Kasia Wasick heads to San Antonio this week for the TYR Pro Swim Series, with a little different agenda than most of the field.
Wasick, is not gearing up for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. She has already qualified for her fifth Olympic team for Poland and is using San Antonio as her last chance to race a star-studded field until Paris.
“It means a lot to make a fifth Olympic team,” Kasia Wasick told Swimming World. “My journey wasn’t easy to get to the fifth Olympics. I retired in 2016, came back in 2018, won my first international medal in 2020, then 2022 I got my first world championships medal. It means a lot that my body could handle the sport for so many years. I really love it. I love every part of it, and I am grateful for the chance to still be able to do it.”
Wasick finished fifth at the Olympics in Tokyo in the 50 free. She then medaled later that year at the Short Course European Championships (November in Kazan: silver, 50 and 100 free) and Short Course World Championships (December in Abu Dhabi: bronze, 50 free). Then she earned the silver medal in the 50 freestyle at the FINA World Championships in Budapest in 2022.
Every year, Wasick seems to add a huge layer to her sprinting as she aims for an Olympic medal.
“I still have big goals and I think Paris is the one that will finally make my dreams come true,” Kasia Wasick said.
Part of her dreams will come true no matter what, having her family in the stands.
“Every Olympics is different. I am not expecting that it will be the same. Something will surprise me. But that is all exciting. I am excited to have my family there. It is pretty close to Poland, so they are going to be there,” she said.
Wasick has been training in Las Vegas for five years but recently moved to Dallas to train with SMU.
That came from a family decision.
“Basically, my husband was traveling to Dallas for work more and more, so we finally made the decision to move to Texas. I was lucky enough to connect with Ozzie (Quevedo) and right away, it clicked. I came in and knew I would stay there, and it would be the place I would be training for Paris. Of course, it was emotional leaving Las Vegas because I was there for five years, and they led me to great success. But they understood it was my life and I had to do what was best. They are still in my corner,” Kasia Wasick said. “And I have a big support system.”
Now, a fifth Olympics is on the horizon, all because of a lesson she learned as a masters swimmer.
“When I came back, I started swimming masters and they are the ones who showed me that age is just a number,” she said. “If I believe I can, I will do it. I give them a lot of credit because they put the joy and the belief back in me.”