way to hopefully doing some good things in Rio. Q. Nathan, how territorial do you feel about the 100 free? It's one thing for Michael to swim it as a throwaway event but for him to now concentrate on it, do you sort of feel like, this is my territory? NATHAN ADRIAN: No. I mean, we live in the U.S.; we're capitalists, right? I think actually the only thing that it will truly do is raise the bar for everyone. Michael being in any race is going to raise the bar, obviously. For me it would be great to have another guy next to me at a trials. I think that would certainly send a message that Team USA's 400 freestyle relay is going to be a formidable force in the coming years, and Michael is certainly going to be a part of that. Q. Nathan, what are your expectations for this meet? Under 48, you haven't done that at a Nationals yet even though you've done it at bigger meets. Do you think 47 is in the cards tomorrow? NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah, I don't know. We've treated this basically as we've treated most U.S. Trials meets in that we have to certainly be ready to perform and perform at a high level, but have a little bit left in the tank to hopefully go a little bit faster in a few weeks. Under 48 is easier said than done. When you're feeling incredible, I can do it in prelims‑‑ actually I don't think I've done it in prelims, I've done it in semis, meaning a 4 x 100 freestyle leadoff, but when you're not feeling 100 percent, it's tough to get under. Q. Changing gears a little bit, you've seen the Australians, two under 47 or 48 this year, a bunch of guys at the 48 mark. How motivating is that to get back to that? NATHAN ADRIAN: Well, I mean, to be completely honest, I think generally the French are the ones that step up at international competitions. The Australians on paper have consistently been great, and they're definitely competitive and are trying to obviously get their hand on the wall for a gold medal. I guess for us we're kind of just focusing on ourselves, and once with you get to a major international competition that's when we're really going to be concerned about placement, relay order and who we're going to be next to and all those sorts of fun things that a lot of people don't really look into besides just the coaches. Q. Did you watch any of the Commonwealth Games or follow what happened? NATHAN ADRIAN: I followed. I followed. I think I was usually like in weights or at practice by the time Finals came around and the live stream wasn't really live so I didn't really follow that closely. But I think overall it was kind of hit or miss. There were some events that were absolutely lights out and some events that were not as great. You know, I think even in the 100 free, it's just kind of those guys have a lot left in the tank. I don't think they were either fully rested or fully motivated to go what they were definitely capable of going at the end of the season. Q. What advantage do you have by going a week or so after they've gone? Is that an advantage? NATHAN ADRIAN: No, not really. I don't think it's necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage, first, second, whatever. Again, the field here is tough enough that I have my hands full just trying to get my hands on that team individually. You know, it's important. Obviously this year we're qualifying also for 2015 in Kazan, and that's‑‑ top two is easier said than done, especially with Michael focusing on it. People dismiss Ryan because he's had a knee injury, but no one knows what he's going to do this week. I train every day with Anthony, and he's been focusing on the 100, doing great things, too. There's a lot of domestic competition that I have to kind of keep my eyes on first before truly looking overseas anywhere else. Q. For the sprinters, looking ahead to PanPacs and knowing there could be a talented field in a few weeks, is there added importance for the sprinters this week? NATHAN ADRIAN: You know, as experienced as any of us can get, we're probably all a little bit short‑sighted in that we just want to make the team. Even guys like Conor that have been absolutely on fire for the last couple years, I've been on the National Team since 2008 but I still get nervous coming in here and trying to secure a spot, making sure that I can compete. I think the best guy to talk to about that is Matt. Grevers was off this team in 2010, four years ago, he just had an off meet, and he comes back two years later and crushes the field and almost sets a world record for a gold medal. Anybody is susceptible to having a bad meet, we're just kind of focusing on the here, the now, getting through this competition. Q. For Nationals two years out from the Olympics, this is getting an awful lot of attention for the reasons of Michael's comeback. Does that have any impact on you, and do you get a sense that‑‑ can you feed off that, or does it give you maybe a little more of a spotlight than you want at this moment in time? NATHAN ADRIAN: You know, I kind of‑‑ I can only just speak to my experiences and I guess what I see and what I go through. Yeah, I mean, I have this. Normally‑‑ I was just talking to Cole, and we sit in the hotel room for eight waking hours, but here we are, and there's a lot of media attention. There's people on cameras walking around the deck, filming a little thing for the USOC, there's all sorts of attention, and it's great, but it's not‑‑ it's a little bit distracting. Everybody reacts a little bit differently to that, and all I can control is myself again. As long as I can get back to my hotel room and spend six of those typical eight waking hours laying in my bed doing nothing and watching whatever, HBO reruns or Discovery Channel, I think I'll be all right. Q. For you then, being the middle of the quad, what's the most significant part of this meet for you? NATHAN ADRIAN: Qualifying. It is. And that's the key here for everyone because again, it's a little bit of a goofy system how we do it because typically there's a trials meet, then there's a major international competition, but for people that are just kind of scratching at their potential, a name that comes to mind is, again, Conor, who in 2010 qualified for World Champs but missed out on PanPacs. The guy kind of missed out on one major international competition and came to 2011 and had a great lights‑out year. Had we had a trials meet that year maybe he would have gotten a spot or two to get that experience moving into 2012. That's kind of what we're all here to secure is those spots on the international team to compete. Q. Is it specifically PanPacs then? NATHAN ADRIAN: So you qualify for PanPacs and Kazan World Championships next year. Q. What does that mean on your road to the next Olympic Trials? If you do well here, make those