Thursday, May 20, 2021
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Trailblazers: Nathan Adrian
Nathan Adrian has three Olympic appearances and a total of eight medals – so far. He is training for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics this summer after battling testicular cancer in 2019 and welcoming his daughter earlier this year.
Adrian, who is Asian-American and whose mom was born and raised in Hong Kong, made his first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China, where he was part of an iconic gold medal-winning 4x100m freestyle relay. As a preliminary swimmer on that relay, he was able to watch the now-iconic race unfold from the stands, where the United States defeated France after a nail-biting finish anchored by Jason Lezak. It was Adrian’s first gold medal, but certainly not his last.
His college years, in between his first and second Olympic appearances, were capped by three consecutive NCAA championships in the 100-yard freestyle (2009-11) and two NCAA championships in the 50-yard freestyle (2009, 2011).
Adrian’s first individual gold medal came at the 2012 London Olympics when he became the 100m freestyle champion. It was another photo finish, as Adrian defeated silver medalist James Magnussen of Australia by the smallest margin in the sport, one one-hundredth of a second. He also picked up an additional two medals in relays. He anchored the 4x100m medley relay, where the U.S. team won gold, and swam the lead leg of the 4x100m freestyle relay, where the U.S. men earned silver.
Adrian was inducted into the Robert Chinn Foundation’s Asian Hall of Fame in 2014. The organization, which describes itself as the leading organization of Asian recognition, advocates for four billion AAPI global citizens.
Adrian’s mother first moved to the U.S. from Hong Kong in 1968. Adrian calls his parents the most influential people in his life “because of their perfect balance of love and support for me over the years.”
In the months leading to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Adrian won both the 50m and 100m freestyle at U.S. Olympic Trials. At the Olympics, where he was named co-captain of the U.S. squad, Adrian earned two individual bronze medals in the 50m and 100m freestyles. He picked up two more gold medals in the 4x100m freestyle relay, which Adrian anchored, and the 4x100m medley relay, where the U.S. men set an Olympic record.
Adrian has competed at every world championship since 2009. Most recently, in 2019, he picked up three medals in the 4x100m freestyle relay (gold), the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay (gold), and the 4x100m medley (silver). His all-time medal count at the world championships includes 10 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals, including individual medals in the 100m freestyle (silver, 2017; bronze 2013) and 50m freestyle (silver, 2015).
Adrian, who is Asian-American and whose mom was born and raised in Hong Kong, made his first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China, where he was part of an iconic gold medal-winning 4x100m freestyle relay. As a preliminary swimmer on that relay, he was able to watch the now-iconic race unfold from the stands, where the United States defeated France after a nail-biting finish anchored by Jason Lezak. It was Adrian’s first gold medal, but certainly not his last.
His college years, in between his first and second Olympic appearances, were capped by three consecutive NCAA championships in the 100-yard freestyle (2009-11) and two NCAA championships in the 50-yard freestyle (2009, 2011).
Adrian’s first individual gold medal came at the 2012 London Olympics when he became the 100m freestyle champion. It was another photo finish, as Adrian defeated silver medalist James Magnussen of Australia by the smallest margin in the sport, one one-hundredth of a second. He also picked up an additional two medals in relays. He anchored the 4x100m medley relay, where the U.S. team won gold, and swam the lead leg of the 4x100m freestyle relay, where the U.S. men earned silver.
Adrian was inducted into the Robert Chinn Foundation’s Asian Hall of Fame in 2014. The organization, which describes itself as the leading organization of Asian recognition, advocates for four billion AAPI global citizens.
Adrian’s mother first moved to the U.S. from Hong Kong in 1968. Adrian calls his parents the most influential people in his life “because of their perfect balance of love and support for me over the years.”
In the months leading to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Adrian won both the 50m and 100m freestyle at U.S. Olympic Trials. At the Olympics, where he was named co-captain of the U.S. squad, Adrian earned two individual bronze medals in the 50m and 100m freestyles. He picked up two more gold medals in the 4x100m freestyle relay, which Adrian anchored, and the 4x100m medley relay, where the U.S. men set an Olympic record.
Adrian has competed at every world championship since 2009. Most recently, in 2019, he picked up three medals in the 4x100m freestyle relay (gold), the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay (gold), and the 4x100m medley (silver). His all-time medal count at the world championships includes 10 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals, including individual medals in the 100m freestyle (silver, 2017; bronze 2013) and 50m freestyle (silver, 2015).