2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
- Meet site
- FinaTV Live Stream
- Live results
Lia Neal is one of the most experienced veterans in US Swimming who is still currently swimming. 2 Olympics, multiple international travel teams. She’s been there and done it. Heading into this summer, she will have a new experience in going to World Champs and Pan Am games, swimming just the 4×100 free relay at worlds and a full event lineup at Pan Ams. However, Neal has done something similar in the past: in 2015, she swam a more full schedule at the World University Games, then the 4×100 free relay at Worlds.
Neal thinks these “dip” years where she doesn’t necessarily make the “highest” level of international meet are good for her. She says they can rejuvenate her drive and make her appreciate international trips for Team USA even more.
What turned the Stanford Women’s swimming program around after Coach Lea Maurer resigned in 2012 (after a run of lean years)?
Hiring a young Cal assistant (Greg Meehan) as new head coach was important. Just as important was his getting a 2012 high school Olympic medalist (Lia Neal) commit to Stanford in the Autumn of 2012. This gave the program a renewed legitimacy and generated enormous recruitment momentum. The rest, as they say, is history! Thanks Lia.
Excellent competitor and a great perspective on threes things! She’s been very consistent with her relay swims for Team USA since the London games!