His competitive swimming goggles will be retired on the shelf, but his love for the sport will last forever.
Fresh off his trip from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, those were the sentiments when two-time gold medalist Ryan Held visited for a meet and greet with young swimmers and campers at the Kerasotes YMCA on Friday.
Held gave autographs and signed t-shirts and made several stops to speak around his native town of Springfield since he returned home on Monday. He won his second gold medal when he swam in the preliminaries of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay on July 27.
Despite not swimming in the relay final of the 4×100, Held was awarded gold when Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel won the relay final for Team USA later that evening. Since 1984, USA swimmers that had competed in an event’s preliminaries also receive a medal.
Held did swim on the 4×100 freestyle relay final at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Held, Dressel, Nathan Adrian and legend Michael Phelps made up the foursome that struck gold then.
“It’s kind of kicking in that this is the last time around the track,” Held said. “I just feel so blessed. When I look back on my swimming career, I went to six continents for swimming or for something swimming related. I’ve been to so many countries and have so many friends from all over the world.
“It’s emotional, I don’t think I’ll ever fully grasp the impact of what I’ve made on my community. I can’t see it myself — swimming has treated me so well. I’m glad that I’m ending my career on how I wanted to. I’m ending it on my own terms.”
Held made a few new friends on Friday after teaming up with Lou Bart, the director of marketing at the YMCA. Bart said it was a great opportunity for the kids to meet “a role model.”
“They took away the fact that you can do anything,” Bart said. “(Ryan) spoke with a swim group and said that he swam at the old downtown YMCA. He didn’t have a sponsor or go to some big club program. With the Olympics, we have a lot of interest now in gymnastics and swimming. It’s a great program for the kids and it shows them confidence and humility. How many kids get to touch a gold medal?”
Held’s continued dedication paid off after he missed out on the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan because of team roster limitations. He said he proved something to himself after making the 2024 Games and discussed the differences between Rio and Paris.
“I’m proud of myself from how I came back from 2021 — conquered that mental, emotional mountain,” Held said. “Paris was a little bit sweeter because I had tasted defeat. In Rio, I was so naive. I kept winning and winning and never experienced a downfall. To come back and not give up on myself and to continue swimming, that was the difference between Rio and Paris.
“I had a greater honor representing the United States (in Paris) and I was really proud of myself,” Held continued. “I was proud in Rio, but I was proud of myself for how fast I swam.”
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Living in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife (Lexie) and dog, Held noted that life will be different. He married Lexie in December of 2022 in her hometown of Houston, Texas and said she’s been with him step by step.
“She has been everything to me,” Held said of Lexie. “My sacrifices were her sacrifices. I’m forever grateful that she put up with my sacrifices and made them her own.”
At 29 years old, the three-time Illinois state champion mentioned that he will now put his college education to good use.
“I’m going to transition from the pool to a dry job, a desk job and utilize my master’s degree in geographic information systems,” Held said. “It’s going to be a real world, normal people job and not a wake up at 5 a.m. and jump in a freezing pool job.”
One aspect of swimming that Held surprisingly said won’t be etched in his brain — the swimming. He referred to a quote from the great Olympian Jesse Owens and paraphrased that medals are just trinkets that collect dust, and the real medals of sports are the friendships that you make.
“I don’t remember the swimming part because that’s so redundant,” Held said. “It’s the small stuff like sitting in the village and eating with a friend and watching the Olympics. That’s what I’m going to take away from swimming.”
But it’s not like Held still won’t have that competitive spirit. He proclaimed that he will be in Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.
“I’m going to be in L.A. in 2028 no matter what, whether that’s volunteering or spectating,” Held said. “I’m going to be there because I’m not going to miss all that. Seeing the French (in Paris) get crazy for their own French swimmers, got me so excited for L.A. I want to be one of those fans, body-painted red, white and blue and going crazy for any American swimmer.”
In the meantime, Held said he will always remember the humble hometown beginnings of the Colony West swim club, the SPY team and Sacred Heart-Griffin High School.
“I always love coming home,” Held said. “It’s fun to see the next generation of kids who try to get my records and be the best they can be. It’s cool to feel the love from all of Springfield.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Ryan Held returns to Springfield with second Olympic gold medal
