“You’re swimming a pretty intense program at these Games. How are you feeling after the weekend?”
“Pretty good.”
“It must have been hard to swim that second race so soon after the first.”
“Honestly? I had so much adrenaline from the first race that it carried over to the second. I felt great during that second swim. Not so great after it, though. Still, I got a good night’s sleep, so I’m ready to get in the pool again.”
“I bet your coach is happy to hear that. Adam Vreeland is one of three lead coaches for Team USA. He’s gained a reputation for training Olympians. You’ve been working with him since you were little, yeah?”
“Yes, I started taking lessons with him when I was six.”
“So you’ve been working toward this for decades, essentially.”
“Yeah, I….” Isaac hesitated, not sure how much he should say. He thought he should be honest, but he didn’t want to piss off anyone who might be watching. USA Swimming had his back, but would potential sponsors? Because as much as it seemed to cheapen the experience, endorsements and sponsorship were the best way to ensure he had a source of income for the foreseeable future. “I’ve been working at this for a long time.”
“This is your fourth Olympics. Does it feel any different this time?”
“You know, it does a little. I’ll be honest, I coasted on a lot of success into the last Olympics. This time it feels more like a challenge. I’ve been out of the circuit for a while. I don’t know my competitors the way I used to. There are a lot of young guys coming up who are amazing. Strong swimmers, fast swimmers.” He let out a breath. “When everyone’s calling you the favorite, there’s a different kind of pressure.”
“So you feel less pressure now?”
“It’s a completely different kind of pressure. I’m trying to prove something to myself. That I can still do this, you know? I worked really hard to get back into competitive form, and I feel great, better than I have in a long time. So, basically, I want to show that my career’s not over.”
“I’d say you achieved that. Two gold medals.”
“There’s still a lot of swimming left.”
“And we wish you the best of luck, Isaac. Next up, Doug and I will be cooking up some authentic Spanish dishes. Stay with us for complete Olympics coverage here in Madrid.”
“And we’re at commercials,” said the director.
Isaac nodded and stood, anxious to get out of there. Then a male reporter jogged over. Isaac recognized him as one of the other morning show hosts. “Listen,” the reporter said. Again, he didn’t introduce himself, probably assuming Isaac would know his name, but Isaac was terrible at names. “I’d like to do a more in-depth interview with you. Hopefully we can make time for it before the end of swimming so we can air it as a lead-in. I’d wanted to do the story before the Olympics, but the network vetoed it because they thought you’d crash and burn here.”
And because they were off the air, Isaac said, “I’m only a human-interest story if I win medals, huh?”
The reporter shrugged. “The network controls the narrative going into the Games. You’ve been around long enough to know that. We’re limited to doing a set number of these packages and can only do them for athletes we think will win.”
“Thanks for your faith in me.”
“Hey, I thought you’d do well. This is exactly the kind of story viewers love. You hit rock bottom and then climb back up to win gold? That’s an amazing story.”
“So if we do this, do you want to talk about all of it? The alcoholism, the DUI, rehab, the whole thing.”
“We can discuss that. The important part of the story is really you making a big comeback.”
Did Isaac want to talk about it on national television? Would discussing it work out for him in the long run? “Can I think about it?”
“Sure. Here’s my number.” The reporter handed over a card. Marcus Holt. “Call or text me and we’ll set up a time.”
“All right.”
Isaac pocketed the card and then a PA maneuvered him back to the green room. He poured himself a cup of coffee while Sheri clucked about how great the interview was. Then she said, “We gotta get you back. You have your stuff to go straight to the pool?”
“Yeah, my bag is in the car, remember?”
“Oh, right. Yes. I’ll have Raul take us straight to the Aquatics Center.”