PHOENIX, Arizona, September 28. TRENT Grimsey joins today's edition of The Morning Swim Show shortly after accomplishing his world record swim across the famed English Channel.
Grimsey crossed the Channel in under seven hours, breaking the record set by the great Petar Stoychev. Grimsey trained for the swim for three years, using every competition in that time to tune him up for the grueling crossing. He says the Channel is now addictive to him, and he talks about plans to swim across again. He also looks ahead to next year's world championships and further down the road to the Rio Olympics, where he wants to be on the medal podium. Be sure to visit SwimmingWorld.TV for more video interviews.
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Jeff Commings: This is the Morning Swim show for Friday, September 28th, 2012. I am your host Jeff Commings. On today's show, Trent Grimsey, the fastest man across the English Channel will join us in the FINIS Monitor. Grimsey crossed the popular stretch of water in 6 hours and 55 minutes, a remarkable feat made more amazing by the fact that it was his first time swimming in the English Channel. Trent joins us right now from his home in Brisbane, Australia. Trent good to see you today, how are you?
Trent Grimsey: I am good. Thank you and thanks for having me on the show.
Jeff: Our pleasure. Congratulations on the swim. It must be, you know 2 weeks later still just kind of making you feel good?
Trent: Definitely, look I mean it is like every time I think about it I still about it like for hours it is just – I can't believe that has really happened. I still don't even think sunk in properly yet so it is — I am just over the moon.
Jeff: Well I would imagine this kind of – you know I know you have been get to compete in the Olympics, but at least it kind of maybe a equates to winning an Olympic gold medal. I mean you are the fastest to ever make that crossing.
Trent: That is it and look I mean I think I am just as happy now having this record as I would be probably with an Olympic gold medal to be honest. Look I think sitting at home watching the Olympics match on swimming it definitely reminded me what this record even more and definitely made me more focused and train harder to get the record.
Jeff: Now when you first made the decision to cross the English Channel, were you just thinking I just want to make it across or did you always have your eye on Petar Stoychev's world record?
Trent: Look I always had my eye on the world record to be honest. I don't like doing things and not being the best or the fastest so I mean as soon as I guess I booked it back in 2009 I booked my place with my pilot and yeah I mean I knew then that I wanted to break a record and I wanted to want to go under seven hours.
Jeff: So you basically had 3 years of waiting for this moment to happen, was that right?
Trent: Oh yeah, I guess so. I mean obviously I need to get a spot, a good tide a good position and that tide you need to book like in advance so I booked in 2009 and I was the first swimmer in my time with my pilot so look and I mean I was just lucky enough they come a day I had good conditions the seas were reasonably fat and look everything just went my way.
Jeff: Yeah, most people talk about when they do the English Channel swim it is very rough, the tides are rough. It is a major shipping channel. You got all these boats and ships coming through so you are saying it was pretty much calm the whole swim for you?
Trent: Well there was 3 hours in the middle of the day where it did get a little choppy about I mean yeah for it was pretty flat like the start and the finish, but yeah I mean as I said before it is a busy shipping lane in the world there are quite a few ships that came pretty close sometimes and I mean there is a lot of marine life we saw out there too but I hope it was just great and yeah I did have pretty good condition so I was really lucky.
Jeff: Well now you are the fastest man to make a single crossing, do you ever think about doing a double crossing maybe even a triple crossing?
Trent: Look I definitely am. It is really hard to explain the English Channel, it is, I mean I think the only people that ever swam it before can really understand but you swim it once and it is just not really enough. You got to keep going back there and I will definitely go back and I am booked in again for 2014 because I honestly believe I can knock probably another 5 or 10 minutes off that time I did so I will just do a solo in 2014 and maybe the year after by that might attempt the double.
Jeff: So you figured you just said you came about 5 or 10 minutes off and what do you think that will be just better conditioning?
Trent: Yeah, look hopefully better conditions. I mean I went into it not fully understanding just what to expect so I think there a lot of things that if I was to do it again I will probably do it slightly different. I mean what to expect now. I know just when it is going to get tough mentally and physically so I mean I will just slightly change my training to I guess accommodate for those things.
