Hundreds of elite swimmers compete in suburban Chicago races
WESTMONT, Ill. (CBS) – While it may be summertime, it's no vacation for elite-level swimmers, including for those taking place in one of the top swimming events in suburban Westmont this weekend.
CBS News Chicago caught up with two former local high school standouts who will compete.
More than 800 of the best swimmers from high school and college teams around the Midwest will race through the waters at the FMC Natatorium as part of the Speedo Sectionals, a USA Swimming series for elite-level swimmers.
"It's awesome," said Alex Lakin, a Naperville Central alum who swims at Oakland University. "You love to see everybody come in here and compete and have a good time."
Colin Zhang, a Stevenson High School graduate who is heading to the University of Pennsylvania, said, "I think it's fun. It's low pressure. Honestly just trying to work my race. It's a lot of training, so it's fun to get up and race a little bit."
Lakin and Zhang are among the best swimmers in Illinois. They'll both race in the 200 breaststroke in Westmont. Zhang had the fastest time in a preliminary run, despite the stress that he said comes with such a big event.
"It's scary because everyone is actually like really, really big," Zhang said. "I'm only like [5-foot-10] and there's like kids who are [6-foot-2], [6-foot-3]. They'll kill me off the start, off the walls."
So how does Zhang make up for that difference?
"A lot of times I lose, but it's alright," he said. "It's a 200, so it's a longer race, so if I train [and have] more endurance, I'll catch them on the third or fourth 50 [meters]."
Lakin knows about swimming in big competitions. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in the 100-meter breaststroke and got to compete against America's best in Indianapolis last month.
"That was surreal," Lakin said. "That was just, I've been working for a long time to get there and to get there was a huge goal to accomplish."
While Lakin didn't qualify for the Olympics this time around, he hopes to use the race as a learning experience to try again in 2028.
"There's definitely a lot to learn," he said. "In four years, we could be back stronger and better. It's kind of just a foot in the door for the next time."
For now, Lakin said he's focused on getting set for his sophomore year at Oakland, while Zhang is headed to Penn in the fall to start his college swimming career.
"It means a lot," Zhang said. "I've been working a lot in the pool, in the classroom and I'm just looking forward to it."
Both Lakin and Zhang were regulars at the IHSA state meet, which has been held at the FMC Natatorium since 2022. Zhang actually broke the IHSA record in this year's meet in the 100-meter breaststroke, but still finished second.