Torri Huske left the Paris Olympics with three golds and two silvers. A monumental feat beyond any doubt. While winning gold on the grandest stage is understandably a prestigious honor, defending the same is in a league of its own. Considering that the Stanford Cardinals swimming str is only 21 years of age, fans justifiably were already looking forward to the next edition of the quadrennial tournament to see Huske fending off those come after her title. But the Virginia native might have some other plans of her own.

The 2022 NCAA champ showed the world that she’s more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the world’s best swimmers. Her Olympic triumphs have brought her global popularity, but Huske hints the City of Love could have been the zenith of her career.

What can make Torri Huske’s return a smooth ride?

The student-athlete recently appeared in a YouTube interview for Inside With Brett Hawke on September 2. There, the Olympian talked about how she honed a tough mindset to keep her eyes on the prize. Naturally, the course of conversation followed into the discussion of whether she would return to action at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and defend her 100m fly title. Huske grinned at the question and dropped comments on how she views the current swimming scene.

Noting the gap between the two Olympics can make titular changes, Huske said, “I think that with the way things work out and obviously four years is a super long time and like a lot of stuff can change.” She went on to note that aspiring swimmers from all four corners of the world will also try their best to become elite athletes, which can further impact the decision to return to the biggest sports tournament in the world. “…there might be some new swimmers who are way better and faster than me and then I’m just like out of the picture,” the 14-time All-American swimmer didn’t hesitate to acknowledge. However, things can still work out if she can concentrate entirely on her training.

“I have two more years of college since I took a gap year, and then if I decide to do apply for a co-term or a master’s or whatever, that would take me either right up until LA or it would take me a year out. And then, it would basically be like my gap year situation,” Huske said about what can act as an incentive for her return. But she will also have more support closer to her home which can also motivate her to go for one last ride.

More inspiration can be found closer at hand

Huske’s parents have been relentless in their support for the swimmer from the beginning. However, it was probably her mother, who kept telling her the importance of forging ahead no matter what. An immigrant herself, Ying Weng Huske instilled a fiery “fly or die” mentality in her daughter which has brought Torri innumerable accolades at every level of the sport. “I feel like she is a really big inspiration to me. Yeah, I’m just lucky to have her,” Olympics.com quotes Huske saying about her inspirational mom. But even Ying sometimes had to remind her daughter that taking breaks is also a crucial aspect of the whole thing. “She’s a hard-working girl. Sometimes I have to say: ‘Hey Tori, relax! You don’t have to be so serious,” the Olympian’s mother has joked before.

Having a supportive family like this can be a game-changer indeed. Riding high on confidence, Huske returned to her second Olympics and the former American record holder subdued national teammate Gretchen Walsh and Australian stars like Kaylee McKeown to bag her hardware in the French capital last month. On top of these, walking on the same campus that was trodden upon by the iconic Katie Ledecky could also make Huske wish for an illustrious career for herself. Do you think she has what it takes to sit at the same table as the 9-time Olympic gold medalist? Tell us with a comment!