With the 2002 Winter Olympics wrapped up, athletes around the world are now preparing for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
For most of these athletes, the dream of a gold medal will remain just a dream. But for Texas senior Tommy Hannan, the dream of winning a gold medal has already become reality.
In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Hannan was part of the United States swimming relay team that captured the gold.
Although he's now a world-class athlete, Hannan was not always at the top of the swimming world. Hailing from Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md., Hannan was not touted as a top recruit out of high school, let alone an Olympic gold medalist.
However, under the tutelage of Texas head coach Eddie Reese, Hannan's list of accomplishments continues to grow with every meet. In addition to winning a gold medal, Hannan is a three-time NCAA champion, an 11-time All-American and holds the American and NCAA records in the 400 medley and freestyle relays.
"I came to Texas because Reese is the premier swimming coach in the nation," Hannan said. "We work well together, and I have learned a lot and improved as a swimmer because of him."
In transforming from a mildly-recruited high school senior to a champion many times over, Hannan has shown that talent sometimes takes time to develop.
With the NCAA Championships taking place March 28-30, Hannan is a key element of a Texas squad that is striving for its third consecutive national championship. The Longhorns are 8-1 in dual competition this season and consistently win most meets they participate in.
But competing against oneself, Hannan said, is now a primary factor in his improvement as a competitor.
"Knowing that you can always do better and trying to improve on your best time is key to becoming a better swimmer," Hannan said. "Also, I would like to win a national title as an individual and possibly set a team record in the process."
Hannan noted that even though Texas is a championship contender every year, the majority of the competition on the college level is friendly and in good nature. However, on the international level, Hannan said the fans are not as responsive to the United States as collegiate fans are to the Longhorns.
"The amount of booing we received in the 2000 Olympics was unparalelled," Hannan said. "It didn't matter who won the meets, the fans would cheer for them as long as they defeated Americans."
Hannan said that hatred for the United States is probably not the main reason for the negative feelings expressed from international fans. Instead, Hannan said, national pride and being tired of seeing Americans win all the time are probably the motivating factors in the fans' reactions to American competitors.
Now a senior, Hannan has taken on more of a leadership role over the past two seasons for the Longhorns. Having accomplished more than most swimmers ever dream of, he says that helping his younger teammates is now a main factor in his motivation to continue winning.
"There are some younger guys on our team who have not won a national championship, and it would be nice to help them win one before I graduate," Hannan said. "I swim for my coaches and teammates just as much as I swim for myself, because the team is most important."
With the NCAA Championships beginning in three weeks, Hannan knows there is still more he can accomplish before his career at Texas draws to a close. But even after his career at Texas is over, Hannan knows that competitive swimming will be the focus of his life for at least a couple years.
"I would like to continue swimming competitively through 2004 and possibly earn another Olympic bid," Hannan said. "With the younger swimmers in America getting faster, it's not guaranteed that the Olympics are in my future."
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