[ PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]
Katie Drabot Sees 200 Fly Transform from Proving Greg Meehan Wrong (For Once) to Joining World’s Elite BY DAN D'ADDONA
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hen Katie Drabot learned her final NCAA Championships were canceled, things completely changed.
No longer getting that last swim for her Stanford team, Drabot was now a professional swimmer — something she found out was a huge adjustment, especially the way the COVID-19 pandemic rushed the transition. “It is the basics — eat, sleep swim. It is focusing everything on swimming. I make sure I do what I need outside the pool to make sure what I do inside the pool is the best it can possibly be,” Drabot told Swimming World. “At times it can be a little lonely, but you just have to think about what you are aiming for.” Drabot is aiming for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. She has represented her country at just about every other international meet other than the Olympics — including winning the bronze medal in the 200 butterfly at the 2019 World Championships. U.S. Trials is the most pressure-packed meet in the country with elite swimmers vying for two spots in most events. That pressure can be useful if harnessed properly. “There are nerves for sure and there have been all year. I always thing nerves are good. It shows that you care,” Drabot said. After a year of upheaval, Drabot has put together a solid training block. “There have been many ups and downs in training this year and trying to get into a good groove again,” she said. “It became the most real when I was back to competing. My first 16
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meet in over a year was in San Antonio. I realized I had a lot of work to do. It gave me something to refocus on and see where I was and see what I needed to work on. Meets give great feedback and I got some great feedback. I switched up my training a bit and I feel like I am doing well. I am trying not to think about it too much because that can set off a snowball effect. There is nothing I can do except work hard and be prepared. It is exciting. This is what we have been working toward.” At Worlds, Drabot began to utilize the nerves in that positive way, gaining confidence with what she had accomplished. “I think I gained a lot of confidence from worlds, realizing that I have made my presence on the world stage. With that there is confidence, but you never want to be comfortable because in this sport, there is always someone working harder,” she said. “I want to take what I learned from Worlds but it is not given. There is always someone who comes out of nowhere in Trials and makes their presence known. I am going to leave nothing on the table. I know I belong on the world stage, but I need to keep pushing myself to prove I still belong there.” She also knows that there are plenty of young guns waiting to be unleashed. Drabot said the key is to be aware, but not dwell on how others are swimming. “You always want to be aware of what people are doing,” she said. “ That is what keeps you going and makes the sport of swimming faster. There is always someone up-and-coming that wants to beat you. But at the same time, you can only control what you are doing. I use the mentality that someone else is training harder than me for that spot. It keeps me going in practice. Trials is such an intense meet and you have to
