When the announcer at the 2017 U.S. Open says “take your mark” this week during the men’s freestyle finals, there will likely be a familiar face on the blocks ready to take home the gold.
Madison resident and former Badgers swimmer Matt Hutchins, 22, is back with a vengeance after competing in the 2016 Olympics for his native New Zealand. This summer, he will compete in both the U.S. Open, which takes place today through Sunday on Long Island, N.Y., and the World University Games in Taiwan in late August.
Hutchins says he was not satisfied after his performances in Rio, where he took 19th place in the 400-meter freestyle and 38th place in the mile, and was debating whether to sign a pro contract and continue his career after missing the New Zealand World Championships team in the spring.
“I missed the World Champs team in a couple races,” Hutchins says. “Ended up winning four events, but I didn’t end up doing what I went home to do. I had to come back to Madison and take some time to really assess whether I wanted to keep swimming and all that.”
Hutchins’ decision to keep swimming as a professional looks like it’s already paying dividends, as he recently signed a contract with Oconomowoc-based swim gear company A3 Performance.
“A3 has been great. I’ve worked with them in the past and they helped me out with gear for Rio,” he says. “It’s a really good deal for where I’m at in my career.”
Pro deal in hand, Hutchins is ready to dominate the pool at the U.S. Open, where he is the top seed by more than two seconds in the 400-meter freestyle. According to training partner Eric Geunes, a sophomore at UW, this race will likely be his best event.
“He’s been to the Olympics. He’s definitely high-caliber,” Geunes says. “I can see him winning a few events at the U.S. Open and WUGs.”
After those two meets are over, Hutchins will return to New Zealand for two weeks to visit family before coming back to Madison to finish out the few classes he needs to finish his degree. After he graduates in May, Hutchins hopes to continue living and training in Madison and start a career as a sportswriter focusing on football and basketball.
When he returns from WUGs, he’ll go from Matt Hutchins, Olympian, back to not being recognized while walking through Madison unless someone spots the Olympic rings tattooed on his left bicep — and that’s the way he likes it.
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