Change of Scenery Was Medal-Worth Decision for Caspar Corbeau
The check list for Caspar Corbeau, after the 2023 World Championships, had three main line items.
He was 22 but with nearly a decade on the global stage under his belt and contemplating what he wanted out of the rest of his career.
The self-appraisal went like this: Am I enjoying the sport? Is it financially feasible? Am I having success?
The answer to No. 1 was, “well, not always,” in part because of a negative on the third question. So the former Texas Longhorn made a change, relocating to a training group in the Netherlands. With his rediscovered joy has come an unequivocal answer to the third question.
“I think right now I’m checking all three boxes,” Corbeau said, bronze medal in the men’s 200 breaststroke from the Paris Olympics around his neck. “So I think I’ll continue on.”
Corbeau has found a new outlook on swimming in Amsterdam, the California native training with Arno Kamminga, Tes Schouten and Kenzo Simons, the backbone of the Dutch team. Between them, they have four Olympic medals – silvers for Kamming in the 100 and 200 breast in Tokyo; bronze for Schouten in the women’s 200 breast after she won a world title in that event in Doha earlier this year.
Caspar Corbeau; Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala/DeepBlueMedia
The training environment has not only pushed Corbeau to better times but has reinvigorated his outlook on the sport.
“We see every day how much work Kenzo, Tes and I put in and we have the struggles we go through and the ups and downs of life in general,” he said. “And to be able to compete here as one solid group is really, really special. And, of course, seeing another person do it is only going to motivate yourself.”
Corbeau was born in California and raised in Oregon. He traces his Dutch heritage through his father’s side of the family. After his career at the University of Texas, Corbeau felt he needed a change. His training wasn’t correlating to improvement and proving a mental drain.
In Amsterdam, things have turned around. He went a best time of 59.04 in prelims of the men’s 100 breaststroke, though he was notably slower in 59.98 in the final to finish eighth.
In the 200, the work shone through in December when he set a best time of 2:07.99 at the Rotterdam qualification meet. He was in the 2:09s in prelims and semis in Paris before uncorking a 2:07.90 to grab bronze.
“I think when you end up not progressing with how much work you put in to everything, you kind of get frustrated and think, if I’m not enjoying it, then why am I doing it,” Corbeau said.
It built on a big breakthrough at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha this year, when he took the silver medal in 2:08.24 in the 200, behind China’s Dong Zhihao. He was tied for seventh in the 100 at that meet. It’s been part of a busier schedule of racing since his move to Amsterdam, which he thinks has paid off.
“I think the years before, I didn’t really race too much,” he said. “It was just a lot of training. And this year has been incorporating a lot more racing, which over time builds confidence because you do the same thing over and over again at a high level and you think, Oh, why can’t I do it again?”
Corbeau has been around for a long time but is only 23. The Los Angeles Games in 2028 could end up as a homecoming of sorts for him. Before the Amsterdam move, he would’ve considered swimming on a long shot.
But he’s got wind in his sails now and a pathway to progress in a field where many of the biggest names – Kamminga, Adam Peaty, Nic Fink – are in their late 20s.
“Last year, I didn’t know if I wanted to continue after this year,” he said. “This was a step that I took to see if I could find more success. And also, find my love for sport again. I think this is a great way to end the season, and I’ve accomplished both those goals.”