NORTHERN PLANNER

This is Matt Biondi. One the all time swimming legends.

His record speaks for itself – 11 Olympic medals – 8 golds, 2 silver and 1 bronze. The most ever won by an athlete. He was only the second person to win 7 medals at one games too (1988). His seven golds at the 1986 world championships in Madrid was a record as well. He owned his best event, 100 freestyle and at one point he had the ten fastest times ever. He was invincible.

He was the definitive swimmer when I was competing. I’ve admired Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps since, but Biondi was in my era and he was great.

I really loved his freestyle stroke. He was a powerhouse – absolutely textbook, he didn’t even look like he was trying. There was little foaming water around him, he just glided along with this perfect execution of simplicity. But that’s not as basic as it sounds. To have a stroke like that needs practise of course, but that’s nothing without feel. And he had a feel for the water like a pianist has for the keys. You can teach techinique, but feel is something you either have or you don’t. Other freestylers bludgeon their way forward, he caressed the pool. It was like moonwalking underwater.

He loved competing. When it came to the big events he nearly always delivered. "Enjoy the moment and quit worrying about winning or losing", he said once. He didn’t mean ‘it’s the taking part that counts’ trust me. It was just that he didn’t like beating others as much as beating himself.

He wanted to do his best and never stop moving forward. Of course he was so far out in front he had no one else to COMPETE WITH! But what he was trying to say was that if you concentrate on the moment, how you’re feeling, what YOU’RE going to do, what the other people do is irrelevant.

So while he was one of the great competitors, he was also one of the nicest. I met him once. He was only putting a medal around my neck, but he took the time to have a quick chat with me and the other boys. He was genuinely interested. He talked to us pretty much about the stuff above and I never forgot it.

That’s how I stumble through big moments. I don’t worry about what other people might be doing to beat me, I focus on what I’ve done to get here and what I can do to be better than I was last time. If someone is better in the end, well tough. If I’ve done my best and it’s better than last time, who can ask for more?

They say you should never meet you’re heroes, but Biondi was an exception for me. He showed grace in the pool, and out of it.

Oh, and in his first race his swimsuit came off during his dive. Not everyone starts well…