On this weeks episode we bring back three Ultimate Swimmer Podcast legends to discuss the highs and lows of the last few months of racing and training. Cody, Lilly, and Hali all share their insight into what it means to be an "Olympian." Check us out on Instagram for more great content!

Gunnar Bentz joins the podcast this week fresh off his second Olympic appearance! Gunnar has been prominent name in the swimming world over the last decade dating back to his early high school days when he was breaking National Age Group Records. After high school, Gunnar joined coach Jack Bauerle at the University of Georgia where he became a multi-time NCAA All-American and 2016 Olympian. After graduating in 2018 Gunnar transitioned to a pro career and ultimately moved to Austin, Texas to train with the GOAT, Eddie Reese to prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Gunnar made his second Olympic team at trial in 2021 and represented Team USA proudly in Tokyo! We hope you enjoy this interview with a true Ultimate Swimmer!

Tera Bradham is the author of a great new book titled, “Swimming For Freedom,” in which she details her unique journey as a lifelong swimmer. Tera was one of the top young swimmers in the state of Texas and in the country before a chronic injury nearly derailed her career. Through her struggles she was able to find the positives and turn those into a tool to help others find their purpose and lead a fulfilling life! If you are interested in learning more about Tera and her book you can find all of that information at the link here: https://www.terabradham.com/ Follow us on Instagram for more great content @ultimateswimmergram.

Maya DiRado is a former member of Team USA and gold medalist from the 2016 Olympic Games! Maya swam four years at Stanford where she won the 200 and 400 IM at the NCAA Championships. After graduating from Stanford in 2014, Maya was reluctant to test the waters of pro swimming, but after some convincing by her coach Gregg Meehan, she decided to give it a go. This proved to be a smart decision for Maya as she went on to win four medals at the 2016 Olympics (2x Gold, 1x Silver, 1x Bronze) including a thrilling upset of Katinka "Iron Lady" Hosszu in the 200 backstroke in the final race of her swimming career! We hope you enjoy this interview with a true Ultimate Swimmer!  Follow us on Instagram @ultimateswimmergram for more great content! Check out official Ultimate Swimmer Merch here: https://ultimate-swimmer.myshopify.com/

Katie Meili is a former member of the US National Team who won two medals (1x Gold, 1x Bronze) in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Katie grew up and started her swimming career in North Texas before committing to Columbia University where she competed for four years in college. Katie has a unique story as she is part of a small contingent of mid-major swimmers who have qualified for finals at the NCAA Championships. At the 2013 NCAA Championship Meet in Indianapolis, Katie finished 3rd in the 100 Breast, 9th in the 200 Breast, and 7th in the 200 IM. After college, Katie went on to train as a pro swimmer under legendary coach, David Marsh. It was under Marsh's training that Katie was able to explode onto the national and international scene to become one of the best breaststrokers in the world. In 2016, Katie competed for Team USA at the Rio Olympics and came home with a bronze medal in the 100 Breaststroke and a gold in the 4x100 Medley Relay. After retiring from swimming in 2019 Katie began focusing on her law degree and just recently graduated from Georgetown Law. We hope you enjoy this great interview! Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultimateswimmergram Follow Katie On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiemeili Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshdavis_usa Like and Subscribe!

Anita Nall is a former Olympic Champion, World Record-Holder and longtime member of Team USA. Anita Nall grew up in Maryland and swam on North Baltimore Aquatic Club (NBAC) when she was in her younger years. At just 15 years old at the 1992 Olympic Trials Anita broke the world record in the women’s 200 Meter Breaststroke becoming one of the youngest world record holders in history. As a 16-year-old at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Anita came away with one gold (4x100 Medley Relay), one silver (100 Breaststroke), and one bronze (200 Breaststroke). Currently, Anita is a functional nutrition and wellness expert and she aims to teach coaches and athletes about the importance of health and how it correlates to HIGH PERFORMANCE. We hope you enjoy this episode with a true Ultimate Swimmer! Check Us Out On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ultimateswimmergram/

Aaron Peirsol is a multi-time Olympic Champion and currently holds the world record in the 200 Meter Backstroke. Aaron had a storied career as one of the most talented backstrokers in history after competing for Team USA at the international level for over 10 years. Peirsol attended the University of Texas and trained under coach Eddie Reese for two years before signing with Nike and becoming a professional athlete. During that time Aaron still stayed on track to finish his degree in Political Science and also continued to train with his great college coaches, Eddie Reese and Kris Kubik. Peirsol qualified for his first Olympic team in 2000 at age 17 and was one of the younger members of Team USA other than Michael Phelps who was only 15 at the time. Aaron would win his first Olympic medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 by finishing second in the 200 back and his career would go on to skyrocket from that point. In 2004, Aaron was a triple gold medalist taking home the ultimate hardware in both backstroke events as well as the 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Aaron had another great showing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and again won the 100 backstroke in addition to being a member of the 4 x 100 Medley Relay again. In 2011, Aaron hung up the cap and goggles and ended his swimming career with a lot to be proud of. Check out our interview with Aaron as he explains what it took to reach the highest level in the sport he loves. Check us out on Instagram @ultimateswimmergram for more great content!

James Fike is the founder and CEO of Fike Swim, which is a swimwear and equipment company that follows the mantra, "Swim Different." Over the last few years James has definitely lived up to that slogan in his own swimming career by throwing down lifetime best times at age 39! Austin Surhoff is another 30 year old who is breaking barriers of his own by becoming one of the top sprint freestylers in the country. After graduating from Texas in 2014, Austin swam professionally for a few years before hanging up the cap and goggles. Over the past two year Austin has rekindled his love for the sport by creating unique, race-specific training sessions that have allowed him to continue to have a tremendous amount of success in the sport. James and Austin are both Texas grads, just like host Josh Davis so the three have a lot in common and it is safe to say that this is the fastest "old man" podcast episode of all-time. We hope you enjoy these stories about triumph, having fun, and always striving to find new ways to improve no matter how old you are. Socials: Ultimate Swimmer: https://www.instagram.com/ultimateswimmergram/?hl=en Josh Davis: https://www.instagram.com/joshdavis_usa/?hl=en James Fike: https://www.instagram.com/fikeswim/?hl=en Austin Surhoff: https://www.instagram.com/austinsurhoff/?hl=en Fike Swim Website: https://www.fikeswim.com Austin's Ambassador Page: https://www.fikeswim.com/ambassadors/austin-surhoff

Darian Townsend is a 3x Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012) for his native country of South Africa. A gold medalist and a multi-time world-record holder, Darian made a name for himself on the global swim scene in the 2000's. Since retiring from life as a pro swimmer, Darian has continued to pursue excellence in the swimming world whether it has been as a masters swimmer or more recently as the head coach of the swim team at Ottawa University in Arizona. We hope you enjoy our interview with this TRUE Ultimate Swimmer! Follow Darian on Instagram: @coachdariantownsend Follow Josh on Instagram: @joshdavis_usa Follow Ultimate Swimmer on Instagram: @ultimateswimmergram