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USA SWIMMING 2018 PHILLIPS 66 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 24, 2018

Nathan Adrian

Irvine, California

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Nathan Adrian, three-time Olympian, Olympic champion as well.

Start us off, as somebody who has been through a couple of quads, just kind of walk us through this meet. And just kind of explain the importance of it, not only for this year, but for obviously the next year as well as we head into Tokyo.

NATHAN ADRIAN: I'm really excited. Walking on to the pool deck, I think they've done a great job of setting up a great outdoor space, outdoor meet.

I know in 2010 it was done big, because we had Pan Pacs. 2014 wasn't quite as big. And now it feels big again. So I think that's really cool and that's really exciting.

Again, this is the middle of the quad, we all know that. It's not something that we go into being, like, oh, you know, it's just 2018. We go in there, we compete, we try to win no matter what.

But as we go focus on the next couple of years, the intensity throughout the year and the kind of focus on everything gets more and more intense as you ramp up towards the Olympics, certainly.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Ryan (Murphy) was in here last, and he talked a little bit about how he accomplished all his goals in 2016 and 2017. He didn't really find his motivation until, I guess, January of 2018. With you going through three quads now, I think, at kind of at the top level, what is your experience with kind of that post-Olympic down? Or maybe you don't get it the year after, you get it this year. But how have you kind of learned through each of those four-year cycles how to deal with that?
NATHAN ADRIAN: That's a great question. I actually kind of alluded to it a little bit in my response to John's question. I think one of the most important lessons I learned my freshman year of college was compartmentalization, being able to focus on what was going on at that moment.

For me, certainly I've been focused on swimming and been able to really attack practice and whether it be in weights or in the pool, making sure we're going fast, making sure we're training hard.

During the Olympic year, during maybe the year before that as well, you kind of bring that intensity and that in focus to literally everything. Like I need to attack my recovery. I need to make this green smoothie, and I need to make sure that all the different greens add up to having a complete protein.

I need to be doing my NormaTec consistently. Maybe it's ice baths, maybe it's this or that. I swear, it feels like I'm bringing a training room everywhere I go now. Taking stock on this meet compared to 12 years ago, in 2006 I remember being here, like it's totally different in terms of like, A, the level that you have to swim at to make the team, and B, the level you have to recover at to be ready to compete the next day.

Q. The news came out yesterday about Ryan Lochte. And he said immediately that he plans to come back after the ban and compete in Tokyo. You're obviously still in your 20s, but it would seem to me to be particularly difficult thing to do to take time off at the age of 43 and come back at that level again. Do you think that's conceivable that we may see him again in Tokyo?
NATHAN ADRIAN: Absolutely. What did Tony do? Anthony Ervin. He took 12 years off. And it certainly wasn't the same age. But you can't put anything out of the realm of possibility with that guy.

He's a very talented athlete. I mean, you just look at what Ryan did in 2011 you're, like, oh, man, this guy is dangerous. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do this upcoming week. Unfortunately, we're not going to see that. But I'm certain that he's going to be a contender come trials 2020.

Q. What was your reaction to what happened yesterday? And do you hope to see him come back?
NATHAN ADRIAN: Repeat the last part.

Q. Do you hope, do you look forward to see him come back?
NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, to be totally honest, I think we're watching the American team be leaders in accountability right now. I don't think that this punishment would have necessarily been as strict if he was part of certain other federations, to be totally honest.

And we've always come down harsh on that as Team U.S.A. and USADA saying, hey, where is the accountability here? And I think you're seeing us kind of stay true to our word. If that happened in the U.S., we would bring on harsh repercussions.

Q. What sort of impact do you expect that John Urbanchek to have? He's unretired for, like, the 15th time --
NATHAN ADRIAN: Right, I know, like, one more, buddy. I'm going to go one more. Okay, I'll see you in 2024.

Q. What sort of impact will he have on the next couple of years for you all?
NATHAN ADRIAN: I think, A, this almost feels like it formalizes his position because I've always felt that John has been an amazing resource that I could reach out to if I need to -- he's a text away or a WhatsApp away. I think he prefers WhatsApp.

The fact that I know that as someone who has never swam for him necessarily at one of his training centers, I think that speaks to who he is as a coach and how open he is to helping anybody who needs it. And I'm just really glad to see him back formally with Team U.S.A.

Q. The anti-doping regulations now are so complicated. Wondered if you have a particular system with you and your team or whatever to make sure that something doesn't happen to you like what happened to Ryan.
NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah, you ask. You have to ask a lot. It is really, really complicated, I mean, as we all now know. I mean, I don't even remember what the email is. I'd have to go search USADA in my Gmail. But just ask.

