Michael Domagala Speechless After World Championship Debut (SW Radio)

Photo Courtesy: © Peter H. Bick

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Michael Domagala made the most of his world championship debut, splitting 1:46.90 on his leg of the 800 freestyle relay for Poland in Kazan, Russia. Raised in the United States, the 19-year-old made the decision last year to represent Poland internationally and it paid off with a trip to Russia.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “NCAAs was definitely a good prepping experience, but I’m at a loss for words.”

Listen To Interview On Swimming World Radio

The relay was Domagala’s only race in the meet, and it marked the end of a dry spell of improving on his 200 free time. Though it was done with a relay takeoff, Domagala said he didn’t expect to be able to make such a major improvement.

“For three years, I was pretty much at a plateau,” he said. “I was 1:49 in 2012, and that was the only time I broke 1:50. I’m super excited and optimistic about the next year.”

Watching the Polish team perform so well through the first five days gave Domagala a bit of a boost. So did the training camp in Greece before the meet.

“There was a lot of optimism, a lot of team camaraderie,” he said. “Everyone was pushing each other in practice, and I feel like the workouts there are helping me get a lot better.”

Because Domagala hadn’t been improving at the pace he expected since winning the U.S. junior national title in 2012, he made the decision to swim for Poland in order to make sure he got the opportunity to compete at a senior-level international meet.

“I finally got my opportunity,” he said. “I’m super grateful.”

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