Two-time U.S. Olympian Elizabeth Beisel is known for her prowess in the pool, but in the latest series of ‘Milk Life’ vignettes, the bubbly backstroker is shown trying her hand at rugby.
Taking a crash course in the sport, swimming’s own “Queen B” takes to the rugby field with U.S. Olympic hopeful Perry Baker. Baker demonstrates how to throw the ball and make a hit, while giving Beisel tips on the sport he knows so well.
The athletes then change it up with Beisel taking the lead in the pool, giving Baker instruction on basic skills like floating and how to perform a backstroke start.
Within the video, Beisel reveals her training mindset heading into the Rio Olympic Games, commenting that “I just love the feeling of walking away from a good practice knowing that I did my best and left it all out there.”
At just 15 years of age, Beisel was the youngest member of the 2008 Beijing Olympics team, where she earned 4th in the 400 IM and 5th in the 200 backstroke. She followed that up with two medals at the London Olympic Games in 2012, standing on the podium with silver in the 400m IM and bronze in the 200m backstroke. She’s now looking to qualify for Rio, with U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials kicking off on Sunday, June 26th.
“It’s been a long road, but my family has been really, really big supporters,” says Beisel.
Encouraging athletes of all sports, Beisel says, “If you’re truly invested in what you’re doing and you love it, then sky is the limit.”
Perry Baker is a beast of rugby 7’s. Like Carlin Isles. They run very fast.
I love rugby. Especially the real rugby with 15 players in each team. It’s a mix of power, speed, tactics, technique….
If USA really wanted it, I think that country could dominate one day that sport. So many athletes there.
But you need a real national league with TV and money behind.
And I’m not sure TVs want a rival sport for NFL.
That’s so much smarter and tactical than NFL.
The game is not stopped every 5 seconds.
You don’t sleep like in most of NFL games and especially like in most of MLB games.
Elizabeth, you can still improve your kicking game. 😉
Rugby scares me.
I hope they make more
By sheer accident of birth I am forced to know stuff about Rugby & its mini me Rugby 7s. Sometimes I go & marvel at the womens matches nearby when the West Sydney womens teams play . They are all 120kg islanders & barge down the field knocking all the 80kg local lassies dead flat , then they crunch them whilst they lay sprawling on the ground. Wondrous !
This is one sport transexuals will not just walk in to women’s teams.
Other than that , for those who already think the Olympics are already ridiculously look at some of the qualifying scores. For the USA women they beat Mexico 88-0. The USA men (population 320 million ) had… Read more »
She’s awesome