I know what I did wrong, and I can fix it so that I can get better and work on it next year. I wanted to make a semi. It was going to be hard, and I had to have my best time.& – Long Gutierrez
RIO DE JANEIRO — Long Gutierrez kept telling himself that the 100 meters he was going to swim Thursday afternoon in the Olympic Aquatic Stadium was the same 100 meters he’s raced hundreds of times before.
But the reality went a little differently than the plan. “Once I got in that ready room, I was like, I don’t know, started to get a little nervous,” said the Brighton High alum, who finished seventh in his heat of the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 53.34 seconds, which is not fast enough to advance to the semifinal later Thursday night. “The point from walking out to the blocks, once I got to the blocks it was go time, get ready to go … like any other race, just down and back. I mean, it wasn’t the results I wanted, but I’m happy with it.”
It is, after all, his first Olympic Games, and if he learned anything in Thursday’s race, it was how much he wants to return to the world’s largest sports stage.
“I know what I did wrong, and I can fix it so that I can get better and work on it next year,” said Gutierrez, who will start his senior season at Cal after a two-week break from the pool. “I wanted to make a semi. It was going to be hard, and I had to have my best time.”
Before he’d changed out of his swimsuit, he was already analyzing how he trained, when he tapered and what to tweak.
“It was kind of irritating,” he said of his performance, “but at the same time, like, it’s my first games. It's something completely new to me.”
He said coming up short of his goal doesn’t discourage him. In fact, it does the opposite.
“With that bad swim, it makes me be like, I know I can be better,” said the integrated biology major. “It’s going to be kind of a driving point.”
Joseph Schooling, Singapore, had the fastest overall time (51.41), while Michael Phelps, who swam in the same heat with Schooling, was second with a time of 51.60 seconds. Phelps swam in the sixth heat, while Gutierrez swam in the third heat. He said he's often asked if he knows Phelps when people learn he's a swimmer.
"Yeah, I've raced against him a couple of times," he said smiling, "But I've never actually talked to him."
Gutierrez said he’s focused on competing, even while trying to take in as much of the experience as he can. He’s cheered on teammates old and new, and he planned to support his Cal teammate Ryan Murphy in the 400-meter backstroke Thursday night.
“I’ve had a great time here,” he said, grinning. “It’s been a blast.”
He took a moment before he walked out on the deck of the Olympic Aquatic Center to dedicate the moment to the man who helped him achieve such a monumental dream — his father.
Gutierrez’s parents moved from their home in Mexico City to Cottonwood Heights when their only child was 2, hoping he would have more opportunity to capitalize on his talent. The 21-year-old, who helped Brighton to four straight 5A swimming championships, made their sacrifice worthwhile when he earned a scholarship to Cal.
He said opting to swim for Mexico fulfilled a dream his father had for him as well.
“Right before I went out there, I was just basically like, ‘This was for you, dad,’” said Gutierrez, who is a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Gutierrez said he’s enjoyed every aspect of his experience — totally about three weeks in Rio de Janeiro — although he said waiting for his turn to compete was difficult. It isn’t hard for him to choose his favorite Olympic moment.
“I think walking out,” he said of Thursday’s entrance to the Olympic Aquatic Center, which offers a bit of star treatment to a sport that is often overlooked in America until the Olympic Games. “Walking out and hearing people behind me cheering for Mexico and all, that was really cool to me.”
Watching records fall night after night, he said has been inspiring.
Gutierrez will never forget his experience, in part because he plans to get a tattoo of the Olympic rings on his bicep during his two-week vacation.
“The funny thing is, the one thing I’ve like, I’ve been most excited about is getting my tattoo,” he said, flexing and pointing to the spot where he and his teammates will be sporting the Olympic rings in a few weeks.
“I’m just excited to be here,” he said. “Even with that like, that swim not being where I wanted. I’m stoked to be here. That feeling is incredible.”
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