teams, why is that do you feel that important? NATHAN ADRIAN: Well, I mean, it's experience, I suppose. You're not going to perform the best unless you're racing the best, and you're going to see guys‑‑ you're going to see the best at their best when you go to a World Championships. This year the people have a lot of different focus meets throughout the world, whether it be Europeans, whether it be Commonwealth or PanPacs or whatever people choose to go to, and even then some people decide to go to two or more of those races, so it's kind of all over the place. It's the World Championships where you're really going to get a lot of experience and some fast racing. Q. Nathan, you train with Anthony; you guys will be among the favorites in the 50. You guys have a friendly bet, a little trash‑talking going back and forth? NATHAN ADRIAN: I'll find something to bet him with. I really enjoy training with Anthony. I think our relationship has definitely grown the last couple years. It took a little bit of getting used to just because his training style was a little bit different than I was used to, and I'm sure my training style was a little different than he was used to, and depending on who's having a good day who's going to get our hands on the wall first. We're just always used to winning. It's been really fun. I don't know, we haven't figured out what the bet is, but there will be certainly something. Q. As a follow‑up to that, I mean, you talked about Conor and Michael and how the whole 100 field is loaded, but for you in the 1500, it would be one thing if you're kind of in a class of the Cal group and just doing it by yourself every single day, but how honest or what a reminder it is to have somebody like that whether you're racing in the same lane, training in the same group, that he's there and you have to be sharp every single day because Anthony is around? NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah, so I've always‑‑ I have a pretty good idea of what my best times are in whatever particular set that we're doing, and I've always kind of chosen that method of racing the clock, and on any given set day it actually doesn't repeat too many sets. I can generally tell you what would be a good time, what would be an okay time and what would make me walk out of the pool really mad. You know, with that being said, it's good to have someone to go through it with you because otherwise then you feel like‑‑ doing anything alone is much, much harder. I guess, quote‑unquote, winning the set isn't necessarily as straightforward as many people would believe. If you were an observer sitting here watching us train, I think everyone trains at different levels, so if Tony was having just a great lights‑out day but I was still beating him in terms of our times, the practice would certainly go to him, and that goes for basically any of the guys that are on our team. It's not just the post crowds. We definitely draw a lot of strength and a lot of confidence from our collegiate team that we train with, too, because those guys obviously went out in March and did something phenomenal and won a national championships, and I think as post grads, we're like, all right, we're in a program that has been having success. It's now our turn to turn around and experience some of that, too. Q. Was there an international meet when you were coming up the ranks that gave you a lot of confidence that you did well at a World Championships or at PanPacs that you think was critical for you to become the swimmer you were? NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah, I think actually 2010 comes to mind. 2009 was a little goofy just because of the suits again threw everything off. I don't think I was as comfortable in the suits as I could have been and should have been. When 2010 came around that was actually the only time or the first time that I had raced a tapered Jason Lezak, which was at my time, and still to this day something of a hero and a role model to me. And I won, so that was obviously a huge confidence booster to me in being able to say, hey, I deserve to be here, I deserve to be on these relays, I can perform at a level that is expected of someone that is on Team USA. Q. What meet was that at? NATHAN ADRIAN:  It was at 2010 PanPac Trials and 2010 PanPacs. Q. The kids who had breakout performances at Junior Nationals this year, how much harder will it be for them to make an Olympic team and swim well at the Olympics without having had the international experience, trips that you guys are vying for right now? NATHAN ADRIAN: It's tough. I mean, it's definitely tough, and to come up‑‑ there's definitely two sides to the coin because you look at Katie, who just came out of nowhere, did great at trials, made the 800, and certainly maybe that naïve at this helped her. She was like, man, I'm better than these guys, I'm going to go out and set the world record and just crush everyone, but for me that experience is something that I build off of. It's really important. But again, I had to do it, too. 2008 was the first time I was in a major international competition. I missed 2007, I didn't make any teams in 2006, the big qualifying meets. For them the road is tough, but you can do it, you know. Q. Just to sort of follow, there are going to be kids swimming against Phelps this week who have never even really raced against him. They only know him for his accomplishments. What do you imagine that dynamic? Does that make it harder or easier? NATHAN ADRIAN: I know what it's like. I did it. It was 2008. It was, I think, 2008 pre limbs in the 100 freestyle is the first time I stepped up on the blocks and he crushed me. Again, it was a good learning experience. It was something that you need to understand and have a good sense of what your race plan is, and the fact that the greatest Olympian of all team is either next to you or in the same Heat in the same field as you shouldn't change that. At this point I think manipulating your race strategy is only really going to hurt you based off of who's in the field. Certainly there is a little bit of playing to do with‑‑ if you're swimming next to a guy that goes out fast and trying to draft off them and that stuff, but still, even then, you're playing with fire because you race and you train all year creating this race strategy. You might as well execute it at the end of the year when you're at your best. Q. Did you swim a different race because you were in uniform? NATHAN ADRIAN: Again, it was 2008, so I don't really remember, but I was‑‑ you get a little star struck. You get a little thrown off, and I went slower than I did the rest of the meet. Certainly that speaks for itself. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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