Not even the best swimmers in the world can hold their pee in the pool.
“I’ve probably peed in every single pool I’ve swam in,” Olympic gold medalist Lilly King shared with the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday, July 26. “That’s just how it goes.”
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the Team USA athlete won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke competition and in the 4×100 meter medley relay, in which she swam the breaststroke leg.
She won three additional medals at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo before heading to Paris to compete in what is expected to be her last Olympics.
“I can actually pee as I’m swimming, which is kind of a gift,” King, 27, added before her upcoming races. “It’s definitely a skill.”
For Zach Harting, who competed for Team USA in 2020, he’s been peeing in the pool ever since he competed in Alabama’s high school state championship. Because of his tight-fitting racing suit, a trip to the bathroom minutes before race time would be impossible.
“The world changed for me,” Harting, 26, said after peeing in the pool for the first time. “Every time I went to a pool after that, I only considered myself to have swam in it if I peed in it.”
Zach Harting Courtesy of Zach Harting/Instagram
Before readers clutch their pearls or question every swimmer’s habits, many athletes say the chlorine in pools makes any pee unnoticeable. In addition, several swimmers say they have to stay hydrated up until their race time. As a result, bladders can be full during pool time.
“I always have to pee,” Tokyo Olympian Jake Mitchell told the Wall Street Journal, “because I’m so hydrated.”
One athlete, however, made it clear that there are some boundaries.
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Many swimmers adhere to an unofficial code of conduct for bathroom breaks in the pool. Whenever it’s possible, athletes try to pee when other people are not around. As four-time Olympic medalist Cullen Jones explained, “You never want to swim through a warm patch.”
With the 2024 Olympics in Paris officially here, many eyes will be on the La Défense Arena where top athletes will go for gold in a variety of events.
Team USA members to look out for include Katie Ledecky, who is only the ninth American swimmer to qualify for four Olympic games, and Caeleb Dressel, who won five gold medals in Tokyo.