Michael Walker "Living the Dream" at the XXX London Summer Olympic Games
By Julie Perine on July 30, 2012 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
When Brazil’s Fabiola Molina swam yesterday in the XXX London England Summer Olympics 100-meter backstroke, Bridgeport’s Michael Walker was on the edge of his seat.It wasn’t just her grueling efforts on the line, it was his, too.
For the past couple of weeks, Walker – a former Bridgeport High and WVU swim team member - has been coaching the 37-year-old Olympic athlete.
“I arrived here in London on the 17th. From the 17th to the to the 24th, I was at Crystal Palace coaching one of my swimmers as part of the Brazilian team,” Walker said. “On the 24th, they moved into the Olympic Village.”
Since then, he’s been hanging out in London and enjoying some Olympic games.
“For me, this has all been a great experience. I really didn't find out about this trip until about two months ago. As a young coach, I couldn't ask for anything better,” said Walker, who has also scored a bunch of Brazilian gear – Ts, shorts, hats – and umbrella, included.
The Olympic experience came along as part of his assistant swim coach duties at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. He was offered that position by Sergio Lopez - a 1988 Olympic bronze medalist (Seoul, 200-meter breaststroke) - who coached WVU to a 2007 Big East title.
“Sergio took pretty much a non-existent swim team to winning the Big East, which was pretty crazy,” said Barbara Walker, Michael’s mom.
Walker’s WVU swimming career produced several individual milestones.
His 2006 Big East fourth-place 200-meter backstroke finish set a University record.
In 2009, his senior year, he won the 400-meter IM event, contributing heavily to the men’s team overall fourth-place finish.
He also earned Honorable Mention All-American honors after finishing 11th in that same event at the NCAA Championships, breaking his own school record.
Just days after his 2009 graduation, Walker was off to Bolles, having been recruited by Lopez, who two years earlier joined the staff as head swim coach and aquatics director.
Walker started out part-time, then advanced to full-time and is now also doing training camps. He’s had his eye on coaching since he was at WVU, but he admits that it’s a little bittersweet not to be competing personally.
“I do miss swimming competitively, but I also know that if I was still swimming, I wouldn't be in London right now,” he said. “Coaching has given me this opportunity to be at the Olympics. I love my job.”
Walker knows the commitment and discipline required to excel in this level of competition.
“These athletes have been training the better part of their lives for this one moment. The amount of dedication they have to their sport is amazing,” he said. “They have tortured their bodies and minds just to be ready for their shot at swimming fast in the Olympics.”
It’s most rewarding to be in their corner, he said.
“I get great satisfaction in helping someone swim. My hope is that through my swimming experiences, I can help an athlete archive their goals and hopefully swim faster than they think.”
Prior to his London trip, Walker worked with members of the U.S. Olympic swim team at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee.
“Sergio sent Michael to Knoxville. He was Bob Bowman’s assistant, who was Michael Phelps’ coach,” Barbara Walker said.
A total of 20 Bolles Sharks swimmers/coaches have been part of the 2012 Olympic Games. They include two students, eight alumni, three coaches, a former coach, an alumnus with coaching duties and five Bolles Sharks swim club/post grad members.
Molina, who falls in the latter category, competed in the 2000 and 2008 Olympics. As a member of the women's relay team, she was a two-
time bronze medal winner at the Pan American Games. Her time in yesterday's 100-meter backstroke event didn’t allow her to advance to the semifinals.Four other Olympian swimmers are members of the Bolles team: Ariana Kukors, Charlie Houchin, Anderson Chee Wei Lim and Joseph Schooling.
“All of these swimmers have a great opportunity to swim very well here in London,” Walker said. “Ariana (Kukors) is the current World Record holder in the 200-meter IM so we look for her to go far in that event. Charlie (Houchin) is swimming on the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. He will swim the relay in the morning and if he swims fast enough he can earn a spot on the relay for finals that night. Joseph (Schooling) is only 17 years old, but has a great chance to surprise a lot of people. He will swim the 100- and 200-meter butterfly. The 200-meter butterfly is his best opportunity to make a semifinal and possibly the finals.”
Kukors swims the women's 200-meter IM today.
Houchin swims Tuesday, the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Also part of that relay team is Ryan Lochte, who this past weekend won the gold in the 400-meter individual medley.
Walker and Houchin have a shared swimming history.
“They swam against each other in ‘Y’ Nationals – the 400-meter IM,” Barbara Walker said. “Charlie was ahead in the fly and Michael was ahead in the breaststroke. Charlie touched him out at the end. It was a great race.”
Representing Brunei, 16-year-old Lim swam the 200-meter freestyle on Sunday and didn’t make the semifinal event. He did, however, break the Brunei national record and is a hopeful for the next Olympic summer games.
Schooling swam the 200-meter butterfly earlier today, but didn't qualify for semifinals. On Thursday, both Schooling and Phelps will compete in the mens 100-meter butterfly.
Schooling represents Singapore and is being coached by Lopez.
Walker has said more than once that he is “living the dream.”
“I have made some great connections with coaches, swimmers and team managers,” he said. “It was great to be a part of a foreign country's training camp. I learned a lot from how they operate.”
A 2005 graduate of BHS, Walker is the son of Barbara and Bill "Chet" Walker.
Pictured from top: Sergio Lopez, Fabiola Molina and Michael Walker; Walker at WVU and Molina.
Video of Opening Ceremonies, shot by Lopez:
For up-to-date information and results of the XXX London Summer Olympics, visit
