US Olympic Swimming Team 2012: Why Rebecca Soni Is a Must-See Athlete

U.S. swimmer Rebecca Soni never could quite build up her arsenal of disciplines in the pool.

“I still can’t figure out how to swim the other strokes,” Soni told NBC Olympics.

But that’s fine when you are already regarded as the best breastsroker in the world.

Soni currently holds the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke, which she set when she surprised heavily-favored Australian Leisel Jones and won the gold medal in Beijing. She also won silver in the 100-meter breaststroke and in the medley relay.

Since then, the 25-year-old from New Jersey has only solidified her position at the top of her specialty. At the 2011 World Championships, she won the 200- and 100-meter breaststroke. At the Olympic trials, Soni won the 200 but hit a bit of a bump in the 100 and finished second.

Soni admitted to USA Today’s Christine Brennan that nerves got the best of her at the trials, which may have contributed to the second-place finish.

“I was feeling a little bit of pressure, especially going into Olympic trials, and I was so nervous—I don’t even know why,” she said.

Soni added that now that she’s made the Olympic team, she’s more focused on enjoying the experience, which should lead her to solid performances in the pool. 

Soni’s career nearly came to a standstill in 2006 while at USC when she became fatigued and couldn’t train properly due to an irregular heartbeat.

“I wasn’t feeling very well,” Soni told Karen Crouse of The New York Times in 2008, “and I was pretty much depressed.”

Soni underwent a minimally invasive heart surgery procedure and came back stronger than ever. But even Soni’s spectacular performance in Beijing wasn’t quite expected. The USC star swam two seconds faster than she did at the Olympic trials and set the new world record mark to 2:20.22.

As someone who has the reputation for being extra critical on herself, especially in training, Soni’s been working on on the little things, her starts and turns, since before the trials.

“I can always tell that I’m just a little bit behind after a start,” said Soni in an interview with NBCOlympics.com. “It is a place where I have room for improvement. And surprisingly I still don’t feel like I’ve mastered it, but luckily it’s just the beginning and it’s not the main part of the race.”

Considering Soni was able to improve on her Olympic trial 200-meter time by two seconds at the Beijing games, she is definitely an athlete you’ll want to keep your eye on in the pool.