Olympian Kathleen Baker Bodysurfs To Stay Fit: GMM presented by SwimOutlet.com

Gold Medal Minute presented by SwimOutlet.comOlympic champion, backstroke swim star, and Speedo Athlete Kathleen Baker has stayed in-touch with the water nearly nonstop since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When she couldn’t find pool time, she swam open water, went surfing or body surfing.

In this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast, Kathleen takes us back to her roots, back to when she first started breaking national age group records as an 11-12 age grouper.  Pay attention, Kathleen’s goal-setting skills were pro level when she was 12, and she has notebooks with goals going back to when she was only 9 nine years old.  My favorite Kathleen goal from when she was a kid…? Swim a 200 fly.  Nice!

Kathleen’s been challenged more than most, especially considering how she has had to manage her Crohn’s disease.  In some ways she’s been prepared to shoulder the pandemic. She’s intimate with and understands managing extreme discomfort. However, there’s only so much an athlete can take, and Kathleen’s health was compromised  the year preceding the pandemic at 2019 FINA World Championships.  That has knocked her out of nearly two years of swimming at her peak level.  Kathleen’s clearly resilient, and she shares how she got back to top form this past spring at the Pro Swim Series.

  • 2020 Des Moines Pro Swim – 100 lcm back – Baker 58.56 – 2nd to Regan, who swam a 58.18
  • 2020 Des Moines Pro Swim – 200 lcm back – Baker 2:06.46 – 2nd to Regan, who swam a 2:06.16

Kathleen is a longtime David Marsh athlete, and she has a lot to say if you assume her workouts are all sprints. For the curious, Kathleen breaks down what mid-distance and distance practices look like in a Marsh workout.

There a lot more to this podcast. Listen to the end to hear it all…

Follow Kathleen Baker on Instagram here.  

Follow  Gold Medal Mel Stewart on Instagram here.  

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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website

Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.

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FREEBEE
3 years ago

Great interview/podcast. Did she say one thing favorable about her college experience or coaches ?- seems like college just got in the way of her training with Marsh- perhaps she should have just gone pro? She’s such a fighter. Glad to have her competing for US. Wishing her the best!

FREEBEE
Reply to  FREEBEE
3 years ago

I take the first part of my comment back. I heard KB on another podcast be much more nuanced about CAL and how she enjoyed and grew from the experience. I stand corrected.

toastedcoconut
Reply to  FREEBEE
3 years ago

which podcast?

Sam
3 years ago

When Kathleen beat Katinka in the 200 IM in Nice, with the World’s best time this year, was just EPIC!

Sam
Reply to  Gold Medal Mel Stewart
3 years ago

late spring/early summer sounds just barely cutting it for the Olympics… but I am sure billions of people are praying for Tokyo to happen in 2021, it would be as big of a deal as London in 1948!

octopus
Reply to  Sam
3 years ago

Yes, that was a huge time for in season swim (her free leg was slower than her back)

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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