World champion Megan Romano will be heading home in her leadup to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials as the clutch anchor will now call the South Florida Aquatic Club’s ProFlo Group home, the club announced tonight.
Romano joins a burgeoning women’s pro group that includes Jamaican Olympian Alia Atkinson and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Claire Donahue.
Romano, a graduate of the University of Georgia who has been a bit of a nomad since having a tremendous 2013 that including a pair of relay world titles in Barcelona, is headed back to the state she was born.
“I am really excited to be here and training outside,” Romano said in the announcement. “I grew up in Florida and I love being outdoors. I love the girls and the guys. It’s such a great group of people. They are my age and we are all training for the same goal. And, this is such a beautiful area down here.”
Romano was born in Tampa, grew up in St. Petersburg and first began swimming when she was 6 years old in Florida. She swam at St. Petersburg Aquatics before heading on to Georgia.
“I recently got a fire under me and I want to give it another shot,” Romano said. “I really want to make the team. I have goals I want to accomplish. I am having fun with it again. I am going to give it everything I have. I already feel way more better in the water than I have in a long time. My goal now is to make the [Olympic] team. I am not going to get too specific with my goals. I want to make the team and medal in whatever it is.”
Romano has made several international teams, but just missed the Olympic squad in 2012 by one place when she took seventh in the 200-meter freestyle and did not gain a place on the 800 free relay squad.
According to the SoFlo release”
Three weeks after the 2012 U.S. Trials at the U.S. Open in Indianapolis, Romano won the 100-meter freestyle in a meet record 53.92, 200-meter backstroke in 2:09.08 and 200-meter freestyle in another meet record of 1:57.54. With those swims she would have made the Olympic team in all three events and won the 100 freestyle at Trials.
With that close call behind her, Romano is ready for another step in her swimming journey.
I will believe it when I see it…..a dedicated swimmer! She has been with 4 different programs in the last 5 months. She is definitely talented but dedicated??????
That’s gonna be a cool move…
Good luck Megan #SPM