HSC Post 02/2020

The next summer I went to the Swedish senior Nationals despite not having made the qualifying time, slept in a
tent outside of the arena and made the finals. Two years later at the age of 17 I won the Swedish senior national
championships with a new Swedish record in the 100m breaststroke and were selected for the National team.
The year after I won 3 Gold at the national championships and the sky was the limit. I trained harder and harder
and got better and better.
The Olympic Games in Montreal were coming up the next year and I wanted to win! But as many swimmers
before and after me I trained too hard that Olympic year. I swam hell weeks with 14.000m Breaststroke every
day, bicycled back and forth from home to school to work hours and got a key to the pool so that I could swim
when I wanted. Which was always. I won the Swedish Olympic trial but my time was not good enough and I
wasn’t selected for the Olympics.
What a flop!
Here I was going for the Gold and didn’t even qualify! I was extremely disappointed and sad. I wanted to quit
swimming but then decided to give it a go for the Moscow 1980 Olympics four years away. To get better training
and competition challenges I accepted a scholarship in the US and took my first flight over the Atlantic.
In the US I learned racing more often and harder, training long and fast and positive attitude and strong team
spirit. I am eternally grateful to the coaches who led me to the next Olympic challenge; Phil Hansel, David Kintas
and Dick Jochums.
At 20, Glen Christiansen was Swedish chamois over 100, 200 and 4x100m medley with teammates – Photo
Courtesy: Glen Christiansen
One morning in March 1980 Coach Jochums came out on
the pool deck and told us that President Carter had
decided to boycott the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.
Emptiness.
That is what I felt. And deep disappointment.
For my teammates and my friends. Sweden would not
boycott holding a neutral stand. But as grateful I was for
that I still felt deeply disturbed. But I told myself to keep
the focus on my own training and racing the best I could.
In April a month later at the US Nationals in Austin Texas
I made the final in the 200m breaststroke, took a second
place in the consolation final of the 100m breaststroke
with a new Swedish record and our 400m Medley relay
team with Bob Jackson, Steven Gregg and Doug
Northway broke an US Open record. I swam a 1.04 on that
relay, a very promising time for the Olympics.
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