Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Lia Neal Reflects on Swimming Journey as New Chapter Begins
In a widely-circulated video when she was 12 years old, Lia Neal told a reporter that she wanted to qualify for the Olympics and “maybe” win a medal.
She accomplished those goals when she won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 London Olympics and then did so again when she won a silver medal in the same event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics before announcing her retirement in May of 2021.
Neal, throughout her swimming career, focused on what was next, whether it was recording another personal best or qualifying for another team. This mindset didn’t always allow her to enjoy her achievements as they came — she suggests that young swimmers should be in the moment more — but she’s now had an opportunity to reflect on her career.
“I look back and think that I did accomplish everything that I said I wanted to do,” Neal said. “When I was in it, when anyone is in it, in the thick of it, it’s really hard to be aware of your accomplishments. It's nice to have that reminder.”
Neal spent much of the past decade as one of Team USA’s top sprint freestylers. She won six medals, including four golds, at the World Championships and was a nine-time national champion and 26-time All-American while at Stanford University.
One of her biggest moments at Stanford came at the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championships when she finished second to teammate Simone Manuel and one spot ahead of the University of Florida’s Natalie Hinds in the 100-ysrd freestyle. It was the first time that Black swimmers finished 1-2-3 in the event.
Neal—who describes herself as “Blasian,” a nod to her father being Black and her mother Asian—was the first Black woman to swim in the final heat at an Olympics and the first Black woman to swim in multiple Olympics.
“I didn’t think too much about the color of my skin or my background or just being in a predominantly white sport growing up because I’m from New York and my team was one of the most diverse teams I’ve seen or swum with,” said Neal, who now serves as a board member for that team, Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics Swim Team. “But then, making my first [Olympic] team in 2012, I was starting to get asked that question more: ‘What does it feel like to be Black, Black-Chinese, in a predominantly white sport?’ It’s really brought it to my attention more.
“Representation is so important. I’m just glad that I was able to have that effect on some kids. It definitely means a lot when kids or their parents tell me or message me about the role that I played in their lives. I think that’s really surreal for sure.”
Neal now works as a strategist at Red Antler, an agency that helps start-ups such as Casper, which sells sleep products, and Allbirds, which sells footwear and apparel, build their brand. No one has recognized her on a video call as being a two-time Olympian, and she doesn’t bring it up to impress clients. She’s there to present her research and do her job.
She’s grateful for everything that her nearly 20 years in swimming brought her. In her Instagram post announcing her retirement, she said that her 12-year-old self from that long-ago interview “would have never imagined all the opportunities swimming would offer.”
She said her favorite thing from her swimming career was the opportunity to travel the world and meet friends from many countries. One trip in particular stands out: her months-long trip in 2018 to Austin, Texas; Louisville, Kentucky; Australia; and the Netherlands to train.
“It’s crazy to think of just how much it’s affected me and my life,” Neal said. “I didn’t know the path I was going to be put on when I first started taking lessons at age 6, let alone be doing it for the next 20 years, which is crazy to look back on. Not being in it, it’s made me very aware of how it’s heavily influenced the person that I am or my work ethic or just my way of thinking, operating, everything.”
She accomplished those goals when she won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2012 London Olympics and then did so again when she won a silver medal in the same event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics before announcing her retirement in May of 2021.
Neal, throughout her swimming career, focused on what was next, whether it was recording another personal best or qualifying for another team. This mindset didn’t always allow her to enjoy her achievements as they came — she suggests that young swimmers should be in the moment more — but she’s now had an opportunity to reflect on her career.
“I look back and think that I did accomplish everything that I said I wanted to do,” Neal said. “When I was in it, when anyone is in it, in the thick of it, it’s really hard to be aware of your accomplishments. It's nice to have that reminder.”
Neal spent much of the past decade as one of Team USA’s top sprint freestylers. She won six medals, including four golds, at the World Championships and was a nine-time national champion and 26-time All-American while at Stanford University.
One of her biggest moments at Stanford came at the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championships when she finished second to teammate Simone Manuel and one spot ahead of the University of Florida’s Natalie Hinds in the 100-ysrd freestyle. It was the first time that Black swimmers finished 1-2-3 in the event.
Neal—who describes herself as “Blasian,” a nod to her father being Black and her mother Asian—was the first Black woman to swim in the final heat at an Olympics and the first Black woman to swim in multiple Olympics.
“I didn’t think too much about the color of my skin or my background or just being in a predominantly white sport growing up because I’m from New York and my team was one of the most diverse teams I’ve seen or swum with,” said Neal, who now serves as a board member for that team, Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics Swim Team. “But then, making my first [Olympic] team in 2012, I was starting to get asked that question more: ‘What does it feel like to be Black, Black-Chinese, in a predominantly white sport?’ It’s really brought it to my attention more.
“Representation is so important. I’m just glad that I was able to have that effect on some kids. It definitely means a lot when kids or their parents tell me or message me about the role that I played in their lives. I think that’s really surreal for sure.”
Neal now works as a strategist at Red Antler, an agency that helps start-ups such as Casper, which sells sleep products, and Allbirds, which sells footwear and apparel, build their brand. No one has recognized her on a video call as being a two-time Olympian, and she doesn’t bring it up to impress clients. She’s there to present her research and do her job.
She’s grateful for everything that her nearly 20 years in swimming brought her. In her Instagram post announcing her retirement, she said that her 12-year-old self from that long-ago interview “would have never imagined all the opportunities swimming would offer.”
She said her favorite thing from her swimming career was the opportunity to travel the world and meet friends from many countries. One trip in particular stands out: her months-long trip in 2018 to Austin, Texas; Louisville, Kentucky; Australia; and the Netherlands to train.
“It’s crazy to think of just how much it’s affected me and my life,” Neal said. “I didn’t know the path I was going to be put on when I first started taking lessons at age 6, let alone be doing it for the next 20 years, which is crazy to look back on. Not being in it, it’s made me very aware of how it’s heavily influenced the person that I am or my work ethic or just my way of thinking, operating, everything.”