FEATURE STORY
Han (right) and Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas have worked with hundreds of world-class swimmers, including triathletes like Casey Katz, center.
or resources to test their swimmers. FINA, the governing body of swimming,
One of their biggest success stories was working with the team from Honduras, Han
position he has held for 10 years. In the course of testing, Sokolovas made
felt the testing would help athletes from
recalls. “One swim magazine had no idea we
a lot of presentations to the swimmers, and
underdeveloped countries and hired the pair for
did the testing, and put in one of their articles
many of the topics were nutrition related. “After
a trial run to test swimmers at the 2011 World
that on one team all of their swimmers were
a couple of years of working with him I thought
Swimming Championships in Shanghai, China.
able to drop their times from the preliminaries.
nutrition was really interesting. Luckily the U of M
Over the two-week meet they tested more than
That was Honduras. I told Dr. G, ‘We just tested
had a graduate program in dietetics, and I was
180 swimmers from 50 countries, including
Honduras!‘”
like, ‘This is a really good fit,’” Han says. He is in
Namibia, Botswana and Ecuador. “They get to
Han swam for two years at Rhodes College,
train like Olympians for a day,” Han says. Their
where he earned his degree in biology in 2009.
expects to graduate in December. As a registered
success led FINA to hire them again for the 2013
“At one point, I had seven school records,” he
dietitian, Han hopes to work either in the renal
World Swimming Championships in Barcelona,
says, “but academics are so rigorous at Rhodes I
field or food service management.
Spain.
couldn’t keep up and had to choose academics
Almost all showed significant signs of improvement in the form of faster times after testing.
over swimming.” His father, David Han, was an Olympic-caliber
the master’s program in clinical nutrition, and
Until then, he is always open to holding more swim clinics with Sokolovas. If their experience has taught them anything,
swimmer in his native China, but was unable
it’s that even the top athletes in the world can
“For some swimmers from underdeveloped
to compete when China boycotted the Games.
stand some improvement – such as Michael
countries, they dropped a lot of time, seconds,”
“I always consider him an Olympian even if he
Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all
he says. “It was such a wonderful feeling
didn’t get to go,” Eddie says.
time, with a total of 22 medals and holder of
because with swimming you have different heats
The U.S. also boycotted the Olympics, but
the record for most Olympic gold medals (18).
based on time. They were usually not seeded
sent its swim team to a dual meet in China
Sokolovas began working with Phelps when
high in the heats, but to see them finishing first
instead. There David Han met legendary swim
the phenom was just 14. “Dr. G found seven or
and second and having their faces show up on
coach Don Gambril, a five-time Olympic coach
eight mistakes he could correct in his butterfly,”
the Jumbotron was such a wonderful feeling.
and head coach at the University of Alabama.
Han says. “He wanted to quit swimming! There
I would say, ‘We just tested him 10 minutes
Gambril hired the elder Han, who was by then
is no perfect stroke.”
ago!’ They were elated; they couldn’t have been
coaching, to be his assistant at Alabama. He is
happier.”
now aquatics director for the city of Memphis, a
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P R ESI DENT’S R EPORT 2014
THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS