Megumi Field was a toddler the last time the U.S. qualified for the Olympic artistic swimming team event. Now, Field, 18, is part of the team preparing for its big return.
“I’ll be excited for college once the Olympics [are] over. But right now, all I can think about is the Olympics,” Field told NBC News’ “Stay Tuned.” “I just can’t wait to be in that moment, ready to show the world what we’ve been working on.”
When Field was a child, she didn’t have a need for speed. She had a need for water.
“I’ve always loved the water. I’ve always loved chlorine,” she said. “The moment I was born, I think I was just in the water.”
Field began artistic swimming when she was 5 years old. At the time, she lived in Delaware and traveled to Pennsylvania every day for practice. By the time she was 10, her family had moved to California so she could train more, and it paid off. Field competed on two 12-and-under teams and made the U.S. Senior National Team when she was just 14 years old. Since then, she has competed in countless competitions and has grown her medal count.
Going into the Paris Games, Field has 16 gold, one silver and six bronze medals under her belt from other competitions.
Artistic swimming used to be called synchronized swimming. Kennedy Shriver, who manages communications for USA Artistic Swimming, said World Aquatics changed the name after the 2016 Olympic Games to better illustrate what the sport is about. The rebrand came from its similarity to artistic gymnastics.
It isn’t just about being in sync anymore.
“I think artistic swimming combines a lot of different sports, like gymnastics, dance, ballet, speed swimming, even diving,” Field said.
Team USA coach Andrea Fuentes called it “the craziest sport a human can do.”
“We don’t [breathe] while we are upside down,” she said. “We throw our flyer in the air, up to 9 feet, while she does the acrobatics of a gymnast.”
Swimmers also tread water the entire time and never touch the bottom of the pool.
In the Paris Games, artistic swimming will be broken into two events: team and duet. Within each event, there are multiple routines that have been perfected over multiple years. The coaching staff begins choreography in the pool and then finalizes it on land before the swimmers head back into the water. The free routine allows teams to show off their personalities and creativity. But technical routines can be a bit more rigid.
“In tech, everyone has to do the same thing,” Field said. “If you don’t, you can get penalized. … All countries do the same technical elements.”
The 2024 Games will also require the team event to include acrobatic routines for the first time.
Artistic swimming was added to the Summer Games in 1984. Team USA took home the team and duet golds that very year but hasn’t secured a double gold since.
That could change this year.
“I want to get the U.S. back on the stage,” said Field, who will be competing in both the team and duet events. “I’ve grown up watching us dominate basically all the sports, and … when I think of … gold medals, I think of the U.S.”
