Friday, May 27, 2022
Charlie Clark is ‘Swimming’ Proof
No one is more surprised that Charlie Clark earned a spot on this summer’s FINA World Aquatics Championships team than Charlie Clark.
After all, it was just under five years ago when Clark was on almost no one’s radar in the pool.
What a difference a few years can make.
Clark is ‘swimming’ proof.
“Making an A tier meet has been a dream since I joined the sport, and now I’m living it,” he said. “No one expected me to get to this level — and I questioned if I could do it. Now, I’m heading to Budapest (Hungary) in a few weeks to swim again the best in the world.”
Clark’s journey to the pinnacle of international swimming outside of the Olympics began while watching the 2008 Games on TV as a 6-year-old.
He was entranced and inspired by Michael Phelps’ amazing 8 gold medals in Beijing.
“After seeing him, I knew I wanted to be like him, so my parents enrolled me in swimming lessons,” said Clark, who grew up in Sandusky, Ohio.
“I tried out for the local swim club in my town, but didn’t make the team. So, I joined the YMCA at 7 years old and then switched back to the club team.
He swam there all through high school before joining the Ohio State swim team two years ago.
A self-described ‘late developer,’ Clark said it wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he blossomed in the pool.
Since then, he credits his time training with other world-class swimmers and coaches in Columbus to his growing success.
“I remember my freshman year of high school, I told a teammate I wanted to qualify for Olympic Trials, and he laughed at me,” said Clark, who won the Big Ten title this year in the 1650 freestyle against 2020 Olympians Jake Mitchell (Michigan) and Michael Brinegar (Indiana) and made NCAAs finals in the event.
“I was the first swimmer from my club team to swim for a Division I school, so I’m proud of that accomplishment. But now, I’m always looking forward to my next goal.”
That next goal is the 2022 FINA World Championships from June 18-25 — the first since 2019 due to COVID in 2020 and the delayed Olympics in 2021.
But before he arrives in Budapest, Clark is training at altitude in Colorado Springs for a couple weeks. After that, he’ll return to Ohio for a few days and then leave for the U.S. Worlds training camp in Croatia.
With this being his first international meet at any level, Clark said he’s mostly interested in gaining more experience toward his ultimate goal: making the 2024 and/or 2028 Olympic teams.
Last summer at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, he came closer than he ever could have imagined – fifth in the 1500-meter free.
But his recent second-place finish at last month’s Phillips 66 International Team Trials—only behind Olympic champion Bobby Finke—proved his hard work and dedication to getting stronger, building a better aerobic base and improving his overall race strategy is right where he wants to be two years out from Paris.
“I’m looking at this as a ‘wide-eyed summer of a lifetime,’ with the opportunity to race and get better for the future,” said Clark, whose time at Nationals is the sixth fastest in the world this year.
“Of course want to win a medal, but that’s not necessarily my expectation. Whatever happens, I know Worlds will give me a lot of confidence for 2024. At this point, everything I do is dedicated to making me faster.”
After all, it was just under five years ago when Clark was on almost no one’s radar in the pool.
What a difference a few years can make.
Clark is ‘swimming’ proof.
“Making an A tier meet has been a dream since I joined the sport, and now I’m living it,” he said. “No one expected me to get to this level — and I questioned if I could do it. Now, I’m heading to Budapest (Hungary) in a few weeks to swim again the best in the world.”
Clark’s journey to the pinnacle of international swimming outside of the Olympics began while watching the 2008 Games on TV as a 6-year-old.
He was entranced and inspired by Michael Phelps’ amazing 8 gold medals in Beijing.
“After seeing him, I knew I wanted to be like him, so my parents enrolled me in swimming lessons,” said Clark, who grew up in Sandusky, Ohio.
“I tried out for the local swim club in my town, but didn’t make the team. So, I joined the YMCA at 7 years old and then switched back to the club team.
He swam there all through high school before joining the Ohio State swim team two years ago.
A self-described ‘late developer,’ Clark said it wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he blossomed in the pool.
Since then, he credits his time training with other world-class swimmers and coaches in Columbus to his growing success.
“I remember my freshman year of high school, I told a teammate I wanted to qualify for Olympic Trials, and he laughed at me,” said Clark, who won the Big Ten title this year in the 1650 freestyle against 2020 Olympians Jake Mitchell (Michigan) and Michael Brinegar (Indiana) and made NCAAs finals in the event.
“I was the first swimmer from my club team to swim for a Division I school, so I’m proud of that accomplishment. But now, I’m always looking forward to my next goal.”
That next goal is the 2022 FINA World Championships from June 18-25 — the first since 2019 due to COVID in 2020 and the delayed Olympics in 2021.
But before he arrives in Budapest, Clark is training at altitude in Colorado Springs for a couple weeks. After that, he’ll return to Ohio for a few days and then leave for the U.S. Worlds training camp in Croatia.
With this being his first international meet at any level, Clark said he’s mostly interested in gaining more experience toward his ultimate goal: making the 2024 and/or 2028 Olympic teams.
Last summer at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, he came closer than he ever could have imagined – fifth in the 1500-meter free.
But his recent second-place finish at last month’s Phillips 66 International Team Trials—only behind Olympic champion Bobby Finke—proved his hard work and dedication to getting stronger, building a better aerobic base and improving his overall race strategy is right where he wants to be two years out from Paris.
“I’m looking at this as a ‘wide-eyed summer of a lifetime,’ with the opportunity to race and get better for the future,” said Clark, whose time at Nationals is the sixth fastest in the world this year.
“Of course want to win a medal, but that’s not necessarily my expectation. Whatever happens, I know Worlds will give me a lot of confidence for 2024. At this point, everything I do is dedicated to making me faster.”