Torri Huske walked away from the City of Light with 5 Olympic medals – 3 golds and 2 silvers. If anything, she couldn’t have asked for a better redemption arch. The stark difference between her first and second Olympic berth is incredible. In Tokyo, the swimmer left with 1 silver in the 4x100m. But they couldn’t even podium in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, placing fifth. While the swimming community didn’t expect it, the 21-year-old turned things around in Paris. 

In conversation with 3x Olympian Elizabeth Beisel and US National Team Director of Performance Matt Barbini

. Barbini asked her to elaborate on

how she felt

about the relay events with her incredible teammates. Flashing her pearly whites, the Olympian confessed, 

The quartet of Torri Huske, Regan Smith, Gretchen Walsh, and Lilly King touched the wall in a new World Record-breaking time of 3:49:63. However, Walsh’s blistering 55.03 in the butterfly leg was a little over a second faster than Kelsi Dahlia’s split of 56.16 from the previous world record.

the 21-year-old stated. 

With this, Walsh brought Team USA from 2nd to first position, setting the stage for Huske’s pristine anchor leg finish. However, the Olympian doesn’t want to take the credit for the win. 

But what was it like for her to contest in the relay events at París La Défense Arena?

Torri Huske stated how relays are fun. However, she reveals how this was a new experience for her. 

The 21-year-old clarified how she’s done it at Short Course Worlds or other meets but never in the Olympic pool.

she admitted.

The swimmer mentioned how

,

before diving in for the mixed medley relay

,

she gave herself a pep talk.

Torri Huske, Ryan Murphy, Gretchen Walsh, and Nic Fink set a new World Record in the mixed 4x100m medley relay with 3:37:43 seconds on the clock. The 21-year-old anchored the team to a golden victory with a blistering split of 51.88 seconds. What made the difference? 

the swimmer added. However, a certain someone made this triumphant return to the top possible. Who was it? 

Torri Huske credits Greg Meehan for her dreamy Parisian stint

The 21-year-old felt her world had fallen apart at the 2023 World Championships. “I almost false-started. I kind of just fell in, and then I freaked out and completely abandoned my race plan because I just wasn’t thinking, and I was freaking out in the beginning”. But as traumatic as this experience was, it felt like this would have been the norm for her. 

But things weren’t the same when Torri Huske stepped into the French capital. Her coach, Greg Meehan, helped her navigate through those difficult times. He believed that a few adjustments in her training regime could prepare her for anything while she was in the Olympic pool. And the swimmer seems to agree too. 

“I’ve just appreciated everything that he’s done for me, and I feel like it’s kind of been a tough past year for the both of us or few years,” she confessed. Barbini added that he was standing next to the coach when Huske’s name popped up on the screen. He described how watching his tutee clinch a gold was overwhelming for Meehan. “It was the fastest I’ve ever seen someone start crying, like it was instantaneous, just like the overflow of emotion.” 

Torri Huske previously experienced slow starts in relay events. But none of that came through at the 2024 Paris Olympics. All she needed was a little guidance from her coach and a surmountable amount of support from her teammates. Redemption Arc? Check. Better composure at meets? Check. Confidence? Check. The swimmer definitely proved her mettle at the París La Défense Arena, and we can’t wait to see what she does next!