How I train: Ivan Puskovitch

Ivan is an American open water swimmer who will be competing in the men’s 10km at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. He is the fifth American male in history to qualify for the Olympics in open water swimming.

You qualified for Paris at the World Aquatic Championships in Doha, how did that feel?

After I finished, I probably went about 10 minutes without knowing if I had made it, and frankly, in those 10 minutes I didn’t care because I was so proud of the prep work and being there with my coach and the effort and execution I had given. When we finally got the news, I was like, oh-my-God, it actually happened. It was this massive emotional release, you know. I gave my coach this absolutely insane hug. I just broke down. It was just such an emotionally turbulent moment with pride, happiness and gratitude. There’s a picture of it and a video of it. I’m going to carry those with me the rest of my life.

What was your strategy for Doha?

I did not want to walk away from Doha regretting that I didn’t give one more per cent because I was hurting or I didn’t take a risk during the race that I think could have panned out in hindsight.

How did you prepare mentally for the race?

I was preparing for Doha just as much mentally as I was physically. It’s two hours. It’s a long race. It’s a lot of time to think. It’s chaotic, and you have a lot of competitors around you. I really do believe that your biggest enemy in distance swimming is yourself. It’s a long time to keep yourself in a positive headspace. There’s a lot of time to dwell on things hurting or not going according to plan, rather than adjusting, controlling the controllables and making do with the situation. So, it’s not: “I have to swim 10km for two hours against 78 people”. I’m present. It’s one stroke at a time, one metre at a time. I’m racing one person at a time, the one next to me.

What is a key part of your physical training for open water?

I’m a huge puller. When you’re doing long distance swimming, it’s much more upper body dominant rather than lower body. I call the legs “oxygen drains.” They’re just such massive muscles that if you’re using them a lot, you’re going to just blow so much oxygen and that’s the most vital resource.

What pull training do you do in the pool?

The pull buoy is great because it really limits any leg movement. It forces you to focus on keeping your shoulders engaged and gets you used to feeling your hips maintained at the top of the surface of the water without having to keep your legs engaged. We’ll move it down in the legs. I’ll even put the buoy down on my ankles and that is very challenging because not only do you need to have a lot of lower body endurance to hold it together and not let it slip out, but it creates this canoe-like body position if you let your hips sink. So, it’s a great way to practise overcompensating for high buoyancy at the shoulders and the feet, but low buoyancy at the hips. It lets you gather some really good core strength.

Why is core strength important for open water swimming?

Core strength is the name of the game. When you get tired, your legs start sinking. Good core strength means you are well equipped to keep your hips up when it’s time to race in open water. What can other open water swimmers learn from you? Happy swimmers are fast swimmers. When you’re in love with the sport, you’re going to thrive. That’s been the case for a lot of my peers, a lot of my friends, and that’s been the case for me.

Featured image: Ivan Puskovitch ©THEMAGIC5

Read Ivan’s guide to pool training for open water success.

Thanks to Ivan’s sponsor, THEMAGIC5, for arranging this interview. You can find Ivan’s swimming goggles and all accessories at themagic5.com

Ivan was interviewed by Sarah Kim Bonner