World champion swimmer Carson Foster spoke with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about his 2023 Golden Goggle nomination for “Male Athlete of the Year.” This was based on his performances at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
“The nomination was cool,” he admitted. “I am honored to be included even though I don’t anticipate winning. I am up alongside some guys who’ve had a great summer. To be listed in the ‘Top 4 Males’ this summer is really nice. I am glad I am nominated again this year at the Golden Goggles.”
He won the silver medal in the men’s 400 meter IM race with a time of 4:06.56, thus earning his second consecutive world championship medal in the event. “I was able to tie my personal best,” he said. “It was a good race. I was on pace to go much faster and some of my strengths weren’t executed the way I wanted to so that leaves a lot of room for improvement to grow next year. I did improve a lot of things from last year, so that gives me a framework to hopefully drop a few seconds going into an Olympic year.”
In the men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay race, his split was a remarkable 1:44.49. “That race was really cool,” he said. “I love being on relays, especially this one. I always tend to be on it with some of my best friends such as Drew Kibler, Trenton Julian, Jake Mitchell, Kieran Smith, and Luke Hobson.
Short course world record
Last December, he broke a world record at the Short Course Worlds in Melbourne as part of the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay for Team USA with a time of 6:44.12. “That was so cool and what made that world record even more special was that I did it with three of my best friends,” he said.
400 IM: His best event
Foster listed the 400 IM as his “best event.” He also complimented Anthony Nesty, who will be the Men’s Head Coach for Team USA at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris along with Todd DeSorbo, who will serve as the Women’s Head Coach. “Nesty is a great coach,” he exclaimed.
Carson Foster: The ‘Pro’ Athlete
Foster noted that he went pro back in May of 2023. “Swimming is a sport where not much changes when you go from the college level to the professional level besides that you don’t compete in the NCAAs,” he said.
“Nothing has changed with the exception that I can now get more sponsorships and more financial opportunities. I still train at Texas with the team,” he added.
David Johnston
Foster had kind words about his teammate and friend David Johnson, who was the national champion in the men’s 400 meter freestyle race earlier this summer. “David is awesome, he is a character… I love David. Everyone on the team loves David,” Foster exclaimed.
Eddie Reese retirement
He also spoke about the forthcoming retirement of his coach, the living legend Eddie Reese. “Historically, Texas has the best swimming program in the country. I’ve known about his retirement t for a little bit,” he admitted about his iconic coach’s forthcoming retirement, which was recently announced officially.
“It’s sad but I am excited for Eddie. It will be a new chapter for him, and I am excited for the program. He has left a remarkable impact on the program that will never go away,” Foster said.
“Wyatt Collins, associate head coach, is the best. He has really taken me under his wing the last few years. Eddie is the mastermind behind all of the training and Wyatt is the guy that personalizes things, so I’ve gotten a lot of help from Wyatt,” he said.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Foster said, “Growing Up.” “I’m in an area in my life where I am a professional swimmer now, and I will get married in August of 2024, right after the Olympics. This will be my first big summer as a professional athlete, and I will be finishing up college. A lot of chapters are closing and a lot of new ones are opening. I feel like I’m starting to become a lot more of a grownup, which is pretty cool but also brings along some new stressors.”
Favorite strokes
On his favorite stroke in the sport, he revealed, “Freestyle is my favorite stroke but I also enjoy training backstroke.”
Mizuno USA partnership
He shared that his partnership with Mizuno USA is “going awesome.” “I am very lucky to be with Mizuno,” he exclaimed. “That was my goal the entire time when I went pro… to stay with Mizuno. I am very lucky to be able to represent them.”
Success
On his definition of success, Foster said, “For me, at this point, it is all personal. No matter what, you are always going to want more. Success is feeling like I’ve done everything possible to put myself in a position to ‘succeed.’ Success means positive personal development.”
Fans
For his fans, he said, “I appreciate them and their support. To know that people are cheering for me means a lot. I have my personal inner circle with me… my family and my close friends so that makes it a lot easier.”
To learn more about American and world champion swimmer Carson Foster, follow him on Instagram.
