[ PHOTO BY COONOR TRIMBLE ]
Brooke Forde Riding Momentum of NCAA Title in 400 IM Into Olympic Trials; Will Take Fifth Year at Stanford BY DAN D'ADDONA
B
rooke Forde is looking forward to simply having a healthy swim at the United States Olympic Trials.
a bunch. I went to the ER and they pieced it together. They did a spinal tap so that is why I had to be out of the water.”
It is a simple goal, but one that was far from reality at the 2016 Trials when the Stanford national champion was recovering from viral meningitis.
Somehow, Forde was able to swim and qualified for the Junior Pan Pacs team.
It was devastating. “I think I cried after every race. I passed out in the hallway at the end of the meet,” Forde told Swimming World. “I had meningitis two weeks before Trials. I had been out of the water for a while and was pretty sick. I was also a nervous wreck. I somehow picked it up at a Pro Series meet. A week later I was in the hospital.” It quickly got worse. “At first, it just felt like I had the flu, then I got a 107-degree fever. Then it got better, then I started practicing and I couldn’t do backstroke because of the sun being so bright,” she said. “Then I started getting really bad headaches and my neck got stiff. Then I got a fever again and was throwing up 36
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“I did qualify for Junior Pan Pacs. That was the positive that came out of it,” she said. Now, Forde heads to the 2021 Olympic Trials stronger, wiser — and healthier. She is coming off of a strong senior season at Stanford, winning the NCAA title in the 400 IM. “That meet still feels weird to think about. It was a bizarre meet after a bizarre season. It for sure helped give me confidence going into long course. I was happy to see that focus pay off,” she said. Forde will be in contention to make the Olympic team in the 400 IM. It is something she has been focused on for most of her swimming career.
