Lazor focus: Auburn alum Annie Lazor fulfills Olympic dream

AUBURN, Ala. – Fifty meters remained in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials when former Auburn swimmer Annie Lazor glanced at her competitors and knew she was Tokyo bound.

“I was maybe just a little bit ahead, and if there’s anything I feel the most confident in in my swimming, it’s my third and fourth 50 of the 200 breaststroke,” said Lazor, recalling her mindset at the moment. “You have 50 meters left until you’re an Olympian. Get it done.”

In less than a two-and-a-half minutes, a lifetime of training – thousands of hours in the pool – culminated with an opportunity to compete this month in the Olympics.

“A pretty indescribable experience,” she said.

Lazor drew inspiration from another Auburn Olympian, 2012 butterflyer Tyler McGill, and his post-race interview after joining Michael Phelps on the team in London.

“He said, ‘I woke up this morning and I made the decision that I was going to be an Olympian,’” Lazor said. “I resonated with that so much. It is a decision. I really did wake up that morning of the 200 and say, ‘I’m going to be an Olympian today.’ I knew it was going to happen.”

Growing up in Michigan, Lazor swam on a club team but trained and competed primarily by herself. That changed when she visited Auburn.

“The feeling of the Auburn family is unmatched,” Lazor said. “To have that feeling of a team that’s also a family was really important to me. Within 24 hours, I already felt like I was part of the team.

“The excellence of the program and the history of Auburn swimming and diving is nearly unmatched. It was a pretty easy choice for me.

“It went by too quickly. Time with my teammates and the people I met there who are now my lifelong friends and family. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

A four-time All-American on the Plains from 2013-16, Lazor stepped away from the sport after competing at the 2016 Olympic Trials, needing a break, physically and emotionally.

A talk with a hometown swimming mentor launched Lazor’s return to the pool after a year away.

“I didn’t want to look five or 10 years down the road and regret not knowing what could have happened,” she said. “When I came back, it was definitely the biggest leap of faith I’ve ever taken.”

Lazor relocated to Bloomington, Indiana, training with 2016 Olympic gold medalist Lilly King.

“She welcomed a training partner which I’m super grateful for,” Lazor said. “That speaks volumes about the kind of competitor she is to have people next to her who will push her every day.

“Our friendship has blossomed throughout the last year. There’s a profound respect we have for one another. I want success for her just as much as I want success for myself, and I know that she feels that way, too.”

At Indiana, Lazor found fellow professional swimmers who share what she calls an “elite mindset,” but there’s a part of Auburn the Hoosiers cannot duplicate.

“I definitely miss that 10-lane, 50-meter outside pool at Auburn at our disposal whenever we want,” she said. “That was just divine.”

When Lazor and King finished 1-2 in the 200-meter breaststroke at Trials, they shared hugs and tears, evidence of the bond they’ve formed, along with training partners Laura Morley from the Bahamas and Bailey Andison from Canada.

“We’re a pretty close-knit group,” Lazor said. “I definitely would not have gotten through the last year without them.”

When Lazor’s father passed away six weeks before Olympic Trials, her professional teammates traveled to Michigan for the visitation.

“I just can’t even describe what that means to me,” she said. “It’s incredible.”

In most professions, age 26 represents an emerging stage. Not so in swimming.

Forced by the pandemic to wait an extra year to fulfill her Olympic dream, Annie Lazor heads to Japan via a staging camp in Hawaii. The opportunity of a lifetime awaits, earned through endurance.

“This has been the hardest year of my life without a doubt,” she said. “One day I’ll look back and say it made me a stronger person.

“I would not be here today if it weren’t for the experiences I had at Auburn. There’s really nothing that can be thrown my way that I won’t be able to handle from a competitive perspective.”