Today’s coaching discussion features former Danish pro swimmer, and co-founder of TheMagic5 goggle company, Niklas Hedegaard. 

Niklas spent several years as a professional swimmer for Denmark. He still holds a Danish record in the 400 medley relay in short course meters from 2016, swimming as the breaststroke leg. 

In this episode, Niklas and Kevin go down the proverbial rabbit hole, exploring longevity in the sport and where that exists on the spectrum between financial viability and burnout. In a sport that typically sees a lot of turnover in the “up and coming” names each Olympic cycle – often due to athlete retirement – they compare experiences of high training load, the physiological and psychological effects, and how changing the metrics of “hard work” had positive impacts.

For a coach looking to get perspective from an informed athlete, this is a top notch discussion.