Max Litchfield interview: Yorkshire swimmer free of the demons as he bids to shed nearly man tag in Paris
In his late 20s, having spent much of his career touching the line a millisecond outside the medal positions before being taken to the depths of despair out of the pool, Max Litchfield would have been forgiven for packing it all in.
But the swimmer from Pontefract is made of sterner stuff.
All that has gone before has been used as fuel to reignite a passion within him and a run of form that is better than anything he has achieved beforehand, to make it back to a third Olympic Games.
The 29-year-old has been to some pretty dark places the last two years but unlike some of his peers who find it cathartic to talk about their struggles out in the open, Litchfield is choosing to keep it buried.
It’s his business, leave it at that.
Maybe when he’s retired, when the athlete’s physique has begun to desert him and the realities of life outside the ritual of the Olympic cycle have dawned, Litchfield will be prepared to speak about what forced him to train away from Britain in South Africa, Italy and Turkey as well as miss the Commonwealth Games and a world championship, but right now it remains a mystery to the outside world and one he wants to keep that way.
It has only become a matter of external interest because Litchfield has come back to competitive swimming better than ever.
After a career highlighted by near-misses – he finished fourth in successive Olympic finals in Rio and Tokyo – he finally broke his medal duck in a major championship by winning a silver medal in the 400m individual medley at the worlds in February in Doha, and then reclaimed his British record in the same race at the British Championships to seal his spot in Paris.
Which begs the question why, and prompts from him a little revelation as to what he has been going through in recent times.
“Everything has clicked. I’ve had a tough couple of years which I don’t want to speak about, but there’s been places that I’ve been to that have been pretty terrible, mentally,” he tells The Yorkshire Post.
“It’s one of those things where you come out of that and you bounce back from that and you can see that contrast.
“It’s been amazing to come out of that. The support around me has been awesome and I just want to thank everyone for standing around me, day in, day out, everyone who has been there for me.
“I just think it’s a combination of a lot of things and I am just happy that I am swimming fast and everything in my personal life is going very well, and that obviously helps in the water.”
In London, at the British Championships and Olympic Trials, he described his recent experiences, almost as if it was a turning point in his career.
“From the moment two years ago when everything kicked off and I couldn’t be where I wanted to be and do what I wanted to do, I just said to myself I’m going to make the most of every situation I get given,” he said back then.
“I never gave up, there’s a lesson there for everyone, no matter how low you get, no matter how you’re feeling there’s always a way back, and with the support of my family, I managed to do it.”
There was never a moment he felt like quitting the sport – “100 per cent no, from minute one it was a matter of when I’m ready to get back I’m going to get back and that’s what we did.”
Swimming was Litchfield’s salvation and there is a sense now that he is a more dangerous, ruthless competitor because of it.
The first time he finished fourth in an Olympic final in Rio was a surprise to him and his opponents, especially as he only qualified for that final fifth fastest in his heat. Five years ago there was a greater feeling of what might have been as he missed out on the medals, particularly as it was a slower final.
As he showed in Doha and London this year, he is a more confident swimmer this time around, ready to shed the nearly man tag.
“I’m very aware of the fact that I’ve been pretty close on a number of occasions, Olympics or at other meets, so I don’t want to be remembered for that,” says Litchfield, who will be joined at the Olympics for a second time by his younger brother Joe, who has qualified in the 100m butterfly.
“And thankfully I managed to get on the podium in Doha, which was pretty awesome to do at a world stage for the first time. But I’m not thinking about it, I’m going in there with an open mind and just going to enjoy the experience.
“It’s just the way I am, I’ve never been satisfied with what I’ve got, I’ve always got more in the tank, I know I’ve not put my best performance together yet, I know the performance in April was the closest I’ve come to that.
“It probably helps that I have been finishing fourth a lot, I know that might sound stupid, but coming fourth several times you’re not satisfied with that, you’re always wanting to push on further, so hopefully we can do that in the summer.
“I’m swimming the best I’ve ever swam in my life and enjoying it as much as I ever have before so I really want to enjoy the experience and therefore swim as fast as I possibly can.
“Going to a third Olympics is amazing. If you’d have given me one Olympics I’d have been happy, to give me three is awesome.”
He would certainly have snapped your hands off if that was offered to him growing up, when he was being ferried back and forth from his home in Badsworth first to swimming club lessons with Doncaster Dartes and then City of Sheffield before moving to Loughborough to join the elite performance centre there.
In Paris he will swim just the one discipline, the 400m individual medley, but could also be used as a relay alternate if other people are rested in the earlier heats.
Should he make it to the final, he will race for that elusive medal on what could be a highly-charged evening of finals on Sunday, July 28, at the Paris La Defence Arena with Adam Peaty going for Great Britain in the 100m breaststroke and Litchfield coming up against the poster boy of French swimming in his final.
Leon Marchand is the world record holder for the 400m individual medley and was absent from the world championships in Doha where Litchfield had his major breakthrough. It will be a raucous atmosphere, and one the British record holder will look to turn to his advantage.
“Leon will be home favourite but I’ll just pretend they’re cheering for me, that’s how I’ll approach it, it’s going to be a loud crowd I’m sure,” smiles Litchfield.
“I can’t let it affect me. He’s been swimming very fast in recent years, but if you’ve got a lane you’ve got a chance, so we’ll see.”
Litchfield worked harder than ever in this Olympic cycle to ensure he has a lane in Paris. If the sporting Gods are shining on him, hopefully this dedicated Yorkshireman gets the medal he deserves.