BY MIKE WATKINS//Special Correspondent
What can you say about Aaron Peirsol that hasn’t already been written or broadcast hundreds of times over the course of his illustrious swimming career?
Three-time Olympic gold-medalist, world record-holder, unbeaten for the past six years in his signature 200 backstroke, acid-jazz, folk-reggae musician, environmentalist, proud big brother, consummate professional, surfer dude.
With all that is already known about Peirsol and all that he’s accomplished in his swimming career, one thing people can’t say about the two-time Olympian is that he’s complacent.
If anything, he is constantly striving to be the best he can be.
Tough orders for someone who really has very little left to prove.
“(2006) was a great learning year for me, but I feel like I still have much more to learn about myself and how that translates to swimming,” said Peirsol, who won both backstroke events this summer at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships. “I’m at the point in my career now where I can really enjoy everything. I have a better grasp of what I’m doing and where I still need to go for the 2008 Olympics.”
Even though he’s driven by his desire to continuously improve, Peirsol remains one of the most modest athletes – swimmers or otherwise – in the game.
He shies away from the limelight, prefers to share his accomplishments with his teammates, coaches, friends and family, and doesn’t get caught up in awards or records.
The fact that he’s nominated this weekend for two individual Golden Goggles Awards – Male Performance of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year, an honor he won at last year’s awards – almost contradicts his beliefs that his own accomplishments are secondary to team success.
“I like winning – don’t get me wrong – but I get a special feeling when I see one of my teammates succeed, especially Brendan or Ian. They’re my boys,” said Peirsol, who is an ambassador for the Surfrider Foundation and a spokesperson for Oceana. “I’ve never swum for the glory. I hold my relationships in the highest regard and believe it’s the friends I’ve made in and out of the sport that have been the real reward for me.”
Earlier this spring, Peirsol experienced something unique in his swimming career – an injury. He partially separated the AC joint in his shoulder and was forced to train with one arm for three weeks while it healed.
Prior to that, he had remained relatively injury-free, and being limited in his training – and seeing the sport he loves at a different angle – gave him a new perspective on swimming and life.
“I had a very tough time dealing with being injured because I’d never had to go through that before,” Peirsol said. “The upside to the whole thing was that while it threw me off schedule for a few weeks, it gave me a glimpse of what life could be like without swimming. When the shoulder was better, I went into training with a much different outlook and attitude. It re-affirmed how much I want to keep swimming.”
For now, Peirsol remains motivated to continue to prepare for the 2007 World Championships in March and eventually Beijing in 2008. Beyond that, anything can happen – in and outside of swimming.
“I honestly don’t think I’ll be ready to retire after 2008, but it depends on what happens in Beijing,” Peirsol said. “As of right now, I have no inclination to call it a career. I’m still having too much fun and still enjoy everything about swimming. I’m looking forward to the future.”
2006 USA Swimming