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U.S. OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALS

June 25, 2016

Maya DiRado

Omaha, Nebraska

THE MODERATOR: Moving along to Maya DiRado, another World Championship Medalist from Stanford. Maya, if you want to give us your thoughts on how training has been going and what you're looking forward to over the next few days.

MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, training has been great, the best year of training in my life. I'm coming off a great summer last year, so, you know, there is always so many variables going into this but I think I've put myself in the best position to have a successful Trials and coming out pleased with my performances.

Q. Maya, is there anything that could happen in the next two months that would change your course moving to Atlanta and taking that job?
MAYA DIRADO: (Chuckles.) No! No, I think -- you know, it's kind of hard to -- some people see it as oh, you're swimming so well so why not keep going but I think part of the reason why I am swimming so well is knowing that I have a hard stop date and so it's so much easier to be excited about all of this and give it everything I have when I know that this is my last go-through, so I don't think that's a sign that I need to keep swimming. I think it's a sign that my preparation this year has been really good and that I'm ready to move on to something new.

Q. That being said, what is it like doing everything for the last time? Do you find yourself getting at all sentimental or thinking about that?
MAYA DIRADO: I for sure do. I tried not to think about it too much, some of the girls on the team would be like, "Oh my gosh. This is the last Wednesday morning! This is the last weights!" And I'm like, "Stop it!" Because it's been six years at Stanford, and that's a pretty long time when you're only 23 years old.

No, but it's really sweet, and it just makes me reflect back on all the amazing things that I've been able to do with my time there and I will really miss swimming at Avery. It's, I think, the most beautiful pool I've ever been at, so it's been a treat to swim there for six years.

Q. Kind of on the same note. How did it feel to arguably be in the best form you've been in after a couple years ago, you know, thinking, oh, this might be the last time?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, it's -- it's strange but it's -- it kinda just goes back to the way I've always swum. It's always been a little bit better, a little bit better, there have been some years where it hasn't gotten better, but it's just like steps forward. I'm so grateful that I've been able to keep improving; I know that doesn't happen for everybody. I'm in a unique spot, so I just want to enjoy it and recognize the great position that I'm in and that, you know, to be able to be going best times at 22 and 23 and at meets like Santa Clara, (Coach) Greg (Meehan) was joking like, "You're an age grouper! You keep dropping time in all these random events."

So I definitely don't want to lose the novelty of that and how special that is right now.

Q. Maya, Dana was talking yesterday about how she has a husband and newer baby and she can -- you know, when the swimming goes away, she is going to have that and that's allowed her -- freed her up and allowed her a different perspective, and I'm wondering if it's the same for you, knowing that with your new marriage and your career that awaits, you have something beyond. For so many other people this is their be-all-end-all, and I'm wondering how that's given you the perspective to handle whatever is going to happen?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, it's been so critical, and I think that's part of the reason that I've been able to stay relatively calm and sane this year is just knowing that I have Rob, who is amazing and doesn't really care -- like, you know, he gets it, he gets swimming and knows how big of a deal this is and obviously wants it for me, but I know at the end of the day that, I have that support and that love and that, you know, it's going to be fine.

We booked a trip to London and Paris at the end of August, so that's kind of been a nice way to take a break from thinking about the swimming, like, where are we going to eat in Paris? How much weight can I gain per day eating croissants? Obviously I'm super focused on the meet right now, and I'm really excited to swim, but it's just so nice to have that break and knowing that life goes on after this eight days and hopefully the next month or so.

Q. Can you talk about your career change? What exactly are you going into and what are your decisions to go that direction?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, so I majored in management science and engineering at Stanford and my -- I took an extra quarter to finish so that fall of 2014 I did interviews with McKenzie, a management consulting firm, and I got the job, got placed in Atlanta where my husband's family is, and so I will start there September 9th and make that move. My title is business analyst for them, so it's like the bottom of the totem pole.

