CNN
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Bill May has dreamed of competing in the Olympics for decades. It wasn't his athleticism that kept him from achieving that goal so far, but a more fundamental problem. That means he's a man.
Until recently, male artistic swimmers were barred from competing in the Olympics, but a rule change announced just over a year ago means May, a 45-year-old veteran of the sport, will finally be able to fulfill a lifelong ambition.
“There's nothing bad in the world right now,” he told CNN Sports, understandably elated, after qualifying the U.S. for this year's Paris Games. “Everything is beautiful, wonderful, wonderful. We are going to the Olympics.”
Few athletes are more deserving of a spot at this year's Olympics, which begin in July, than May, and few have taken a more difficult and circuitous path to get there.
Exactly 20 years ago, when men's artistic swimming was still banned, May watched from poolside as the U.S. team won the bronze medal in Athens.
He then left the sport and joined Cirque du Soleil's water production “O”. That was his life for the next 10 years, at least until his competitive career was given a lifeline.
When male athletes were allowed to compete in the world championships in 2015, May ended up changing lanes again. He was the inaugural winner of the mixed duet technical event that year alongside Christina Jones, finally competing at the pinnacle of the sport.
In December 2022, World Aquatics announced that up to two male artistic swimmers in an eight-person team can compete at the Paris Olympics.
“This is something I've dreamed of my whole life,” May says. โThis is one more thing to add to my list of dreams that continue to come true.
โI feel like my life is ordinary. This sport has given me so much, and now having the absolute dream of competing in the Olympics is more than anyone else in the world. Even if you just try, it's something you can't miss.”
Artistic swimming, known as synchronized swimming until it was renamed in 2017, has a long and complicated history when it comes to men's participation in the sport.
Popularized in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, men also took hold during the formative years of artistic swimming.
However, it was later discovered that male competitors were unsuited to the sport due to certain physical characteristics. They are heavier, less flexible, have more difficulty extending their legs, and have less buoyancy than female competitors.
Italian artistic swimmer Nicolo Oriari told CNN Sports in 2021: “We're used to seeing sports that are graceful and graceful, but there's also a big element of choreography.”
“This is dancing underwater. Maybe we're used to seeing women do these things. But just like classical dance, artistic swimming also has its share of men. Masu.”
When artistic swimming was first added to the Olympic Games in 1984, only women could compete. This has been the case for the past 40 years, but this year's tournament will be a major jolt in the history of the sport.
“This comes from our hearts and doesn't come from our gender,” May says. โI can never justify why someone would try to lock someone out.
“First of all, it's hindering the growth of the sport. And second, it's unfair. It's not representative of humanity. It's not how we want to represent the sport in our culture. It's not.”
May, who will concentrate on his coaching career after this year's competition, has been described by fellow competitor Giorgio Minisini as a “god” of the sport.
The New York native has been participating in artistic swimming since he was 10 years old, and his mother persuaded him to join his sister's class. He then moved to California, but despite winning back-to-back U.S. titles, his career was limited by a lack of opportunity to compete at the top men's level.
May now spends eight to 10 hours in the pool every day doing cross-training, core training, flexibility and weight training to prepare for the Olympics. In his opinion, artistic swimming is one of the most physically demanding sports on the Olympic program.
โYou have to move like a dancer,โ he says. “Like a gymnast or an acrobat, you have to roll and do some acrobatics. You have to have the endurance of a marathon runner, and you have to do all this without taking a breath and without touching the bottom.” It doesn't have to be.
“There's not one sport in the world where you can't breathe when you do the whole competition and everything else together. I really think it's one of the hardest sports in the world.”
Male artistic swimmers are helping redefine the meaning of masculinity
In addition to the technical and free routines, this year's artistic swimming program includes a new event: the acrobatic routine. Athletes compete in teams or duets and win a total of six medals.
“We feel that we are going to be with the greatest team in the world – the hardest working, most motivated and determined team,” said May, who has secured a spot at this year's Olympics. Talk about the possibility of participation. Join the game through this month's World Championship.
โI think we have a really good chance of winning a medal.โ
May, who has long been denied a spot in the Olympics, feels no bitterness or regret over the exclusion of men from artistic swimming competitions; I'm just grateful that I was able to end my competitive career.
โI know this sport has given me a life beyond anything I could have imagined,โ he says.
