2020 U.S. Olympian Patrick Callan Announces Retirement from Competitive Swimming

Patrick Callan, a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, has announced his retirement from competitive swimming via a post on his Instagram account.

“I have made the decision to retire from swimming and prioritize my health and my future. It’s been an amazing ride, but it’s time to hang it up.” – Patrick Callan via Instagram

Callan qualified for the 2020 Olympic Team by virtue of his sixth-place finish in the men’s 200 free at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. He competed on the American men’s 4×200 free relay in prelims in Tokyo, helping Team USA advance to the final, where they would ultimately finish fourth.

Callan had a very successful NCAA career as well, earning All-American honors both as a Michigan Wolverine, where he completed his undergrad, and as a Cal Golden Bear, where he swam as a fifth-year grad student this past season. He made an immediate impact as a freshman at Michigan, finishing third in the 500 free and fifth in the 200 free at the 2019 Big Ten Championships, then going on to take tenth in the 500 at 2019 NCAAs. He improved on his freshman season times as a sophomore in the 2019-2020 season, also earning a second-place finish in the 500 free at Big Tens. Of course, the 2020 NCAAs would be cancelled due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Callan was set up well to be a finalist in the 500 free once again at that meet.

Though Callan didn’t quite reach his sophomore year times in his junior and senior season as Michigan, he continued to be a very high-scoring swimmer for the Wolverines. He took second in both the 200 free and 500 free at the 2021 Big Tens, then went on to finish 13th in both events at NCAAs that same year. As a senior, he finished sixth in the 200 free and 500 free at the 2022 Big Ten Championships, then competed in both races at NCAAs, but didn’t advance to finals.

Following his graduation at Michigan, Callan announced he would be taking his fifth year of NCAA eligibility, which was granted due to the disruption of the 2019-2020 caused by the pandemic, at Cal, where he enrolled in grad school. In his lone season for the Golden Bears, Callan was once again a great contributor to the team. He finished fourth in the 500 free at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships in early March, posting his fastest time in the event since his sophomore season at Michigan. He then went on to compete in the 200 free and 500 free at the 2023 NCAAs, where he helped Cal to a third-place finish in the 800 free relay. The Golden Bears also won the NCAA title for a second-straight year this season, which Callan contributed to thanks to his leg on the 800 free relay.

Prior to his arrival at Michigan, Callan was a two-time member of the USA Swimming National Junior Team. He also competed at the 2017 World Junior Championships, which were held in Indianapolis, IN.

Patrick’s younger brother, Jack Callan, just completed his junior season with the Michigan Wolverines. The Callan brothers swam together at Michigan for two seasons prior to Patrick’s move to Cal.