Shane Casas missed making the US Olympic Team for Tokyo by a quarter of a second and he has spent the last three years living with that fact and trying to find a way to overcome it.
The word on Shane Casas is that he was born with all the talent in the world and confidence to match. I guess it's a blessing and a curse. I don't really think sometimes I just do things. Uh and I say things and I go with it because that's kind of who I am like if you don't like it, I don't care. I'm sorry, actually, I'm not even sorry. Two years ago, Casas had just finished his junior year at Texas A and M, he was a national champion, a 20 time all American and many thought a future Olympic standout for team USA at Tokyo with the trials halfway through the men's 100 m backstroke final. It appeared that Casas was living up to the hype, Shane Kasas. How about that? Just above world record pace after 50 until he didn't Murphy wins again. Hunter Armstrong up for second, Shane Kasas just missed by a quarter second. I honestly couldn't tell you what happened. It just, it just happened and I was just in shock. I was just standing there like I just missed the team. The disappointment at trials came with the realization that talent could only take him so far and that it was time to make a change. Casas turned pro and moved to Austin Texas to train with legendary coach Eddie Reese. The thing that Eddie, you know, just re sparked is just like my interest and my excitement and I think that's what I needed. Again. I heard from some of the guys said, Shane's not happy with you. I said I'm doing it right. It's perfect. If he's happy, it's too easy. And the last 20 is where all the races are decided. I used to think I was superman, like no matter what I said or did, like, I would figure it out. But then I realized I'm not clearly because I didn't make the team. So obviously I didn't know everything. So now I feel like my thing is as long as I'm working really hard, I know it'll happen. I don't know when or how, but I know it'll happen. That's my approach.