Q. Maya, between ending school and starting your job you were a pro swimmer. Did you get intellectually bored at all? What have you done to stimulate your brain?
MAYA DIRADO: So bored! That was honestly one of the hardest parts of this. There is a time and a place for -- especially summers over swimming, like you know you just veg out, go to practice, come back, watch TV, nap, and that's fine, but after a couple of months of that you're like, oh my gosh, I can feel my brain atrophying, and it was really hard!

At one point I was like, well, if I keep swimming, like, was Stanford the most stressed my brain was ever going to get? And that totally freaked me out!

That also like further confirmed my decision to go into the working world after this. But I try to read a lot and Rob, my husband, is a software engineer, so he will give me coding exercises to do and that's kind of fun. Then there were, like, training skills for McKenzie, for when we start, so that was nice, to be able to have some online modules to do and just kinda get back into that a little bit.

Q. There's been a little bit of speculation about what events you're going to swim. Obviously that potential triple on day 4, with the 200 Free final, 200 Fly semi, 200 IM final. Obviously you're going to swim the 400 IM, but what's the plan for that chunk of events?
MAYA DIRADO: So Greg and I had planned out my event schedule, and I thought we were good to go and everybody kept coming up to me and being like, oh this triple that you're in, like what? I had no idea I was entered in the 200 Fly. I guess it's good to hedge your bets at this meet and just over-enter in case something should happen, but as of right now I'm planning on swimming 4 IM, 2 IM, 2 Back, possibly 200 Free in the morning, just to see if I can do a time, but that may change as well.

Q. So the 400 IM tomorrow pretty much your best race, I think it's fair to say. Big race against Elizabeth Beisel, who is swimming really well, and obviously Katie Ledecky if she's in it, and her ridiculous freestyle leg. So what's your expectation as far as strong strokes? Where and how are you planning on approaching that race?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, I know, I mean, you can't get into too much how everybody else swims that race. Everybody swims the 400 IM and the 200 IM differently. My strengths have always been solid fly, great backstroke, okay breaststroke, solid closing freestyle.

So I can't magically switch that based on how other people are swimming, so I just have to make sure all my strokes are firing and put together the best 400 that I can have.

Q. (No microphone.)
MAYA DIRADO: I think it's very reachable. It could go down tomorrow night. I don't know who but, yeah, it could get broken.

Q. Are your future bosses keeping an eye on you? Do they know what you're up to?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, so not tons of interaction with the partners because they're obviously quite busy, but my fellow, like, class of BAs that are coming in are really supportive and wished me good luck. Yeah, it would be great to make it, and then training camp is in Atlanta so that would be nice to be able to be there for a little bit, yeah.

Q. I'm curious if you have, like, your house settled in Atlanta and like you're ready to go logistically? How have you been planning all those things?
MAYA DIRADO: Yeah, the house is in the works. We have a realtor, we have done a couple days of house hunting in Atlanta, when I was out there for the Atlanta Classic in May we did a day, put an offer in, didn't get it, but it's been really fun. So Rob, I think, will go out there and look at some over the summer. If I could be there that would be great, but if not, whatever. His brother lives there so we would have a spot to be in until we find a place but -- yeah, so that's all kind of coming together.

Q. After having lived your whole life in California what is it like to look at real estate in Atlanta?
MAYA DIRADO: It's so fun! Yeah, looking at the prices in Menlo Park are just absurd, so to be able to go to Atlanta and be like, this is awesome! This makes sense. That's really nice, but it will be a big change on a lot of levels.

Q. Thoughts on dealing with Atlanta traffic on a daily basis?
MAYA DIRADO: Everybody freaks out about that, but I don't think it's that bad. I mean, like, Atlanta is a pretty small concentrated city, and if you're inside the perimeter it's like -- I drive the 101 at rush hour in the Bay Area, like, going to San Francisco, and that's pretty terrible, so I think we'll be okay.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Maya, appreciate your time.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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