{"id":262400,"date":"2017-06-26T11:06:42","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T18:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=262400"},"modified":"2017-06-26T14:03:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T21:03:11","slug":"nathan-adrian-back-in-familiar-setting-after-unusual-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/nathan-adrian-back-in-familiar-setting-after-unusual-year\/","title":{"rendered":"(Video) Nathan Adrian Back in Familiar Setting After Unusual Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Rieder.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nathan Adrian<\/strong> is plenty used to coming to a National Championships the year after the Olympics at the IUPUI Natatorium\u2014and winning.<\/p>\n

In 2009, one year after making his first Olympic team as a teenager, Adrian won his first two National titles in Indianapolis in the 50 free and then the 100 free. He won both again four years later. In fact, he\u2019s won the national title in the 100 free at every Nationals with international qualification at stake going back to 2009<\/p>\n

Now, just one day before he aims to win that race yet again, Adrian has a basic concern he wants to mark off his checklist, a simple task not quite as simple as one might expect: Just get into the final.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just excited about the race,\u201d he said. \u201cTomorrow\u2019s prelims is going to pretty interesting. I think there\u2019s just enough quality that someone good is going to be stuck in the B-final.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Surely not Nathan Adrian, though. Not the uber-consistent 28-year-old who won Olympic gold in the 100 free in 2012 and a bronze last summer in Rio.<\/p>\n

But the prelims could be cutthroat, particularly with six World Championships spots on the 400 free relay up for grabs. Since there are no semi-finals at this year\u2019s meet, there\u2019s no margin for error in the morning with a host of outside contenders going all out.<\/p>\n

Compared to most years, Adrian\u2019s 2017 has been a little different. After the Olympics, he didn\u2019t race until March. He messed around with new training techniques and race strategies with his longtime coach at Cal, Dave<\/strong> Durden<\/strong>. He got engaged.<\/p>\n

\"nathan-adrian-engaged\"

Photo Courtesy: Nathan Adrian (Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to happen this year,\u201d Adrian said about his engagement to Hallie<\/strong> Ivester<\/strong>. \u201cHallie and her mom have been doing an incredible job of planning everything. I give input when asked, but I\u2019m certainly along for the ride in terms of being in control.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely different, just having someone else who\u2019s significant in your life that you\u2019re caring for each and every day, where before it was me, me, me all the time\u2014what am I going to do to recover, what am I going to do to get myself ready for the next practice or the next meet? It\u2019s no longer just me alone anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the pool, it\u2019s been a process of experimentation. In training, he and Durden have pushed limits, to see how much Adrian still responds well to and what constitutes too much\u2014better this year than any other, right?<\/p>\n

As for racing, Adrian has swum the 100 free four times this year, and each time he focused on holding back a little bit on the first 50 so that he could come home under 25 seconds. That came after watching young Aussie Kyle Chalmers finish in 24.4 to overhaul the field\u2014Adrian included\u2014to win Olympic gold in Rio.<\/p>\n

\"nathan-adrian-free-2017-apss-santa-clara\"

Photo Courtesy: Stan Szeto\/USA Today Sports<\/p><\/div>\n

But now that it\u2019s crunch time, Adrian thinks he might end up going back to what\u2019s worked so well for him over the past eight years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is kind of normalizing back out to going out fast and just trying to come back. As I rest, I get a little more speed, and that back end falls off a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately, (during the race when) when I came back in 24.7, I think I went out in 23-high, so that\u2019s not going to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with some young, hungry sprinters awaiting him in the 100 free\u2014see Dressel, Caeleb\u2014Adrian still is the man to beat in the 100 free. His trip to Indy is of the business variety, with World Champs spots in his signature events on the line.<\/p>\n

But after the 100 free on day one, the 50 doesn\u2019t come around until day five, Saturday. So aside from swimming, Adrian\u2019s immediate future includes plenty of television.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably going to see more of the inside of my hotel than I want to,\u201d he said. \u201cI started Troll Hunters on Netflix. It\u2019s a stupid animated show, but it\u2019s pretty interesting. I\u2019m looking for suggestions\u2014I\u2019m probably going to run out of episodes. We\u2019ll see what the next show up is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch a full replay of Adrian’s\u00a0pre-meet press conference at U.S. Nationals:<\/strong><\/p>\n