Freestyle swimmer Sierra Schmidt hopes to take her amazing moves all the way to the Olympic Games this summer — and not just the moves she makes in the pool.
The 23-year-old has a prerace routine that involves getting down before diving in.
In a now-viral clip from the women’s 1,500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic swim trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Schmidt did a joyful poolside jig to prepare herself for the main event.
The University of Michigan alum performed by the pool just before the competition kicked off. With headphones over her ears and a groove in her heart, as she busted out big moves to “Cheer Up” from K-Pop superstars Twice.
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Since then, fans on social media have been celebrating her enthusiasm.
“I just fell in love with this Goddess,” one swim fan tweeted. “I really love seeing these Youngins putting their mental health first. You know that playlist heightens her superpowers.”
Another commenter appeared to be a new swim fan — based on Schmidt’s happy dance alone: “This is why I want to start watching USA swimming for the first time ever.”
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And one person wrote, “I'm truly loving this but why is she doing it?”
The answer to that is simply that she does it to quell prerace nerves, and it’s a tradition she’s observed for years now.
“I kind of like to be known for both,” she recently told WHYY’s BillyPenn.com. “One of my goals by doing the dancing, not only so that I can be less nervous, (but) also to show that there are many paths to success.”
And while she'll have to wait for Friday’s 800-meter freestyle trial to find out if she’ll swim a path all the way to the Olympic Games, there’s no doubt that she’s already a success.
