Rowdy Gaines, The Voice Of Swimming, Describes How He Prepares For The Olympics
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
After missing the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to the American boycott led by President Jimmy Carter, Rowdy Gaines continued to swim and finally realized his Olympic dream when he won three gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
“Gaines knows both the bitter disappointment of missing an Olympics, and the ultimate joy of winning solo and relay gold medals,” says Steven Munatones. “Combined with his passion for the sport of swimming, his comprehensive knowledge of the sport, and his nearly photographic memory of every medalist and race that he has called over the last seven Olympics, Rowdy is literally the voice of swimming in America. As we watch the world’s best swimmers race every four years, Rowdy’s excitement and joy at the Olympians is undeniably infectious. Plus, I think he has the coolest first name in swimming.”
Gaines was interviewed on a recent WOWSA Live interview where he talked about both pool and open water swimming from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics, and 2020 Tokyo Olympics:
Munatones added, “The Olympic 10K Marathon Swim for the women on August 4th and men on August 5th will be the fastest by far, the most competitive, and the most challenging marathon swim at the Olympics to date. The NBC broadcast team in Tokyo Bay will be described by play-by-play announcer Mary Carillo and Gaines. Mary knows athletics and the innate drive of elite athletes so well. She has always been insightful and humorous over the 15 Olympic Games she has covered. The sport is in very good hands for these two veterans. They will have plenty of sidelines and stories to explain during the 2+ hour broadcasts of the marathon swim.”
In an unusual twist of fate, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad interviewed Gaines – who announces the marathon swims – during the events at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
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