Podium Potpourri: Torri Huske Has Been a Consistent Star for Team USA
Swimming World continues its series of getting to know swimmers who have reached the podium on the world’s biggest stage. This edition features Torri Huske.
Torri Huske, 21, from Arlington, Va., was born Dec. 7, 2002. She’s been on the podium at the Olympics, the World Championships and the NCAA Championships (representing Stanford) in the past four years.
She competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021), winning a silver medal on the 4×100 medley relay. In 2021-22-23, Huske collected 20 medals at four different World Championships: two long course (2022 Budapest, 2023 Fukuoka) and two short course (2021 Abu Dhabi, 2022 Melbourne). Overall, she has 10 gold medals, five silver and five bronze.
She has proven herself to be a relay swimmer extraordinaire, with 15 of her 20 WC medals shared with her USA teammates. Individually, she earned three long course medals (gold: 100 fly, 2022 Budapest; 2 bronze: 100 free, 2022 Budapest, and 100 fly, 2023 Fukuoka) and two SCM (gold, 50 fly, and silver, 100 fly, both 2022 Melbourne).
At Budapest in 2022, Huske won six medals (3 gold, 3 bronze)—one of only four American women to win that many medals at one World Championships.
Additionally, Huske currently holds four American records: one individual (100 meter fly, LC, 55.64, from the 2022 Worlds in Budapest) and three SCM relay standards that were all set at the 2022 World Championships in Melbourne (4×50 FR, 1:33.89/24.08 leadoff; 4×100 FR, 3:26.29/51.73 leadoff; and 4×100 MR, 3:44.35/current world record/54.53 butterfly).
In her first two years of college, the Stanford junior placed among the top three finishers at NCAAs 11 times (2022: 2 individual and 3 relays, including first place in the 4×200 free relay; 2023: 3 individual and 3 relays).
WHAT IS YOUR PUMP-UP SONG BEFORE YOU GET BEHIND THE BLOCKS—OR IN THE READY ROOM?
Courtesy: Peter Bick
I don’t listen to music behind the blocks or in the ready room because I like feeling the energy of the crowd and people around me. I do listen to music when I do my dynamic stretching, though. My current favorites are (Taylor Swift’s) Reputation—the entire album on shuffle minus “New Year’s Day”—and some of The Weeknd’s (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) songs.
WAS THERE ANOTHER SPORT YOU PARTICIPATED IN WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER? ANY MEMORIES STAND OUT?
If I didn’t swim, I’d probably ice skate.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AND/OR BOOK? WHY?
My favorite series are the Red Rising series and anything by Sarah J. Maas.
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE…AND WHY?
I’ve thought about this one a lot. I’d like the power to stop time. This would give me so much time to be productive. Side note: In this world where I can stop time, I don’t age extra when time is stopped, and sound/light/other waves can still move so I can get Wi-Fi.
WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR MEDALS?
At home with my parents.
WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND ON THE PODIUM AT WORLDS/OLYMPICS/NCAAs…AND HOW DID THEY DIFFER?
My feelings for all of them were relatively similar. NCAAs is special because you spend the whole year with these people and you see the work they put in every day.
The World Championships and the Olympics are special in a different way because you get to represent not only your teammates at home, but your family and country.
WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO FOOD TO CELEBRATE AFTER A BIG MEET?
If I could go out after a meet, I’d probably want a nice steak.