Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian returns to the pool this weekend to compete for the first time since being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The 30-year-old is uncertain how his body will work for him after his longest break off of training since the age of four-years-old, but he is simply excited to have the opportunity to be swimming again.
“Win, lose, first, last — I just want to get back in my rhythm, back in my routine,” Adrian told For The Win. “That’s what I strive for, what I wish I had through the entire treatment process. … Now I’m finally here, and I have no idea whether or not I’m going to swim fast. But the fact is I actually get to compete, and I’m happy.”
Adrian had two surgeries — one in December, one in late January — to remove a tumor and lymph nodes.
At the TYR Pro Swim Series in Bloomington, Indiana, Adrian will compete in the 100-meter freestyle Friday and the 50-meter free on Sunday. Adrain won Gold in London in 2012 in the 100- and won Bronze in both events in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
