Eva Fabian, gold medalist in the 5K race, was asked by a group of local swimmers about her favorite training set.

Her reply, said with a straight face and an obvious energy that seems impossible to keep bottled up, was not surprising for a young lady who has went from 22nd place in 2009 to a gold medal after an intense focus on open water swimming and a methodical, scientific approach to the sport, led by her father-coach, Dr. Jack Fabian, open water swimming advisor Gerry Rodrigues and a quiet team of collaborators who saw great potential in Eva early on in her career.

“I really like doing 50 x 200 on 2:10, short-course yards. I usually hold 2:03-2:04 throughout the set, doing a variety of pulling and swimming fast. My teammates do every fifth one fast, so they really push me.”

“She is tenacious with a high athletic IQ,” said Coach Gerry. “When I saw her at the water’s edge at the Tiburon Mile, standing toe-to-toe with some of the fastest men in the world – coming up to their elbows – but not giving in an inch, I knew she was something special. It has been a joy working with her and her father. They really understand and study the sport and endeavor to do what it takes to improve.”

Those monster sets have boosted her to the top of the world.

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