Krayzelburg immigrated to the United States at 13, but his success is due to more than an immigrant’s work ethic. Perhaps more than any other American swimmer, he has learned from science. “I’ve become a lot more educated about how to find my ideal stroke,” says Krayzelburg, now 24. After every big race he and his coach, the University of Southern California’s Mark Schubert, analyze spreadsheets that break his race down into 10 elements–from the speed of his turns to his stroke rate every 50 meters. A former finance major, Krayzelburg has a head for figures. He knows that more strokes don’t necessarily produce a faster time. He consulted a stroke coach about how to keep his “chassis”–or center of gravity–aligned. Krayzelburg is not as strong underwater or as fast in the turns as some. But he dominates the surface. “The idea is to find the most efficient stroke rate for a certain distance,” Krayzelburg explains. At the Olympic trials he adjusted his rate from 1.3 strokes per second at the beginning of the 200 meters to 1.5. With an internal clock the Swiss would envy, Krayzelburg says that when he hits the wall, he knows to the tenth of a second how fast he’s gone.
He is precise in everything he does. When he negotiated his endorsement deal with Speedo, he wrote in a clause requiring the company to pay his parents’ way to Sydney. He shows up on time not only for practice but also for his interviews (more frequent since he made People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful list). And his training is pure Soviet work camp. He stresses, however, that if he brings home three golds (including one in the 4 x 100 medley relay), they’ll be Made in the U.S.A.