Jeff: Well you had a pretty good year in 2012 not just the English Channel crossing. You were the FINA Open Water Grand Prix Circuit winner. You dethroned Peter Stoychev again who had been winning every year, what has been the key to your success in 2012?
Trent: Well I think, I mean am just in a really, really happy place at the moment like I have just got a really good team like I train with both my brothers, Ridge and Codie at Lawnton Swim Club and now we have got a really good team there. It is a really good setup and it is just a good network of people around me as well, but really good physio, doctor, massage therapist and I mean like I am still living at home with my family too so it is I am just really comfortable where I am at the moment. It is really enjoying swimming and I think that helps makes you happy and just everyday life. It makes things a lot easier.
Jeff: It definitely does. So I imagine next on your list is world championship and Olympic medals.
Trent: That is it. I mean world championships next year are in Barcelona so I definitely like to win a gold medal there. That is the next big goal.
Jeff: Well you know the Olympics a 10K which is a lot shorter than what you have been swimming this year. You have been doing a lot of longer swims 30K, 25K. The English Channel I believe was about 34K so you know is that deemed a sprint for you to do a 10K?
Trent: Not really, I guess like I kind of grew up being a pool swimmer. I guess I made a switch in 2008 from pool to open water so I guess I still do have that 1500 speed, well it is not what it used to be. It is, I mean I still can swim a decent 1500 so I think I am very lucky in that respect. I am still having that speed so look it shouldn't be too hard to go back down to the 10K. If anything I think swimming those long swims, it has definitely helped my endurance. So now just tweak my training a little bit do a bit paid work and look I think I should be fine to start racing the 10K's again.
Jeff: Do you think you want to do what Ous Mellouli did, win a medal in the 1500 in the pool in Rio and then win a medal in the 10K as well?
Trent: No, I definitely don't. I think my pool swimming days are truly over. I just I like open water I think, I still race pool a little bit but it is I mean I don't have the speed now. I mean we have a little bit fast young guys coming up in Australia in the 1500 and I just don't have the speed those guys have now, but I struggle to break 4 minutes for the 400 and these guys are swimming like 3:50s so I am happy with my open water now so yeah I will just be focusing on there.
Jeff: Well you mentioned your brother's Codie and Ridge. They swam in the Tiburon Mile which you have also swam in on the same weekend you were doing your English Channel swim so is it a case of them just kind of wanting to follow in your footsteps and not let you have all the glory?
Trent: I think I mean it is really good training with them because it is like we push each other. Like Ridge he came from a pool background as well like we all did so but Ridge is more 200, 400. He has got that speed, that really fast speed me and Codie don't really have so I mean it is great to rest him in the sprint sets and Codie is like almost – with me so he is more endurance so expect to race him and I guess those longer sets we are doing so it is just a really good environment down in the pool now. And look I think we fade off each others success as well like I get a really peak as I have seen them swimming so well and I think they do seen me swimming as well.
Jeff: It has probably been a big help having them to train with. I mean these long sets probably can get pretty boring.
Trent: Oh without a doubt, yes that is why I have others there to keep you company I mean it does get pretty lonely when doing things by yourself.
Jeff: Well it has been great kind of watching you progress over the years. I remember when you were kind of making open water debuts back in 2008, 2009 and to — I mean looking back I mean did you really think that 2012, you would be the fastest man to cross the English Channel and the best marathon swimmer in the world?
Trent: Look, I mean I always had the dream, but I guess t just like anyone like you have to dream. You want it to happen, but in the back of your mind there is a little bit of doubt, and look we mean we just kind of like my coach and I just prepared from world championships after that we said it's just like 18 months out we swim the channel that is really the right thing we can so to make sure 2012 is a good year and we do everything we can to swim well.
Jeff: Well I am sure 2013 is going to be just as good Trent. Thanks so much for joining us and best of luck to everything you do down the road.
Trent: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me on the show.
Jeff: All right. So that is Trent Grimsey joining us from Brisbane, Australia talking about his English Channel swim and that is going to do it for today's edition of the morning swim show. As always we invite you to post your thoughts on topics discussed on today's show either on swimmingworld.com on Facebook or on Twitter. Thanks for watching and enjoy the weekend.
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