[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
Inside the Journey of Paige Madden: NCAA Championships, COVID-19 & Olympic Trials BY DAN D'ADDONA
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aige Madden soaked in the moment — the medal, the meaning, the thunderous ovation from the Omaha crowd at the U.S. Olympic trials. She also reflected on the stunning turn of events in the past four months that saw her at the highest and lowest points of her career, only to somehow pick up the pieces and return to the highest.
A NEW BATTLE As Paige Madden turned her focus to long-course training and the Olympic Trials, she tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. While many people are asymptomatic, Madden felt the wrath of COVID-19 as the virus attacked the airflow of an already asthmatic athlete.
Madden’s stunning 2021 couldn’t have started much better. She was swimming well and went into the NCAA championships with something to prove.
“When it first happened, I was just devastated. I immediately told myself that I was done. Everything was out the window. There was no way I could make the Olympic team, and I don’t even know if I will go to Trials now. It was dramatic,” Madden said. “It was the respiratory issues, mainly just breathing. I already had asthma before that, and having chest pain. My lungs are my most important organ as a swimmer, and the fact that they were not working as well as they were before was really frustrating. I didn’t feel great in the water. We were doing stroke counts and usually I am able to hit around 29 strokes and I was doing 37. I could go fast times, but I was trying really hard and my heart rate was just through the roof — way too high.”
Madden proved it — emphatically. After not getting to showcase her progress in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Madden took out her frustrations on the 2021 NCAA Championships, winning the 200-, 500and 1,650-yard freestyle events — the only woman to claim three individual victories at the meet — leading Virginia to its first NCAA title. It was the pinnacle of Madden’s career. It only took a couple of weeks for everything to come crashing down. 8
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The doubts quickly and understandably began to creep in. While the virus was attacking Madden’s physical well-being, it also was attacking her mental state, adding a layer of
