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Who is Lindi Schroeder? Artistic swimmer says her strength is 'performing under pressure'

Lindi Schroeder is ready to perform the artistic swimming duet with Anita Alvarez at the Tokyo Olympics

The artistic swimming event, formally known as the synchronized swimming event, is set to take off on Monday, August 2, at the Tokyo Olympics. This year's swimmers from Team USA includes 19-year-old Lindi Schroeder, who is set to represent the country at the Olympics doing a duet with Anita Alvarez.

Other members of the synchronized swimming team include Paige Ariezaga, Nicole Dzurko, Megumi Field, Nicole Goot, Hannah Heffernan, Anya Melson, Daniella Ramirez, Ruby Remati, and Abby Remmers. The competition contains two routines that the teams must perform in time with the music. The first is the technical routine, which has a maximum duration of two minutes and 50 seconds and contains prescribed moves. The other is the free routine.

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Japan went ahead with this year's Olympics, even as games-related Covid-19 cases continue to rise, leading to several athletes pulling out of the event. With Tokyo facing a triple health threat, the Summer Games were very close to being canceled last minute. However, the Tokyo Aquatic Center is ready to greet Schroeder and the rest of her team during the synchronized swimming competition which begins on August 2 and goes on till August 7. Here's all there is to know about the teen swimming sensation. 

Who is Lindi Schroeder?

Born on September 22, 2001, Schroeder from Andover in Essex County, Massachusetts, will be doing the “artistic swimming duet" along with Anita Alvarez. Named member of the 2020 Olympic duet alongside Alvarez in October 2019, Schroeder won bronze with her team at the Pan American Games in 2019. She was 14 when she represented the US at the FINA World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships 2016 in Russia. She has been on the senior national team since 2018. According to the FINA website, Schroeder has won 3 golds, 3 silvers, and 4 bronzes at the Artistic Swimming World Series from 2019 to 2021.

Schroeder was with her duet partner Alvarez when the 24-year-old fainted in the pool near the end of her artistic swimming routine at the Olympic qualifier in Barcelona in June this year, reported WVIB. Schroeder had to pull her out and drag her to the pool deck along with coach Andrea Fuentes to revive Alvarez. Either way, the duo are set to make waves on Monday, considering they won the title at the Artistic Swimming World Series in May.

'Tremendously excited'

About the Olympics this year, Schroeder had opened up about her excitement in an interview with the Eagle Tribune. “I’m tremendously excited," she said. "These games are very special, as they are taking place in a pandemic. I’m honored to take part in an event that brings the world together.”

“At the Olympic qualifier in Barcelona, we had the team qualification event followed by the duet qualification event,” said Schroeder. “We missed the team qualification by 0.2 points, and it was difficult to compete right after that, but we did it. I found out that we qualified in the duet when our scores were announced, and I could see our placement on the scoreboard. I was so happy with this result, but I also then allowed myself to process the other emotions from the rest of the week. We are very excited," she added.

She found 'synchro' at age 5

The teen told the Tribune that she came across 'synchro' at the age of five by accident. “I didn’t want to do swim lessons anymore, but my parents wanted me to be more comfortable in deep water. We decided to see if I liked synchro. I took part in the novice program for two years before advancing to the 10-and-under age group," she said. 

Since then, there has been no looking back for the swimmer. She went into the tutelage of her primary club coach Svetlana Malinovskaya of Optima Synchro, situated in Haverhill and Lawrence. Her other coaches include Andrea Fuentes, Anna Voloshyna, and Lara Teixeira, according to Team USA. The teen is headed for Stanford and attended Phillips Academy before switching to online lessons due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune reported. Stanford University shared a Schroeder of her on Twitter with the caption: "Lindi Schroeder is an Olympian!! Congratulations to the incoming freshman who is now #TokyoBound!"

Her 'strength' lies in performing under pressure

Talking to the website about challenges with teammates in the pool, Schroeder said: “Synchro is a very demanding sport, both physically and mentally." “Physically, it takes strength, flexibility, agility, endurance and mobility. You have to have the ability to learn and memorize movements quickly, and also be able to focus every second on a different movement." She added: “Like any elite athlete, you have to be motivated, resilient, and have to handle pressure well. I believe that my strength is how I respond to and perform well under pressure.”

Lindi Schroeder is set to perform a technical routine with several required elements as well as a free routine with teammate Alvarez. The Free Duet Preliminary event starts at 6:30 am ET on August 2. The finals are at 6:30 am on Wednesday, August 4.