{"id":531414,"date":"2023-07-01T12:30:17","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T19:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=531414"},"modified":"2023-07-01T09:58:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-01T16:58:46","slug":"katharine-berkoff-heading-to-worlds-in-two-events-i-am-not-satisfied-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/katharine-berkoff-heading-to-worlds-in-two-events-i-am-not-satisfied-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"Katharine Berkoff Heading to Worlds in Two Events: ‘I Am Not Satisfied Yet’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the biggest moment arose, Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> felt a tingle.<\/p>\n

After winning the 50 backstroke at U.S. Nationals, Berkoff threw down the best 100 backstroke of her career and qualified for the World Championships in a second event.<\/p>\n

“Honestly, I felt pretty weird right before it. I kind of felt all tingly. I was in fight or flight mode, and I think it really helped my mentality going into it. I didn’t think too much about my race, I was just excited to touch the water,” Katharine Berkoff said. “I think it was a combination of the caffeine, not eating enough and the nerves. I was just very shaky and tingly, but it was a good thing, just very strange.”<\/p>\n

But you can’t argue with the results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Her time of 58.01 is third all-time among American performers in history, only behind Regan Smith<\/strong> and Kathleen Baker<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“It means so much. The 100 back is the event I care about. I have had my share of heartbreaks with it,” she said. “It has been a tough mental battle with it, but to make a championship team in the 100 back just means so much to me.”<\/p>\n

Berkoff finished fourth at the Olympic Trials in 2021 in the 100 backstroke in 58.82, missing an Olympic spot by two tenths of a second.<\/p>\n

“Part of my previous problems were just not knowing how to race a long-course 100 back. I think I wasn’t going out aggressive enough. I was trying to work my tempo but not use my legs too much until the very end, and that is what I did well,” Berkoff said. “I have been working a lot on my pre-race mentality, just trying to remember every experience I have had, I wouldn’t change. They have all helped me in a way. We have really focused more on long-course this year. Last year was a big learning experience. It just didn’t feel very strong. I remind myself that I am doing this because I love it.”<\/p>\n

Now, she is heading to the World Championships in multiple events, after winning the 50 backstroke in 27.13, just a hundredth of a second off or her own American record.<\/p>\n

“Last year, when I went that time in the 50, I hit every detail perfectly, but this time I got there but it was a little sloppier of a swim. But I felt a lot stronger, so I felt like I was in for a good 100,” she said.<\/p>\n

Now, this year has her feeling like she is in for a good 2024, where she hopes to qualify for the Olympics as her father did in 1984.<\/p>\n

“It is definitely boosting my confidence so much, especially going into Olympic trials next year. The Olympics have been my dream since I was 5 years old. This is a step in the right direction for sure,” Katharine Berkoff said. “I am definitely not letting up. It was a good confidence booster, but definitely not quite satisfied yet.”<\/p>\n