Olympic swimmer Olivia Smoliga makes a comeback with renewed objective

A number of athletes stroll away from their sport however only a few hear it calling them again.  

For the Glenview native and two-time Olympic medalist Olivia Smoliga, that voice by no means actually went quiet.  Now at 31, she’s diving again in with a unique mindset, and possibly a fair a stronger end.

Smoliga has been swimming laps most of her life.She first received within the pool at 4-year-old. At 10, she was the one one in her swim membership that raised their hand when the coach requested who wished to be an Olympian. 

Years later, she made it.

“I got the honor of being on the team with Michael Phelps, Ryan Loche,” she mentioned. “I mean, I had posters of them in my bedroom!”

But all these medals got here with a price. After accidents, burnout and lacking the 2024 Olympic crew, she stepped away. 

“I had to get honest. Who was I doing this for? Why am i doing this?” she mentioned.

For some time, there was no pool. Just distance and a unique type of work. Meditation, journey and reflection.  And then one thing surprising.

“It felt like the greatest calling, but also the greatest resistance—simultaneously,” she mentioned

That pull got here again and this time, it sounded totally different. Less stress. More objective.

Smoliga moved to Texas, discovered a brand new coach and simply 5 weeks into coaching she stunned even herself, below 25 seconds within the 50 freestyle. A private coaching finest at 31.

But this comeback isn’t nearly instances. 

“You have to be your own best teammate. You have to be your own best friend,” she mentioned.

Something she needs she knew earlier. And now, she’s ensuring others do.

Through her swim academy In Depth she’s instructing youngsters one thing you received’t discover on a stopwatch.

“Your brain can’t tell the difference between imagined reality and what’s actually happening, so imagine the power in that,” she mentioned.

She asks them to shut their eyes and film it. The second. The medal. The podium.

This time, win or lose, she’s already discovered one thing larger than a medal.