By Temarie Tomley, Swimming World College Intern
Hali Flickinger will be representing the USA in Rio in the 200 fly. This will be her first Olympics, which she’s been building towards since Olympic Trials in 2012. Things came together for her on day 5 of this year’s Olympic Trials, when she touched second behind Cammile Adams in a time of 2:07.5 to earn a spot on the USA Olympic Team.
Flickinger finished up her college swimming career this past year at the University of Georgia, helping her team to the 2016 NCAA Championship. Although she started her college career off with an injury, she leaves Georgia with two school records and many NCAA and SEC wins to her name.
Here are some things that you should know about Hali…
1. She has an amazing work ethic and is a silent leader.
Photo Courtesy: Sue Borst
Hali is known on her Georgia team for having an unbeatable work ethic. According to Bulldog teammate Anna McKenzie, “She always throws down something insane.” And this is exactly what we hope to see from her at the upcoming Games. We should all be excited to watch her race and see what insanity she has in store. Hali, a powerful force in the pool, is also known as being a silent leader on her team, letting her training set an example and inspire others.
2. She trains hard, but races even harder.
Hali has a great mindset and it shows in her love for racing. She doesn’t like easy wins though– she likes being pushed to win. The 200 fly is a difficult race, and many swimmers wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot skimmer pole, but Hali has made this race her own. Whenever she races, she’s consistent, tough, and reliable. She will be adding these important qualities along with her ability to perform no matter what the stage to the star-studded Olympic Team.
3. She’s just like us.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
She loves ice cream! Some of her favorites are Ben and Jerry’s and Dairy Queen. She recently posted a photo to Instagram of her eating ice cream with Olympic teammates Olivia Smoliga, Leah Smith, and Simone Manuel in Atlanta. Along with ice cream, she loves reality TV, accounting (although that wasn’t her major), and animals. Hali frequently retweets photos and videos of animals, mainly cats, being cute and funny on her Twitter page.
4. She’s engaged!
Sorry, boys, she’s taken! Martin Grodzki proposed to her after NCAAs this year. Grodzki, a former Georgia Bulldog swimmer, has also been a National Champion during his time at Georgia, making them the ultimate power couple. There’s nothing cuter than two swimmers who end up together: let’s not forget the beautiful Annie and Matt Grevers! Grodzki and the rest of the country will definitely be cheering Hali on in her Olympic debut!
Good luck, Hali! And good luck to all of the incredible athletes who make up the US Olympic Swim Team!
*Thank you to Hali’s teammates, Anna McKenzie and Stephanie Peters, for contributing to this article!