The Grossest Secret of All Olympic Swimmers
It's confirmed what many of us have suspected throughout our lives when we watch swimmers, a practice they often engage in while they're in the pool.
The big secret of swimmers has been confirmed, a somewhat unpleasant but absolutely necessary practice if you want to perform at your best in swimming competitions. Olympic swimmer Lilly King, representing the United States in Paris 2024, confirmed that yes, swimmers do pee in the pool.
According to The Wall Street Journal, King said, "I've probably peed in every pool I've ever swum in." King made it clear there's no reason to hide what seems to be a normal practice among Olympic swimmers.
Swimmers explain that the need to pee during competitions is actually very helpful and has several practical reasons. They hydrate excessively before each race, which increases the need to go to the bathroom.
Jake Mitchell, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, also told The Wall Street Journal about his need to pee due to staying highly hydrated. "I always have to pee because I'm so hydrated," Mitchell said.
However, the amount of chlorine used to clean the pools is something that keeps swimmers calm and unconcerned about the urine. Brian Spear, the chemical filtration coordinator for the U.S. Olympic trials pools, told WSJ that the characteristic smell of a pool is due to the chemical reaction of chlorine with organic compounds like hair, dead skin, and urine.
