Olympics

Pittsburgh Superstars: John Hargis, men’s swimming

PITTSBURGH — University of Pittsburgh Head Swimming & Diving Coach John Hargis believes the Tokyo Olympic games are here at the exact right time.

“With everything going on, I think it’s much needed, especially for these athletes,” Hargis said.

Hargis knows what it’s like to be an athlete at the games. He won a gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta as part of the 400x100 meter medley team. He swam the butterfly leg.

However, he admits he doesn’t remember much about the race.

“I honestly don’t remember what happened when I hit the water to when I touched the wall at the end of the race,” Hargis said.  “You just put your head down and your body kind of takes over. You’ve put in so much work to that point, you kind of let you body do what it does.”

And his memories of standing atop the podium in front of the home crowd while the Star Spangled Banner played?

“You just soak it in, and you kind of almost go numb. It’s a pretty emotional time. But you’re celebrating,” Hargis said. “I was able to celebrate with a relay, and so you’re part of a team, a group of individuals who experienced something pretty special. Being (able) to share that experience with those guys is what it’s really about.”

Hargis said what he does remember about the Olympics is the overall experience.

“Really the relationships and the people you meet and just the environment you’re around,” Hargis reflected. “I remember watching other people celebrate their victories more than my own small victory. I think I still tell stories to this day of being able to experience the Olympic Village and being able to experience other sports and being able to watch other amazing athletes do what they did.”

Hargis said he isn’t sure where his gold medal is, but stressed his wife knows. He said his daughter recently asked to see it after meeting another Olympic medal winner at a softball camp.

When asked where that humbleness comes from, he said it’s because the medal is only one part of the overall journey.

“My mom would drive me and hour and a half to practice when I was in high school just to get me to a pool,” Hargis said. “I think that those are the experiences that all athletes have in the back of their minds when they talk about success. It’s the amount of people that had a stake in their success.”

And Hargis tries to stress those points to his student athletes now at Pitt.

“We’re excited for the season,” Hargis said. “Training has been normal for a while now, and the kids have been doing a fabulous job. We’re really excited to get everyone on campus this fall and we’re really excited to see campus in a pretty normal environment.”