Episode
In episode 137 of The Physical Performance Show Brad Beer shares a conversation with featured performer Dan Smith – AUS Olympic Swimmer. Dan’s story really is the epitome of the highs, lows and learnings of a sporting life.
During this episode, Dan vividly takes us through his meteoric rise as a very gifted junior swimmer through to the crashing lows of finding addiction. This episode discusses marijuana use, cocaine and an ice addiction along with the crashing effects this had on Dan’s talent, his family and friends.
Dan shares the lowest of lows in the drug world to then fulfilling his childhood dream of representing Australia at the Olympic Games. Dan did that in the Rio Olympic Games where he swam as the member of the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Team, that was the team that was touted as the Gold Medal Favourites and the boys came home in Fourth Position. Dan takes us through that, the disappointment of dealing with that, the pressures he felt and how that made him retract from swimming before once again finding his mojo looking towards Tokyo 2020. This is a really deep interview, there is lots covered in here with Dan sharing around his highs and his very low lows and the learnings that he’s taking on his way to fulfilling his potential.
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“I’m really focusing on my why!”
“How does something so small and simple end up like this.”
“There is more to life than what you are living.”
“Realise how much more important you are as a person.”
“When you train, it is 90% physical and 10% mental but when you race it is the other way around.”
“It’s the small daily disciplines that change your life.”
“It’s not the massive steps that brings greatness, it’s the small steps done consistently.”
“Have a lot more loving for myself” – Mantra
“Peaceful” – Being in the Zone
“There’s so much more to you than what you do.” – Best Advice
“Do a light swim session” – Recovery Tip
“There’s no easy road to the top.”
“Focus on Small Things.”
Instagram: @dan_smith28
0:00 Start
1:52 Introduction to Dan Smith
3:26 What is Dan learning at the moment
5:05 Why Dan is swimming?
6:10 How Dan got introduced to swimming and become a professional swimmer
9:55 Major Drive in Life
11:10 Binge Drinking Habit and burn out with swimming
14:54 Shifting to other substances
17:15 His feeling about his first Australian Title
21:05 How things spiralled down in his life
23:20 How his parents helped him and stood by him
28:40 Getting into rehab
35:17 Getting back into swimming
39:05 Darkest Day of his Athletic Career
44:50 Performance Round
57:23 Finish
Grant Hackett – Australian Swimmer
Denis Cotterell – Coach
Michael Phelps –US Swimmer
Michael Ball – Olympic Coach
Peter J. Daniels – Australian Author
Ian Thorpe – Retired Australian Swimmer
Emily Seebohm – Australian Swimmer
Send to the show host @Brad_Beer (Twitter)