Whether it be Stacy or Jennifer from the U.S.A. Swimming side or whether it just be the direct line to USADA, there's a lot of ambiguities there. And I'm not a lawyer nor have I read all of them. So just ask.

Q. What do you expect from Caeleb Dressel this week?
NATHAN ADRIAN: I expect nothing but the best. Certainly I think we're all excited. Caeleb has continued to surprise with his amazing performances. It would be shortsighted to not look across the board and expect greatness from a lot of different athletes. We just don't know who it is yet.

There's so many people that have just been ready to go and not fired off for whatever reason and maybe it's going to be here. Maybe it's going to be tomorrow, maybe it's going to be this week. I think that's why I like watching this meet, why I like -- and what makes Team U.S.A. great. Everyone, they're always so surprised when we come out and we have extraordinary Olympics, or big World Championships.

It's like, man, we've got to be fighting so hard just to make our team. And through that some extraordinary athletes are made and some extraordinary performances are done.

Q. You were there through almost the entire era of Phelps and then Ryan Lochte. And now you seem to have the two best swimmers in the world right now with Caeleb and Katie (Ledecky). What's that like to witness something like that every year where you feel like you're watching something historic really every time out?
NATHAN ADRIAN: I think it's great. It's what makes Team U.S.A. great. And I bet that those two are hungry to accelerate their success and be even greater. And that's, again, it just circles back to what makes Team U.S.A. such a great country and why we have the best swim team in the world.

I bet you talked to Caeleb and he's just focusing on making the team right now. Again, we don't even feel safe with making the team having some of the best swimmers in the world. So let's go. Let's do this.

Q. Is 2020, would that be your last Olympics, or are you going to pull a Tony Ervin on us?
NATHAN ADRIAN: I don't know, man. I don't know. I would say definitively right now if 2024 got the bid in LA 100 percent I'd be all gung ho, I'd go for it. 2028, probably not.

That being said, Paris 2024 would be an amazing experience. I 100 percent will not rule it out right now. But not necessarily as certain as it would be if 2024 were in LA.

Q. I'm not saying you're old, but do you --
NATHAN ADRIAN: I'm a veteran.

Q. Yeah, you're a veteran leader. Do you see any comparisons between kind of the time we're in now with Caeleb chasing you versus, what, six, 10 years ago you chasing Jason Lezak?
NATHAN ADRIAN: Now I do. (Laughter). Yeah, it's the perpetual cycle. And that's how it's going to be. There's going to be a point where someone's chasing Caeleb, too, no doubt. That's as predictable as tides really.

And I still -- it's a movie TI still want to watch, because the way that it unfolds is going to be unique in every situation. But, yeah. Sorry, that's my answer.

Q. Curious, with all the ambiguities in the doping code, if you were aware of this IV rule and the therapeutic use exemption to do it and that sort of thing?
NATHAN ADRIAN: Yeah. I mean, I think I go to the Olympic Training Center anywhere, on average probably two and a half times a year. And one of those times you've got to go through the USADA presentation.

We all hate it. But for the last 10 years I've been doing it and it hasn't changed a lot. And that's one of the things they say.

Q. With that, I'm curious, you mentioned how, sort of, this is the U.S. sort of coming to the forefront and being accountable if you will. How do you think the news of Ryan and the news last week with Madisyn, what effect do you think that might help on the way -- what effect does it have on the way people outside the country might look at U.S.A. Swimming now if at all?
NATHAN ADRIAN: You know, I don't -- those are really, really difficult questions, because it's going to kind of depend on how the media spins it, to be totally honest. That's the truth in today's day and age.

Again, like I personally do feel like we're -- these are harsh sentences. These are what we've been told since we were Junior Team athletes, that if you have, if you mess up and it's accidental, you could still get banned for years. And here we are.

So those are the messages that have been pounded in our head and they were true. So, again, I really do feel like that this is a message USADA, not U.S.A. Swimming, not necessarily involved in that process, but we're sending to the world, that, hey, we take clean sports seriously.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
NATHAN ADRIAN: I would have preferred that this doesn't happen. Certainly not. I think there's going to be two sides of every coin, though, and I think you talk to Madisyn and Lochte and maybe get their takes on it. But they probably understand -- we all understand how harsh USADA is now on our American athletes. It would be nice if the rest of the world kind of did the same thing, right, felt that they were not there to protect their athletes, that they were there to govern their sport.

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