Six-time Olympic medalist Matt Grevers comes out of retirement to compete at US swimming trials

PAUL NEWBERRY
·2-min read

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Matt Grevers had a different perspective on the U.S. Olympic swimming trials this time around.

Returning to the pool at age 39, the six-time Olympic medalist competed Thursday in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle without the least bit of pressure.

He didn't come close to advancing to the semifinals, tying for 47th out of 82 swimmers who competed in the all-out dash from one end of the pool to the other.

Grevers touched in 22.82 seconds, 1.12 behind top qualifiers Michael Andrew and Ryan Held.

The time wasn't really all that important. Grevers ended his three-year retirement from competitive swimming for the chance to swim in an NFL stadium and catch up with old friends without all the expectations that came along with being a leader of the U.S. team.

“It’s cool to know at 39 that my body definitely still has it,” Grevers said. “It’s just what are you willing to put into it. So it was really fun to make the (trials), really fun just to know I get to swim here, hang out with a lot of friends, walking on the pool deck, saying hi to all the coaches and older athletes. It felt kind of like a homecoming.”

Grevers was inspired by Gabrielle Rose, the oldest swimmer at the trials at age 46.

Rose, who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Games, advanced to the semifinals in both of her breaststroke races, drawing large, appreciative cheers each time she walked across the deck.

“Gabby's cheer when when she went out for semifinals, it was like one of the loudest ones of the meet,” Grevers said. “So people are rooting for the old guys just to see what you can do. Like, hey, you’re almost 40 and you're able to push your body to that level. I think everyone can kind of then picture themselves and say, ‘Hey, what I can do if I was eating or training a little more carefully?’”

Grevers won two golds and a silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and repeated the feat four years later in London, including a victory in the 100 backstroke.

With limited time for training, he focused on meeting the qualifying standard for the 50 free at these trials rather than his signature backstroke event.

After all, this was about the experience, not the result.

“Just to be in this environment without that much pressure is super refreshening," Grevers said. "Just a really great time.”

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Gareth Southgate: ‘I am the problem’

    Gareth Southgate has admitted being England’s major problem at the European Championship, plunging his future as manager in doubt beyond the tournament.

  • Georgia 2-0 Portugal: Famous win sends Georgians into Euro 2024 last-16 as England get Slovakia

    Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze score on historic day in Gelsenkirchen

  • Euro 2024: Last-16 fixtures, results, knockout schedule, group standings

    Knockout stages are now set for Euro 2024

  • England 0-0 Slovenia: player ratings from the Euro 2024 Group C game

    It was a tough night for Conor Gallagher and England but Vanja Drkusic excelled for Slovenia

  • England: Fans throw cups towards Gareth Southgate as Slovenia stalemate heavily booed

    Three Lions still top Group C at Euro 2024 despite another frustrating performance in Cologne

  • Dour England win Euro 2024 group, France face tough road to final

    England ground out a 0-0 draw with Slovenia to claim top spot in Group C and avoid a last-16 meeting with hosts Germany, but France face a complicated path to the final after failing to beat Poland on Tuesday.- France falter - France blew the chance to finish first in their group despite Kylian Mbappe scoring his maiden European Championship goal from the spot in a 1-1 draw with Poland, as Austria won a thriller against the Netherlands to snatch top spot.

  • Transfer news LIVE! Arsenal done deal; Anselmino to Chelsea, Guiu medical; Spurs in new Ramsey bid; Man Utd

    Track all the latest deals, updates, rumours and gossip during the summer window

  • Denmark go through in second – thanks to a yellow card shown to Slovenia coach

    In a bizarre turn of events in Group C, Denmark finished in second place because of a yellow card shown to a member of Slovenia’s coaching staff earlier in the tournament.

  • Conor Gallagher the fretful fall guy in England’s midfield tragedy

    With brains and calm required, the Chelsea man produced one of the most edgy, weird displays you’re likely to see

  • Playing both does not work – and it has to be Phil Foden over Jude Bellingham

    Difficult decisions for Gareth Southgate as the fourth tournament of his England era flicks over to the knockout stages, and it no longer feels as if this team of 2024 can go on clanking from first gear into second and back again, a juddering journey of unbearably slow progress.

  • Arsenal make early start to pre-season as Mikel Arteta takes six stars for Marbella training camp

    Gunners players not involved in either Euro 2024 or the Copa America are working hard out in Spain

  • Son Heung-min’s father admits hitting academy player with corner flag

    The father of Son Heung-min, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, has admitted to hitting one of his South Korean football academy students with a corner flag after denying allegations of physical and verbal abuse.

