One of the youngest to swim at Tokyo Trials, Teagan O’Dell, expected to make a splash at future Games
CHINO HILLS, Calif. — Teagan O’Dell is making a splash, may be headed toward 2023 Olympics.
The recent Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo were exciting and inspiring. Over 11,000 athletes from around the world competed. We witnessed the addition of new sports like karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing – but swimming still topped America’s list of favorite Olympic sports to watch, and it did not disappoint with a total of 30 medals and a little help from Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel.
It’s no wonder kids across the nation are jumping into pools with dreams of joining Team USA in future games, like our very own Chino Hills swimmer Teagan O’Dell.
Teagan is now 14 and a freshman at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. She has been swimming since she was five years old and began competing at seven at Vellano Country Club which eventually became Chino Hills Aquatics, home of the Chino Hills Sharks. Teagan swam with CH Aquatics until last year when she joined Irvine Novaquatics. Her dedication is evident in her success and accomplishments throughout her career.
At the 2019 Western Zone Age Group Swimming Championships held in Gresham, Oregon, Teagan broke the 11-12 National Age Group Record in the girls’ 200-meter individual medley and a previous long-held record set by former five-time Olympic gold medalist, Missy Franklin (2008).
This year, Teagan qualified to compete in the US Swimming Olympic Trials for Tokyo as one of the youngest competitors (there was only one swimmer younger than her). Taking place in Omaha, Nebraska, the O’Dells and Teagan’s coach, Ken LaMont, traveled to this small, quaint town this past June. The venue, however, was hardly small or quaint. And odd is it may seem, the huge convention center, CHI Health Center Omaha, does not have a pool. Instead, the concert-style arena would be transformed and equipped with a competition pool (shipped in pieces) and a second pool for warm-ups, all taking about two weeks to construct on top of the existing gym floor with a deck built up around it giving it the appearance of being inground. When the trials are over, the pools are emptied and torn down piece by piece. One pool gets donated to an underprivileged community and the other pool will get sold to a school.
So how did Teagan do? She qualified for the 100m and 200m backstroke but now has also qualified in the 200m and 400m individual medleys and 100m freestyle for a total of five events. The top two swimmers in each event would be chosen to represent Team USA. She hopes to qualify for the next Olympic trials in 2024 and make it to the Paris Games. But she won’t be “wading” in the splash pools until then.
The 2021 Speedo Summer Championships in Irvine this last August 3-7 resulted in another history maker for Teagan, achieving a 55.82 100m freestyle which now ranks her as the 5th all-time fastest in the 13-14-year-old category. To put this into perspective, 3 out of the 4 swimmers that ranked above her are now Olympic medalists and she dropped a total of .83 off her lifetime best (swimswam.com).
Her current coach at Irvine Novaquatics Swimming, Ken LeMont, holds Teagan in high regard with respect to her achievements, goals, and overall athleticism. “She is very aware of her training, fully understanding her pace, speed, and technique and utilizing each training set to maximize her workouts. She enjoys racing and takes full advantage of her peer group to challenge and be challenged…” He emphasizes that while Teagan is already very accomplished at her sport, she is at the point of being recognized to become a member of the USA National Team which would allow her to compete against comparable female swimmers on the international stage. Coach LaMont also believes she will achieve those goals sooner rather than later, citing Teagan’s admirable work ethic.
As of August 13, 2021, Teagan is ranked #1 (ages 13-14) in the US for the 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m IM (previously held by former Olympian Missy Franklin), and the 400m IM. She ranks #2 in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 200m freestyle.
She is in good company with the swim team at Santa Margarita Catholic (Trinity League) whose history of achievements includes seven consecutive CIF Division 1 Championships and current #1 ranking in California. Parents of current swimmers and incoming freshmen alike are seeing stars for this “dream team” which promises to add more CIF titles to their impressive legacy.
Teagan’s heroes and influences include Olympians Michael Phelps and Katinka Hosszú and models herself after them for being a well-rounded and versatile swimmer. Her mom, Marni, adds that Teagan also displays the same determination as those swimmers. With that determination and an intensive practice schedule, Teagan is committed to staying physically fit and healthy. Stretching and massages are essential to keeping her body loose and ready for a meet. With daily practices, sometimes two a day, the energy she expends requires the right nutrients and food to sustain her. She explained that she doesn’t limit much in terms of her diet except sugar. And hydrating… because you still sweat – even in a pool.
Outside the water, Teagan works out and lifts weights at local Punch It Up Fitness under the guidance of a personal trainer, Herman Akin. Her personal goals are a pathway to the Olympics like improving her times and achieving team records but what she loves most about swimming is competing. While college is still in the distant future, she has her eye on several colleges with several swimmers who participated and some who earned medals in the Tokyo Games: University of Georgia (Allison Schmitt, Hali Flickinger), University of Texas (Erica Sullivan), and USC (Katinka Hosszú).
The O’Dell family is accustomed to the rigorous schedules of sports and school. Teagan has three brothers: Tobin (17) and Talan (16) play football at Bishop Amat High school, and youngest brother Turner (12) plays football with Chino Hills Junior All American. Mom, Marni, and dad, Daniel, find ways to make it all work and get everyone where they need to go including vacations at local destinations like Newport Beach where everyone learned to surf. Teagan mentioned that her personal heroes are her parents and her brothers. She is soft-spoken yet steadfast and confident in what she says. She has the poise of an elite athlete but is humble about her achievements.
Teagan O’Dell IS the athlete to watch, and she IS from Chino Hills!
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