[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]
A NATURAL
LEADER Still producing elite-level performances, Nathan Adrian, now 32 and pursuing his fourth Olympic Games, has the opportunity to further his already lofty reputation. And whenever his days in the sport come to an end, Adrian will be viewed for his excellence in the sport as an athlete, teammate and ambassador. BY JOHN LOHN
T
he evolution of Nathan Adrian, a decade-plus development from promise to greatness, can be considered the perfect blueprint for how a Hall of Fame career is molded. Sure, HOF status can be obtained in a variety of ways. Emergence as a phenom. Patience as a late bloomer. Pride in longevity. These are just a few of the paths that can be traveled. In his march to eventual enshrinement into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Adrian has basically drafted a flawlessly written How-to-Guide for induction. Consider the steps he has taken: • As a rising collegiate star at Cal-Berkeley, Adrian qualified for his first Olympic Games in 2008 and left Beijing with a gold medal for his prelim contributions to the United States’ 400 freestyle relay. • Having established himself as one of America’s premier sprinters over the previous few years, Adrian soared to the top of the world when he captured the Olympic title in the 100 freestyle at the 2012 Games in London. It was an effort complemented by a pair of relay medals, with Adrian handling the anchor role for Team USA. • From 2013-17, Adrian was the reliable veteran—and team leader—at all international competitions, with four medals
>> PICTURED ABOVE Nathan Adrian anchored the 400 freestyle and medley relays to gold medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
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JUNE 2021
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
