Composed in competition at the World Aquatics Championships, these athletes caught our attention with what they had to say once they stepped out of the pool.
Artistic Swimming
"I think we have done well today. Everyone in our team was fighting for this competition and we did our best to focus. We had a great performance. For this competition, we trained hard every day and every athlete is tired and exhausted. But we helped each other and we inspired each other."
- Wang Liuyi (CHN), People’s Republic of China, Gold, Artistic Swimming, Team, Free, Final
Diving
"Honestly this bronze medal was a long time coming. I took a year off after my failed dive in the Olympics and I was really traumatized by the whole experience. It was really difficult for me to come back to diving after that. My comeback year was also a really tough year for me. But I am trying my best to forget all about the past. My mindset is that what happened in the past is ancient history and that it is ‘gone with the wind’. I finally can stand on the board with a renewed level of calmness and confidence. I am so glad to be back."
- Pamela Ware (CAN), Bronze, Diving, Women’s 3m Springboard
Water Polo
"A match like that? To sum it up in a few words - a dream come true. It’s a learning curve. You take it on the chin and learn from experienced men.
- Manqoba Bungane (RSA), South Africa, Water Polo, Men’s Group D, Spain 27 d South Africa 6
Swimming
"I am just really excited to be honest. I think it's the first time the three of us have raced where Summer (McIntosh) is now the world record holder and it's a lot more of an even keel between the three of us. We have this opportunity to push each other and see how fast we can go. I think it’s exciting for women’s sport that the hype around the opening night of racing is around the Women’s 400m Freestyle and I feel really lucky about that.
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS), Swimming, Pre-Competition Press Conference
Coaches Corner
"In the sport of swimming, we are doing quite well. There are people that are challenging the super suit records and we thought that would never happen on either the men’s and women’s side. I think there are people out there pushing the sport forward and we are learning how to get faster all the time so I think from that standpoint it's still evolving into a positive direction.
"In terms of the main superstars out there, there are some athletes with star quality and we are going to see three of them in the 400m free. I am looking forward to seeing those races and I am excited to see (how that race unfolds)."
- Bob Bowman (USA), United States of America Coach, Swimming, Pre-Competition Press Conference