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| Andrew
SELISKAR |
| Sport |
Swimming |
| NOC |
United States
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| Gender | Men |
| Born | 26 Sep 1996
in Charlotte, NC, USA |
| Height | 1.82 m |
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Further Personal Information |
Residence |
Berkeley, CA, USA |
Sport Specific Information |
Club / Team |
California Aquatics: United States |
General Interest |
Hobbies |
Playing guitar, live music, cars, chess, ocean swimming. (SwimSwam YouTube channel, 03 May 2021; calbears.com, 01 Jan 2019; a.isl.global, 01 Sep 2020) |
Injuries |
In 2017 he broke his arm in a skateboarding accident, which kept him out of the pool for the entire northern hemisphere summer season. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 04 Mar 2019; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 02 Dec 2018) |
Memorable sporting achievement |
Competing at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan. (usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2018) |
Famous relatives |
His older brother Stephen and his cousin Courtney Tumbush have competed in swimming and both represented Purdue University in the United States of America. His grandfather played American football for Marquette University. (insidenova.com, 30 Nov 2020; purduesports.com, 31 Dec 2016; usaswimming.org, 05 Mar 2020) |
Sport Specific Information |
Why this sport? |
His older brother Stephen was a swimmer and he followed in his footsteps. "I really love to be in the water, and I am a very competitive person - those two things together will keep me in the sport my entire life. Through any ups and downs, I am always at my happiest in the water, and I love the feeling of stepping up and racing to get my hand on the wall first. I specifically remember watching [US swimmer] Jason Lezak's anchor leg in the 400m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on TV with my older brother while on a family vacation. Watching races like that as a kid were what really inspired me to try and compete at a higher level." |
General Interest |
Most influential person in career |
His brother Stephen, coach John Flanagan. (usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2018; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 07 Apr 2020) |
Hero / Idol |
US swimmer Jason Lezak. (usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2018) |
Awards and honours |
In 2019, while representing the University of California, Berkeley, he was named Swimmer of the Year by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America [CSCAA]. In 2016, 2018 and 2019 he was named Swimmer of the Meet at the Pac-12 Conference championships, and was also Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2016. (pac-12.com, 04 Apr 2019; swimswam.com, 30 Mar 2019; calbears.com, 09 Mar 2019) |
Sport Specific Information |
Name of coach |
Dave Durden [club], USA |
When and where did you begin this sport? |
He began swimming at age five at the McLean Marlins swim club in Virginia, United States of America. |
Further Personal Information |
Occupation |
Athlete |
Languages |
English |
General Interest |
Other information |
TURNING POINT
A skateboarding injury he suffered in 2017 made him rethink his swimming career, and proved to be a turning point. "I think last summer [2017] was a big turning point for me. I was forced to take some time out of the water. I knew it was make-or-break for me. I could either finish out my career and be all right, or I could try to push through it and have a big breakthrough swim. I don't want to say I had been taking swimming for granted a little bit, but I feel like every day when I hit the water it was like, 'I'm really, really happy to be swimming in college', and [I'm happy] to be able to keep swimming, just because it's something I love." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 04 Mar 2019; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 02 Dec 2018)
VERSATILITY
He says he likes all events but feels most comfortable swimming the individual medley [IM]. "I always look to have a ton of variety in whatever I am doing, in and out of the pool, just to keep things fresh and exciting. I've always been an IM swimmer, but having the opportunity to train with Cal [University of California] has allowed me to get more specific with my event profile and really develop my own race strategies, which I find really exciting. The 200m freestyle is definitely a new event for me in long course. It was an event that I had always wanted give more focus. Heading into 2018 [US] nationals, my freestyle was moving really well in training, and I felt that I had a shot to contend for that national title. [Cal coaches] Dave Durden and Chase Kreitler really helped me make improvements to my freestyle technique, and I was excited to branch out and get experience in that event." (usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2018)
MUSICAL MAN
He plays guitar and has formed several garage bands, including one called Seahorse Yesterday with his brother and friends, and one called Sather Lane with fellow swimmer Carson Sand. He also draws inspiration from music that US swimmer Michael Phelps was known to listen to. "I started listening to Young Jeezy a lot because I read an article that said Phelps listened to that in 2008. I knew some of the songs, so I have those on my playlist." (swimswam.com, 01 Sep 2019; swimswam.com, 29 Mar 2019; usaswimming.org, 12 Oct 2018; me.berkeley.edu, 12 Feb 2017) |
Sporting philosophy / motto |
"Never take for granted what you are doing - always keep it fun. I try to keep that in the forefront of my mind. I swim because it's something I love to do and I love to compete. Enjoy the process." (digitaljournal.com, 02 Oct 2019) |
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs |
"If I'm in heavy training I take a shower, stretch, and read a book before I go to bed. Then I wake up, listen to music, have a good breakfast and stretch before practice. I have those two bookends each day." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 07 Apr 2020) |
Further Personal Information |
Higher education |
Environmental Management, Policy Studies - University of California, Berkeley: United States |
Olympic Games |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
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2021 |
Tokyo, JPN |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
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World Championships |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| Semifinal |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
200m Freestyle |
1:46.83 |
| 3 |
2019 |
Gwangju, KOR |
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay |
7:01.98 |
World Cup |
| Rank |
Year |
Venue |
Event |
Result |
| 1 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Butterfly |
51.34 |
| 6 |
2019 |
Tokyo, JPN |
100m Freestyle |
48.80 |
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