May 29, 2012
Olympic competition is as much about the ability to seize a moment as it is perseverance. Just ask Misty Hyman.
Hyman shocked the swimming world - and even herself -- when she upset heavily-favored Susie O'Neill of Australia in the finals of the 200-meter butterfly in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
After failing to qualify for the 1996 Atlanta Games, Hyman rededicated herself and earned a spot on the United States team four years later, following her junior year at Stanford.
It was a foregone conclusion among many that the only drama in the finals of the 200 butterfly was going to be provided by the race for the silver and bronze medals. After all, O'Neill was the defending Olympic and world champion in the event and was swimming in front of a partisan and raucous crowd in Sydney.
The late Richard Quick and Hyman plotted a strategy that would give her the best chance of defeating Australia's "Madame Butterfly," right down to the last kick.
It took Hyman just 2:05.89 to accomplish what many thought was impossible, as she upset O'Neill to win the gold medal in her first and only Olympic competition.
Hyman's victory silenced the crowd of over 18,000 at the Sydney Aquatic Center to the point where she could be heard saying, "Oh my God" repeatedly as she continued to look at the scoreboard to make sure she had indeed won the race.
In this first installment of "Stanford Olympians in Their Own Words," Misty Hyman reflects on her gold medal swim in Sydney and the role Stanford played in paving her Olympic path.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. Sometimes it seems like a movie. I know I couldn't have written a better screenplay if I had tried. There were 18,000 people in the stands. Most of them were Australians there to watch their hometown hero, Susie O'Neill, make history in her best event one last time. She hadn't lost the 200m butterfly in six years. She was the defending Olympic and world champion, and if that weren't enough she was also the world record holder. The American press said I had an outside chance for a bronze in this, my only race at the Olympics.
"What none of them knew was that my coach, Stanford's late great Richard Quick, and I had talked about what it would take to beat Madame Butterfly, as Susie was known. We broke down every piece of that race. I knew exactly how many kicks and strokes I wanted to take on each length of the pool. I trained each part knowing that if I could put them all together at the right moment, I had a chance.
"Standing behind the blocks at the finals I knew something was different. I was relaxed and at peace. I had a huge goofy grin on my face, and I was happily trying to drink in the entire experience. After the race my Dad said, `Ijust knew you were going to do well. I think you were even smiling on the blocks!'
"He was right. I was in the zone, in my happy place.
"I had a feeling something special was going to happen. When I dove in the water everything seemed effortless, automatic, and in slow motion, but I knew I was going fast. The entire race went just that easy. The best moment was making the third and final turn. I knew I was out in front, and that I still had enough left in the tank to make it home. No one, not even Susie, could catch me.
"I will never forget touching the wall to finish. I looked over and saw the other two Aussies touch. Then I looked up at the scoreboard. I had to look three times just to be sure I wasn't dreaming. There was a number one by name and the scoreboard was flashing American record and Olympic record!
"People always ask me what I felt at the moment. It is hard to put into words. The best I can describe it is like having every emotion you have ever had in your whole life rolled up into about 10 seconds. There was part of me that was so exhausted and relieved that it was over that I just wanted to curl up in a corner and take a nap, and then there was the other part of me that won out that was so overwhelmed with joy that I forgot that there were millions of people watching me and I went crazy right there on the pool deck jumping up and down celebrating!
"It was a moment of pure emotion and exhilaration. Next came the best part. There are few things better than standing atop the highest podium hearing your country's national anthem played for you. It was a fairy tale and a dream come true. I had dreamt of that moment ever since I was a little girl.
"Stanford was a big part of making that dream come true. There is a context and culture of excellence that makes Stanford extraordinary. There are so many brilliant and talented people doing groundbreaking things in all different fields that excellence becomes the norm. Doing less doesn't enter into the realm of possibility. Being in that environment, no matter what your area of expertise, inspires you to become more than you ever thought possible. At least that is how I always felt on The Farm.
"Without the support and expertise of all of my Stanford coaches -- Richard Quick, Ross Gerry, Jason Turcotte, and Tim Edmonds -- I never would have made it through all the training that it took to win gold. I also have to thank my academic advisors, Dr. Judy Goldstein and Dr. Jack Rakove, for supporting me through those challenging years.
"Balancing studies and training was never an easy task. They were the toughest four years of my life, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It is difficult to say which I value more, my gold medal or my Stanford degree.
"Both have changed my life in ways I could have never imagined."
Misty Hyman graduated from Stanford in 2002 with a degree in international relations. After spending three years on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix and one year in Switzerland where she earned an MBA, Misty currently resides in her hometown of Phoenix, Ariz., where she coaches swimmers of all ages and abilities. She also travels around the world giving inspirational speeches and conducting clinics.