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U.S. TEAM OLYMPIC TRIALS: SWIMMINGJune 24, 2012Jessica HardyOMAHA, NEBRASKA THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. We're here with Jessica Hardy. She swims for the Trojan Swim Club. She was the 50 Meter Breaststroke Gold Medalist in 2011 FINA World Championships. Jess, how is everything going? How is it‑‑ are you glad to be back in Omaha? JESSICA HARDY: I'm really excited to be back in Omaha. I don't think anything is different, that I've noticed. Seems very similar, and it's exciting to come back and just see everything again. I'm calmer this time, knowing what to expect. I feel very prepared and very grateful and excited. Q. When you look back to four years ago is it a positive memory, a negative memory? Is it somewhere in between? How do you look back on it? JESSICA HARDY: It's definitely a mixture of both positive and negative. I am remembering the good times, making the Olympic Team and that euphoric feeling and really grateful for that experience, and I feel like it taught me a lot having gone through that. But obviously I have a lot of traumatic feelings being back, working through those, trying to calm down. It's a little bit of both but I'm focusing on the good for sure. Q. Jessica, I'm wondering now that you're back here if you're motivated to prove any nay sayers wrong, how fast you can swim, because you're back at this spot again, at the Trials, just like you were. Is there anything like revenge that you want to try to motivate you at all? JESSICA HARDY: I think what motivates me and definitely what motivates me and a lot of other swimmers is your self‑motivation. I know that there are a lot of people who have strong opinions about me and my career but I really just swim for myself, and I have high goals for myself. If I can get close to those, I think I'll be happy. Q. I will wish Matt happy birthday, first. Jessica, give me what you have been through, I don't think anyone would have blamed you if you had done a quiet Olympic preparation, but you've been out front, you've done a ton of media, you and Dom have been public about your relationship, tweeting back and forth, and you seem to be savoring the spotlight. Is that something that you expected when you were at your low point a couple of years ago and why are you enjoying it so much? JESSICA HARDY: That's an interesting perspective. I guess three and a half years ago I was doing everything I could to hide from the media and figuring out my situation, I think was my top priority, and the last thing I wanted to do was have to answer a bunch of questions. Having gone through that resurfacing and reestablishing myself, finding myself again have put me in a position to, I think, like bring awareness to people who have overcome‑‑ you know, people in my situation but any kind of adversity and coming out a better athlete. Being a spokesperson for that is something I'm excited about getting the chance to share, and hopefully I can inspire some athletes or people in general to live up to their full potential. You can survive tough situations. It's been fun getting to do a lot of media leading up to the summer. I think it's been a good support for me along the way, and, you know, it's exciting. Q. Jessica, this question is more on a society level, justice system. Being someone who was falsely accused and exonerated, as you were four years ago, what do you feel when you see other people with similar plights, when you read about people in Texas being let off because they found evidence that was through DNA and just kind of you're feeling deep down as far as a broader, mature approach to life itself? JESSICA HARDY: You know, it's hard. Every situation, I think, is hard individually. I'm definitely the kind of person now who does not judge without learning all the facts. It's easy to see the glass half‑‑ see it empty, and I see it half full all the time. I try to just be supportive and understanding. I have more compassion now than I did before, and, I don't know, it's a tough question. Q. Jessica, you talked about people having strong feelings about you. Do you worry about what the reaction will be if you make the team, or when you're in London, maybe comments you might hear, things you might read? Do you worry how people are going to see you if you get on to that big stage? JESSICA HARDY: I'm sure there will be stuff said by people, wherever, but, hopefully I can bring awareness to that issue, if anything. You know, I think my story has turned into a positive story, it's not going to be a black eye to the U.S. Team anymore and hopefully I can do my part in making it a better team. Q. I'm just wondering you're looking ahead to London, your thoughts on Leisel? Some of her critics have said she is done, she will have no chance for a medal. Have you written her off? Is she a threat? JESSICA HARDY: She is definitely still a threat, probably one of the most talented breast stokers in history, and she says she is not motivated, but once you get to the Olympics it's hard not to get motivated at the Olympics. She is definitely going to be a medal contender, I think. Q. Which of your events are you most looking forward to and are you planning on doing the whole schedule you've signed up for? JESSICA HARDY: Yeah, I'm doing 'em all. I think I'm most excited for the 100 Breaststroke. It's the most emotionally fun event for me, the most emotional event for me and it's going to kick off my week for my real chances of making it. I think that will be the one where I have the most nerves and excitement but it's going to be fun. Q. Jessica, I wanted to follow up on that. My "most emotional," what do you mean? JESSICA HARDY: It's been the event that I have been the best at over my career and broke my first world record in it, and freestyle I don't feel as many pressure; they're just seriously for fun, and I don't care if I mess up, I just try to have fun in that. Breaststroke I put more pressure on myself and try to take it more seriously. Q. Jessica, how would you compare yourself as a swimmer today to four years ago? As far as physically and what you were able to do in the water? JESSICA HARDY: I'm definitely emotionally a lot stronger having gone through obviously what I've been through the past four years, more grateful, obviously, and more tougher than I ever thought I was. It's kind of motivated me to be a stronger, physically stronger athlete as well in training every day. I have done things I never would have done before being suspended, it lit a fire underneath me. I'm not taking a single second in practice for granted, and it's kinda fun because I've been able to push myself away further than I ever thought I could. So it's been a lot of fun to grow from that. Q. Jessica, you have had a bird's‑eye view of Rebecca Soni for a while now. Can you give us insight about how she has been able to maintain and sustain this level of excellence? JESSICA HARDY: It's been impressive. She is the kind of person who is very level‑headed and calm. I think she has done a great job of not putting expectations on herself. She just lets it happen. I think she is a hard trainer and gets it done when she needs to, and she is a great racer, and I think she will be for as long as she wants to. Q. Jessica, were there times with what happened four years ago that you thought you would never be back at this podium, maybe never back in this pool, that maybe you weren't going to put yourself in the position that you are now to get back to London? JESSICA HARDY: Yeah, I mean, there were people telling me that I literally could not come to this meet up until a year and a half ago. It was hard to visualize myself here, for the sake of just not being allowed to come, but just not picturing it. Four years ago when I'm sitting on my couch in a ball crying my eyes out I never thought I would get through it. Literally I took it day by day, and looking back on it I'm still overwhelmed by what I had to go through, but I'm glad I survived it, really glad. I'm really excited about the opportunity to be here again, and I think it's just so much more meaningful getting to come back, and it's hard to contain my excitement. I'm trying to do everything I can to stay calm, calm and happy. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Jessica. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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