Hall of Famer Craig Beardsley Joins Inside with Brett Hawke Podcast For In-Depth Interview
A little more than a month after he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, American butterfly great Craig Beardsley joined the Inside with Brett Hawke Podcast. Beardsley and Hawke, a two-time Olympian for his native Australia, covered numerous topics during the interview, including Beardsley’s enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.
Beardsley was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of a sensational class, one which also included Australian legends Jon Sieben and Michael Klim. Beardsley had a huge cheering section during the event in Fort Lauderdale, as many of his former teammates made the trip to Florida to celebrate a man whose excellence in the water is matched by who he is as a person.
A world-record holder in the 200 butterfly, Beardsley spoke with Hawke about his prime event and the United States’ 1980 boycott of the Olympic Games, which prevented Beardsley and hundreds of American athletes from competing on the biggest stage in the sport. While Beardsley was denied his Olympic opportunity, he was a Pan-American champion and NCAA titlist in the 200 fly.
The interview also focused on Beardsley’s time with Swim Across America, with the American serving a key role in raising millions of dollars for cancer research.
This episode of the Inside with Brett Hawke Podcast is the latest in a long line of interviews with the greats of the sport. With nearly 300 interviews conducted, Hawke has created a can’t-miss show that is defined by tremendous storytelling and question-and-answer segments.
The full interview with Beardsley can be found here or by clicking below. The main YouTube page for the podcast can be found here.