{"id":332649,"date":"2018-10-14T07:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-14T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=332649"},"modified":"2018-10-13T17:39:33","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T00:39:33","slug":"luca-urlando-proving-to-be-rare-teen-phenom-at-mens-national-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/luca-urlando-proving-to-be-rare-teen-phenom-at-mens-national-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Luca Urlando Proving To Be Rare Teen Phenom at Men’s National Level"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Luca Urlando<\/strong> figured he could drop a second, maybe two in the 200 fly, and perhaps claim a spot on the Junior Pan Pacs team. But as it turned out, in his first swim at this summer\u2019s U.S. Nationals, Urlando swam nearly three seconds faster than he ever had before, putting himself in a situation to be a boy among men.<\/p>\n

Of the eight men to qualify for that 200 fly A-final, seven of them were born in the 20th century; Urlando wasn\u2019t born until 2002. Seven of those men are now either in college or graduated from college; Urlando is a high school junior.<\/p>\n

And in a turn of events no one saw coming, Urlando stuck with the heavyweights in the final. At both the 100 and 150-meter walls, Urlando was in second place behind Olympian and pre-race favorite Jack<\/strong> Conger<\/strong>. And after a wild last 50, Urlando ended up touching third, in a dead-heat with Conger. His time was 1:55.21, four second faster than his lifetime best entering the meet and just a tenth away from second.<\/p>\n

\"justin-wright-gianluca-urlando-zach-harting\"

Zach Harting, Justin Wright & Luca Urlando after the men’s 200 fly at U.S. Nationals — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n

Conger didn\u2019t attend the post-race medal ceremony, leaving Urlando to pose for photos with race winner Justin Wright<\/strong> and runner-up Zach<\/strong> Harting<\/strong>. It was the most unlikely of podiums for the entire meet, but at least Wright and Harting figured to be finalists in the event. Not Urlando. Never.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of shocking. It was almost unreal just because that was the biggest final I\u2019ve ever been, and I think it kind of helped that I had never been in that situation before. Being next to people like Tom Shields and other Olympians that were in that final, it was like, \u2018Wow, I\u2019ve kind of made it.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With that swim, Urlando put himself on the bubble of a spot on the Pan Pacs team\u2014the senior-level team, not the junior one. With 26 male swimmers to be named to the team, select third-place finishers would make the team based on their world ranking, and headed into the last night of the meet, Urlando was one of the top candidates to earn a trip to Tokyo.<\/p>\n

And indeed, Urlando was offered a spot on the team and then announced as a qualifier\u2014only to find out later that night that there had been a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t do over the world rankings the correct way,\u201d Urlando explained. \u201cThey set the wrong date. It made it so that I was on the team, and as soon as they switched the world rankings, I was off the team by one spot. I was definitely angered that something that big could happen, and it happened to another junior team member. I was frankly very mad that something that big could happen on a scale that it did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Austin<\/strong> Katz<\/strong>, the third-place finisher in the 200 back, got the final spot on the team, instead of Urlando. But while Urlando was frustrated with the way the situation played out, he was fine with the consolation prize: a trip to the Junior Pan Pacs in Fiji\u2014his target meet all along\u2014and he won gold in the 200 fly.<\/p>\n

And now what? Well for one, Urlando is ahead of the curve. Pre-college-age males qualifying for senior U.S. National teams are a rare species, and he is first in line for a spot at the Pan American Games next summer.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s ahead on his college recruiting process, too, since he announced last week that he was verbally committing to the University of Georgia for the fall of 2020<\/a>\u2014a decision that he insists wasn\u2019t too early to make. He liked the program and the small-college town feel in Athens, and he is a double legacy, with both his parents having graduated from Georgia. His father, Alex<\/strong>, remains the UGA school record holder in discus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I just found my fit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a fit that was made now, but it also could have been made a year from now, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

More from Luca Urlando:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Gianluca

