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TERRE HAUTE – Terre Haute’s first gold medal swimmer visited the Vigo County Aquatic Center on Tuesday in hopes of inspiring a future medalist or two while speaking to the Terre Haute torpedoes and the three high school teams who practiced and from there the city and the Vigo County School Corporation.
Tribune Star / Joseph C. Garza Medals In Stock: Paralympic swimmer Evan Austin shows off his bronze and gold medals won at the Tokyo Paralympic Games during a ceremony for him on Tuesday at the Vigo County Aquatic Center.
Mayor Duke Bennett read out a proclamation announcing November 2nd as “Evan Austin Day,” and VCSC Superintendent Rob Haworth announced that a plaque in recognition of Austin’s accomplishments will be permanently displayed in the center’s lobby.
“This is home,” Austin told the Tribune star. “Coach [Mike] Williams [of Terre Haute North] heard I was home and asked if I was ready to perform.
“Is there an opportunity to support the community and the swimmers?
Austin, a Terre Haute South graduate, has competed in three Paralympic Games despite coming home with no medals in 2012 and 2016. After his first year in South, he had his first trial training for the US team in 2008.
In 2021 Austin won the bronze medal in the 400 meters freestyle and then gold in the 50 meters butterfly in Tokyo.
“It’s been a stressful trip,” Austin said Tuesday after being teased about some gray spots in his hair, “but I’ve loved every minute of it. And without it, I wouldn’t be here.” [a long list of supporters]. They believed in me even when I gave up on myself.
“They say the third time is the charm,” Austin continued with a smile. “I had the feeling that I wasn’t finished yet, that I hadn’t done what I set out to do.”
The third competition triggered “a wave of emotions,” he said. “I knew I had a chance [at a medal] in the 400th . and I had my best time and an American record [in addition to the bronze medal]. “
That gave him a boost for his second race.
“I was one of the favorites in the 50 Fly,” said Austin, “and I was in a good position mentally after I won that first medal.
“I knew I had a lot left and about two decades of training paid off and I got my hand on the wall first.”
Tribune Star / Joseph C. Garza Terre Hautes Own: Gold medal swimmer Evan Austin will be at the center during a ceremony for Austin on Tuesday.
Austin described his message to the young swimmers Tuesday as “a brief message of resilience and faith. If a kid like me can get out of Terre Haute and win a gold medal, who says one of those kids can’t do the same? Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that they believe in you. “
The native of Terre Haute described his visit to his parents’ house as part of a “reset” after all the training sessions and competitions that were planned a few months ago.
“I’m on autopilot right now,” Austin said. “You get so used to being on the move all the time and you’re so caught up in it that it almost feels uncomfortable to relax.”
As for future competition, he said, “I’m evaluating this now, but right now I’m allowing myself to eat pizza and Mexican food.”
Austin currently lives in Indianapolis and commutes to Purdue, where he is on the coaching staff of the Boilermakers swim team. “I love giving back to the sport I love,” he said.
Otherwise? “I’ve never been someone to rush into life,” he said, leaving all his options open.
One of the ways, Austin said, could be motivational speaking. “Who knows more about the Evan Austin story than I do?” he was joking.
A reporter who spoke to Austin in 2008 when he described the familial spastic paraparesis that interferes with his gait and enables him to become a Paralympian as a “blessing” said motivational speaking is a wonderful idea.
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