Q&A
Why did you start swimming?
I started swimming when I was seven. I wasn't very good at land sports. I have chronic asthma, and usually end up in the hospital every two years. Swimming is more compatible with asthma than land sports. The controlled environment of a swimming pool is very good for me.

The butterfly seems like a difficult race. Is training for it hard?
It is very hard. When I was training before my first Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, I was so tired. I had never done the whole thing of lifting weights, swimming twice a day for two hours each time. I was overwhelmed. I barely made it back to my dorm room some times.

What was it like trying out for the Olympic team in 1996?
At the trials in 1996, no one knew what to expect of me, so there was no pressure. I won the 200-meter butterfly and made the Olympic team. That was a huge boost for me.

The Olympic Trials made me realize that there are two sides to everything. It was devastating to the guys who didn't make the team. It prepared me for other meets where I would come out on the short end. The underdog can succeed.

What was it like to win an Olympic medal?
In the finals for the 200-meter butterfly, I had a poor start. I was in eighth place, but then fifth, then fourth. I thought I wasn't in the medals at that point. I touched the wall and was surprised to see other swimmers still finishing. I saw my family and friends going crazy. It finally clicked. I had won the silver medal.

All that hard work paid off when I stood at the Olympics and had that silver medal placed around my neck.

The Olympic Spirit in YOU!
Tom Malchow became an Olympian in spite of an asthma condition that kept him from most sports. He turned a negative situation into a positive impact on his life. Try the following exercise to help understand how to overcome obstacles.

Interview a special person who overcame an obstacle to reach a goal. The person could be a friend, teacher, community leader, or family member. Write down what obstacle your special person faced. Write down how that special person overcame that obstacle. Write a paragraph about what you learned from your special person about overcoming obstacles.

More Interviews

Akhnaten Spencer-El Alison Dunlap Anna Kozlova Barb Kunkel Chris Witty Dominique Moceanu Dan O'Brien Hunter Kemper

Jimmy Pedro Kevin Han Lindsay Davenport Laura Wilkinson Lisa Fernandez Mark Ruiz Ruthie Bolton-Holifield Tom Malchow

With thanks to Bob Schaller. For more great stories about Olympians, ask your librarian about The Olympic Dream and Spirit, Vol. 1,2, and 3, with Bob Schaller, and Awaken the Olympian Within compiled by John Naber.