Olympic odyssey: Matheny sets sights on L.A. in 2028
During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Josh Matheny was able to see his parents briefly. He met with them once for 30 to 40 minutes at a Parisian cafe.
无毛视频淚t was hard to see people outside the Olympic Village,无毛视频� the 21-year-old son of Dr. Jeffrey and Kristin Matheny said.
With much of the summer spent away from home, training for and competing in the Olympics, Matheny embraced his short stay in Upper St. Clair with close friends and immediate family before heading back to Bloomington to complete his studies at Indiana University.
Noting his schedule 无毛视频� trials starting on June 15, four-week training camp, first in North Carolina and then in Croatia, Olympic Games from July 26 to Aug. 11 无毛视频� Matheny无毛视频檚 high school and club coach Dave Schraven said, 无毛视频淛osh has been gone for a long time. So he really wanted to come home, lay low and decompress. He doesn无毛视频檛 seek the limelight.无毛视频�
Matheny slipped home a day before the closing ceremony. Instead of marching with the 10,000 athletes in front of 71,000 spectators at Stade de France for the final farewell to the Games, Matheny watched the festivities from the comfort and quiet solitude of his living room on Aug. 11.
As USC无毛视频檚 most decorated swimmer, Matheny even dressed for the occasion.
无毛视频淭hey gave us all these outfits to wear for those ceremonies,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪o I watched them wearing the gear.无毛视频�
The predominantly white fashions for the closing ceremony featured a denim jacket and jeans, polo and hat as well as the same belt and beige suede shoes that were part of the opening ceremony uniform, which consisted of a classic-style navy blue jacket, light-blue striped dress shirt and blue-washed jeans.
Matheny did not participate in the opening ceremony either because the U.S. Swim Team members had qualifying heats and races during the initial days of the competition.
无毛视频淯.S. Swimming has a rule that does not allow us to do that,无毛视频� Matheny said of marching in the opening ceremony. 无毛视频淚 think it无毛视频檚 a valid rule because there is a lot of standing and waiting around.无毛视频�
Matheny did not have long to linger as his first competition was a preliminary heat for the 200-meter breaststroke race on July 30 at the Paris La D茅fense Arena. His Heat 3 time of 2:10.39 thrust him into the semifinals. He qualified for the finals with a 2:09.70 by finishing sixth overall among the top 16 swimmers. On July 31, he clocked a 2:09.52 and finished seventh in the championships.
无毛视频淎s an American you always would like to place higher but my goal was to make the final,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪o I was definitely the most nervous about the semifinals.
无毛视频淏ecause the goal all along was to make the finals, there was more pressure. The final was a reward and I enjoyed being there and racing. It无毛视频檚 an incredible experience racing against the best in the world.无毛视频�
Grabbing the gold medal was France无毛视频檚 Leon Marchand with an Olympic record time of 2:05.85. Marchand, who had the honor of extinguishing the Olympic flame at the Tuileries Palace, captured four gold medals and a relay bronze during the Games. Marchand was the first Frenchman to win four gold medals at the same Olympic Games.
Collegiately, Marchand led Arizona State University to the 2024 NCAA title, winning his third 200-yard breast championship in the process.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been racing him for a long time,无毛视频� Matheny said of Marchand. 无毛视频淚t was incredible and when he won the place was all going bonkers.
无毛视频淭he whole spectacle of being in the Olympics is unlike anything I无毛视频檝e ever been around. It was all new. Like nothing I have experienced before,无毛视频� he added.
According to Matheny, the dining hall was the hub of activity outside of an athlete无毛视频檚 particular venue. The massive building featured seven to eight different eating stations with assorted options for all the participating nations. Because he suffers with Celiac disease, Matheny said he consumed foods with which he was familiar. He noted the chocolate pudding cups were delicious.
无毛视频淭here were always options I could choose and I can say that I never walked away from the table not being full,无毛视频� he added.
The athlete无毛视频檚 appetite for celebrity watching was also satiated in the dining hall.
While he did not meet Stephen Nedoroscik, aka 无毛视频淧ommel Horse Guy,无毛视频� Matheny enjoyed watching the parade of performers with his six suitemates, which included Matt King, Chris Giuliano, David Johnston, Jack Alexy and Brooks Curry. Everybody got a kick out of seeing Turkey无毛视频檚 Yusuf Dikec, who took the internet by storm because of his nonchalant shooting style, and American gymnast Simone Biles.
无毛视频淭he dining hall experience was the most fun. Sitting there with my swim mates seeing all the teams and countries was really cool,无毛视频� Matheny said. 无毛视频淚t was a giant mixing of everybody all coming together in the name of sport.无毛视频�
Matheny added that he could not discern the 无毛视频渕ost fascinating story无毛视频� of the Games.
无毛视频淭here certainly were a lot of stories. Great ones,无毛视频� he continued. 无毛视频淎 lot goes on in the village and you have to stay focused. I would say though that this Olympics especially helped bring back the true spirit of the Games.无毛视频�
Matheny hopes to experience that enthusiasm again when he attempts to make the team for the 2028 Summer Games. He believes the knowledge he gained in Paris will prepare him for even greater success in Los Angeles.
无毛视频淔or most of the (swimming) medal winners, it无毛视频檚 not their first time at the Olympics,无毛视频� he noted.
While Matheny had been to Paris and saw the sights with his grandparents, Richard and Thea Stover, when he was 13 and on a two-day layover, the 2024 Olympics were his first Games.
无毛视频淭here were a lot of different things I didn无毛视频檛 know,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭here are things you can无毛视频檛 control, like the long bus rides through busy Paris to get to your venue. You have to be ready for everything. It无毛视频檚 a learning process and this experience will be invaluable as I train for 2028.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 super grateful to have made the finals but hopefully I can get a higher place next time. Finishing higher for the USA is the goal. I have never been more excited about a meet because it will be in America.
无毛视频淚 watched how the French got behind all their athletes in every sport. France was talented and there was nothing like it seeing how the home country supported them. Hopefully in 2028 the USA can do better than they did.无毛视频