Photo Courtesy: Gianluca Urlando<\/p><\/div>\n

Why did you decide to commit to Georgia and to do it so early on in the process?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cFrankly, I just really liked the program. I liked the coaches, the people there, and I think growing up in California my whole life, it\u2019s nice to have a change in scenery to experience something new, but the swimming definitely backs it up. They\u2019re a great program, and I\u2019m excited to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does it feel like being done with the college process so early?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m really excited. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessarily too early of a decision. I think I just found my fit. It was a fit that was made now, but it also could have been made a year from now, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the summer at Nationals, you had your big breakthrough when you dropped almost four seconds in a day in the 200 fly.
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cYes, that is true.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did that happen?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cReally just the training that I started doing, and my coach helped me achieve some of the goals that I had, but honestly, I didn\u2019t expect to drop so much time at Nationals. I was just super-happy with what came out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was the difference in training?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI think more pace work. Also, I grew about two or three inches from last year. Getting bigger and stronger helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you expect that you would be in that situation, be in a National final and then get third?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cHonestly, no. I would have been happy if I had gotten a one or two-second drop.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re swimming against guys you\u2019ve watched on TV and heard about for a long time, how did that affect you?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI just kind of was like, \u2018Wow, I\u2019m finally racing people that I\u2019ve looked up to and always watched race.\u2019 I guess I don\u2019t really hold super-high expectations for myself. I don\u2019t like setting limits to myself, so it was just kind of cool to look back and see how well I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you not want to aim for a certain goal because you\u2019d rather go and see where you can end up?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI want to become the best that I can be, and if that means only dropping a half-second more throughout my career, as long as I know that I\u2019m as good as I can be, that\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you make sure on a daily basis that you know you\u2019re being the best that you can be?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cDefinitely thinking about whatever I\u2019m doing when I\u2019m swimming and, especially during main sets, trying to push my body to where it can\u2019t physically do what it did before the practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have to make sacrifices in your life for swimming, and what are some of the most difficult things you\u2019ve had to say \u2018no\u2019 to?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cMissing so much school is very difficult. Especially this year\u2014I had all three of my college visits back-to-back-to-back. Just trying to stay ahead so that I don\u2019t collapse under the pressure of homework and other things.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much are social pressures weighed against swimming, and how do you deal with that?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI have to say, \u2018Oh no, I can\u2019t hang out because I have swim practice,\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t go to your birthday party or hang out or sleep over,\u2019 all the time because of practice, but it pays off in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does it ever bother you to say \u2018no\u2019 to something, or are you really geared in on those goals all the time?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m definitely bummed to miss some stuff, but I try and remind myself that eventually it will work out. When I have those two weeks off every year, it\u2019s definitely worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was it hard for you to accept that you were going to Junior Pan Pacs instead of Pan Pacs?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI wasn\u2019t too mad. The goal was always to go to Junior Pan Pacs going into that summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did you get out of that Junior Pan Pacs experience?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cIt was really cool. It was my second time representing the U.S., and every trip I\u2019ve gone on has just gotten better. The camp is always very exciting and very eye-opening. Everyone wants to be there and is very high-energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

What were the big takeaways from Fiji for you?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cJust to stay focused, and even if there aren\u2019t a lot of people on your team that can push you, just look back at some of the memories and experiences that I had during that meet to help push me.\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you take away from your summer as you go back into training this year?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a confidence boost. It just reminds me every day in practice that I am capable of doing things that most people aren\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Is that cool for you?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cIt\u2019s super cool. Sometimes you forget about it and then you remember again, and you\u2019re just like, \u2018Wow.\u2019 Sometimes I even watch my race from Nationals to get myself psyched up again.\u201d<\/p>\n

How often do you watch that race?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cAt least once a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

What part of that race gets you the most excited?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cProbably the last turn. I remember looking to my side and seeing that Tom Shields was slightly behind me and thinking like, \u2018Wow, I have a chance.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

What are you thinking when you watch the last 15 meters?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI honestly get as nervous as I did during the race because it was just so close.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are you favorite parts of swimming?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI shouldn\u2019t say I like winning, but I honestly like winning. I like the thrill of racing people.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are those emotions that you get in a big race, behind the blocks, when you\u2019re getting in, when you\u2019re in the middle of the race?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cBefore the race, I try to stay as calm as possible. I try not to think too much about the race because then I kind of psych myself out. During the race, I try and think about things I need to focus on. Sometimes I blank out during the race and let my body kind of control what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are your biggest interests outside the pool?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI like jumping off rocks and cliffs into waterfalls and stuff like that. I haven\u2019t done that a lot recently, but I like it. It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you consider yourself a thrill-seeker?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cI would say so. Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

What other risky or non-risky things do you like to do?
\n<\/em><\/strong>\u201cObviously I like hanging out with my friends and taking naps, because I need as much sleep as I can get.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By David Rieder. Luca Urlando figured he could drop a second, maybe two in the 200 fly, and perhaps claim a spot on the Junior Pan Pacs team. But as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":322385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,17,61052,7],"tags":[14571,41560,65038,65107,27596,59679,37263,67770,1041,246,46700],"class_list":["post-332649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-commentary","category-morning-splash","category-usa","tag-alex","tag-austin-katz","tag-family-relation","tag-gianluca-urlando","tag-jack-conger","tag-journalist-david-rieder","tag-justin-wright","tag-luca-urlando","tag-qualifier","tag-university-of-georgia","tag-zach-harting"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nLuca Urlando Proving To Be Rare Teen Phenom at Men's National Level<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sunday Q&A: 16-year-old Luca Urlando shocked just about everyone by dropping almost four seconds and finishing third in the 200 fly at U.S. Nationals.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/luca-urlando-proving-to-be-rare-teen-phenom-at-mens-national-level\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Luca Urlando Proving To Be Rare Teen Phenom at Men's National Level\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sunday Q&A: 16-year-old Luca Urlando shocked just about everyone by dropping almost four seconds and finishing third in the 200 fly at U.S. Nationals.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/luca-urlando-proving-to-be-rare-teen-phenom-at-mens-national-level\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-14T14:00:16+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-10-14T00:39:33+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/gianluca-urlando-2018-us-nationals-6872-e1558764943282.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"825\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Rieder - 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