  • NBA Draft: Timberwolves trade with Spurs for No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham

    Fresh off a breakout season, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded into the lottery Wednesday night.

  • France to face Belgium in last-16 at Euro 2024 as line-up takes shape

    France and Belgium, the world's second and third best teams respectively in the Fifa rankings, will meet in the last-16 at Euro 2024 next Monday in Dusseldorf after the line-up for the knockout stages was completed on Wednesday night. Georgia, who are competing at the competition for the first time, beat Portugal 2-0 to move into the last-16 where they will face Spain. "I don't have a lot of words so I will try to stay basic and say that I'm so proud of the players because what an image they hav

  • Lionel Messi, battered by Chile and ‘playing with pain,’ gets lift from Argentina teammates at Copa América

    In a return to the site of his most painful Copa América memory, Lionel Messi and Argentina battled Chile to a near repeat of their 2016 heartbreak until a late goal from Lautaro Martínez secured the win and showcased the evolution of La Albiceleste.

  • Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo saved by stewards as fan jumps from stands at Euro 2024

    Cristiano Ronaldo was at the centre of another European Championship security scare after a fan almost landed on him jumping from the stands.

  • Chelsea: What Alexander Isak has said about Newcastle exit amid Blues interest

    Chelsea have reportedly made contact over a huge summer deal

  • The son also rises: what if Bronny James is the safest pick in the NBA draft?

    The 19-year-old has been derided as a nepo-baller. But growing up around one of the greatest players of all time could help him build a long career as a role player

  • Why Finns are deadly serious about hobby horsing

    A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed.Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately-coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds.Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges.Some 260 riders from 22 countries -- most women and girls aged between 10 and 20 -- turned up to compete at the 11th annual Finnish championship held in the town of Seinajoki.But despite its vast international reach, from the Arctic to Argentina, hobby horsing is a sport that dares not speak its name.- 'Insane' athleticism -Despite its soaring popularity, it is not officially recognised as a proper sport in its birthplace."We have faced so much bullying and judgement," rider Nara Arlin, 24, told AFP."We know what everyone in the hobby horsing has been through... I think that is the main thing that pulls us together."First invented in Finland more than a decade ago, hobby horsing has taken off at a gallop across the globe. "It is growing every year," said Julia Mikkonen, the chair of the Finnish hobby horse association.This year's championship was "the biggest we have had so far", she added.Beyond the whimsy, great strength and skill is required to jump the obstacles while holding the hobby horse. Some top competitors could give elite hurdlers or gymnasts a run for their money."If you jump over obstacles your hip mobility has to be absolutely insane," said Mikkonen, 20, with some fences up to 110 centimetres (3.6 feet) tall. - 10,000 enthusiasts -"Of course we are all dreaming of having a world championship one day," said Mikkonen, who estimates there are around 10,000 hobby horsers globally."I am still a bit breathless but I am happy with my performance", said 19-year-old Jojo Hanninen as she sat down after her dressage event. To succeed in the sport you have to channel your inner centaur, she said."In hobby horsing, my legs are the horse... I am both horse and human," she said. Hanninen's hobby horse is a grey called Toope, with glittery reins and pink ribbons adorning its white mane.- Welcoming community -Competitors go to great lengths with their horses -- which are also exhibited and judged -- modelling and sewing the heads and adorning them with decorations.  "Hobby horses are art," said Arlin, who makes her own.With the cheers of the crowd still ringing in her ears after an impressive show jumping round, she hailed the sport as "the best hobby ever"."You are doing so many things with your hands, brain and the whole body."Like many of her peers, Arlin found hobby horsing through play as a child. "But the older I became, it became more serious," said the rider, who trains by riding real horses, working out in the gym and doing pole dancing.Rainbow flags in the arena reflected the tolerant values underpinning the community.   "Horses are mostly seen as a girls' sport, but that is not correct. Anyone can come no matter what gender," Mikkonen said.   Every enthusiast AFP spoke to praised the welcoming community that kept them devoted to hobby horsing despite the scornful attitudes all encountered at some point."We have each other's backs," said Arlin. ank/po/fg/smw

  • Arsenal handed Victor Osimhen transfer boost as new update delivered

    The Gunners and Chelsea have both been strongly linked with the Nigerian international, who is expected to leave Napoli this summer