Rio gold medalist Nathan Adrian: “Swimming has not reached that glass ceiling yet”

If there’s one takeaway from the Summer Olympics in Rio so far, it’s that world-class athletes are still pushing boundaries inside the swimming pool.

Photo: Agência Brasil/Wikipedia Commons

Two-time Rio gold medalist Nathan Adrian joined SiriusXM Rio Olympics Radio on Tuesday and opened up about how the sport of swimming is still evolving.

“Swimming has not reached that glass ceiling yet,” Adrian said. “I think there’s just so much more to go in swimming because you do make that one tiny little mistake in the 50 (meter) and you don’t nail the start, and you’re just not going to go as fast as you can potentially go.”

The American has won two gold medals (Men’s 4x100m medley relay, Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay) and two bronze medals (Men’s 50m freestyle, Men’s 100m freestyle) during the 2016 Summer Games. One of his teammates for both of those gold medal races? You guessed it – Michael Phelps.

Adrian said he’s been keeping a close eye on Phelps and how he prepares for races, and the lessons he’s learned have helped him reach this level of success. And he’s not the only one.

“He’s done something that’s been so transformative for the sport of swimming…and I think he’s had an even broader impact on the the Olympics as a whole.”

Phelps ended up with five gold medals and one silver in Rio, bringing his total to 28 overall during his remarkable Olympic career. Phelps announced on Monday that he would be retiring from professional swimming following the Rio Games.

As for Adrian, we’ll still be seeing him inside a pool…so long as it’s a sprinting race.

“I’m one of those guys that can go into a weight room and I can put on some muscle, and I can develop speed and power…I am not a guy who can go for a five-mile jog.”

Catch all the latest Olympics news on Channel 106, SiriusXM Rio Olympics Radio.