Q&A with Erica Sullivan: U.S. Olympic swimmer talks Pride Month, representation

U.S. Olympic swimmer Erica Sullivan has her eyes set on Paris 2024.

It would be the second Olympic games for Sullivan, who won a silver medal in the 1500-meter freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing behind fellow American Katie Ledecky. Sullivan’s win was another milestone for not only herself and her country, but an entire community as an openly gay U.S. Olympic swimmer.

Sullivan, 22, told USA TODAY Sports she's willing to "be a role model for queer kids and be that representation that I didn’t have."

The 2024 games will likely be her last. "I’ll probably retire after Paris," she admitted. But her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and representation is just getting started. Sullivan, recipient of the Human Rights Campaign's "Rising Star" honor, is ready to make waves.

TOKYO OLYMPICS: Katie Ledecky wins gold medal in 1,500 freestyle, US teammate Erica Sullivan takes silver

USA TODAY Sports caught up with Sullivan during Pride month to talk about the importance and pressures of representation, the upcoming Olympic games, her mental health journey, her late father John Sullivan and her philanthropy.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: You won a silver medal in the 1500m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. What was it like competing as your authentic self on the biggest stage in the world?

"I feel like it’s really special to me – just being able to be there. I feel like a lot of people found out that I made that Olympic team being gay and I think it drew a lot more eyes on me on how I was performing in Tokyo. There was a little bit of added pressure, but honestly I just wanted to make sure I was doing it for a good cause."

Q: Can you elaborate on the pressure you felt? Did you feel like you had to perform well?

"I feel like I want to be a good role model for those I represent. I just don’t want to be viewed in a negative light and have that be the representation of swimmers in our community. That was a little bit of pressure that I put on myself...  I thought not only was it a way to represent the queer community but it’s also a way to educate the straight community."

Q: Is swimming an escape or safe space for you?

"Yes...especially with it being a sport where it’s kind of individualized. You are kind of looking at a black line the majority of practice. I feel like it’s a time where I can really be with my thoughts and have some quiet and a lot of time to think while I’m training."

Q: You have been open about overcoming mental health barriers. Can you share a little about your journey?

"My dad died in 2017 around the same time that I came out. I couldn't really process what was happening at the time because I was so young. I had to go to therapy about six months later because I hadn’t really processed anything and I was going through a really strong depressive episode, including some post-traumatic stress. So I did a lot of therapy and I worked on myself a lot.

"At the times where I was my lowest, I had to just hold on to hope that it was going to get better. Because of what I went through then, I feel like (mental health) is not anything that should be taken for granted. It does affect the way you perform. Even though you think my dad dying is so separate from my sport, it does overlap and it is hard to keep those identities of myself separate."

Q: Has improving your mental health helped you improve other areas of your life, including swim?

"So much. I’m still in therapy today. I go every week. It honestly comes down to solving the problem before it elevates. It’s proactively working rather than a reactive approach. And I recommend it to everyone if it is affordable or feasible for you. There is always something that you have suppressed at some point in your life or you could currently be going through that could turn into an issue in the future. If you are currently getting the help that you need, it allows you to process all the emotions around it at the moment."

Q: Your father John Sullivan was your role model, having swam collegiately. What was it like having his guidance on your swim career?

"It’s really important to have the perspective of a D-1 athlete who has gone through the sport, especially in your early years. Not to take things as seriously as I did at such a young age. Simple things like getting disqualified when I was eight and like taking me to ice cream instead of letting me beat myself up. Showing the importance of hard work and how it does pay off in your career. I think he really instilled that in me at a young age, and to honestly keep sports fun. I’m really appreciative of him creating those roots for me around the sport."

Q: How do you continue to honor your father’s legacy after he died of esophageal cancer in 2017?

"Different ways. With my Dad, he was really close to his collegiate teammates, very similar to how I am with my collegiate teammates right now. (Sullivan swims competitively at the University of Texas.) And so creating a relationship with my dad’s former teammates has been really important to me. I’m headed out to Wisconsin – my dad went to the University of Wisconsin – this summer to go hang out with some of his teammates. It’s sort of like a mass family vacation... Taking that time to make sure doing things he would have really appreciated. I’m excited to do that this summer and be there with the people that I love."

Q: You created the Longhorn Pride Alliance. What went into creating that Student-Athlete Organization and why was it important to you? 

"Longhorn Pride Alliance was actually revamped. It had kind of just died out. Leadership had all left, everyone in the club graduated. It had been dead for two years at this point. So I heard there was a rundown club for queer student-athletes and I talked to our student-athletic academic organizer and said, ‘Hey, what do we have to do to bring this club back?’ And so me and three other student-athletes started the club last year.

"It really creates a sense of community within the student-athlete realm at the (University of Texas). At UT, we are all so divided by sport that having another identity to bring people of different sports together has been really, really fun. The club introduced me to the world of golfers, rowers, tennis players and football. Bringing those kinds of people in creates conversation and relationships that would have never happened without this organization. I was really happy we were able to start that up again.  I’m excited to see what we can do in the coming years to grow the club and hopefully do some good within our community."

Q: Pride month is 30 days in celebration. What advice would you give to support your community year-round?

"Just be an ally year-round. The most important way to be there with someone is personal relationships. If you know someone in your day-to-day life who is coming out and struggling with it, be that person they can talk to and feel comfortable around... You can be an escape for them. I feel like that’s the best way to be an ally year-round. Also I like supporting businesses that support policies that help the queer community… Support queer businesses."

Q: Do you have plans for Paris 2024? How do you keep that balance with swimming competitively and advocacy?

"I’m definitely going to make the team. I want to make one more and I’ll probably retire after Paris. So I kind of want to get one more in the books. I’m not creating any crazy goals. I just kind of want to see what happens and see where the journey takes me."

"It’s a lot being a student athlete, trying to train for the coming Olympics and on top of that, doing all the stuff on top of school and swim. It’s a lot. I’m a pretty notorious coffee addict to keep myself going these days. I would just say prioritizing things. As seasons come and go, I have different priorities. So you know coming up to any big meets I have, swimming is pretty much my number one priority. There are a couple weeks where I have to prioritize school if I have an exam coming up. Any free time I have an opportunity to help people, I try to make that a priority."

Q: Speedo released their pride collection. What is your favorite piece from the collection?

"I signed on with Speedo about a year and a half ago. I have been so grateful for all the opportunities they have provided me. I feel like so many swim lines have their typical pride campaign come out in the month of June, but Speedo is one of the very few companies that have an LGBTQ+ swimmer representing said line. They heard me. I had some requests about how I wanted to make it a priority that they donated to an LGBTQ charity and they gladly listened. They actually came to me about what charity I want them to donate too. I chose (Human Rights Campaign) just because they have done so much good as of late. I think Speedo ended up donating a sum of $40,000, which is absolutely amazing and I’m so grateful. The people at Speedo have made it a priority to support you year-round and not a lot of companies go out of their way to do that. They have truly put in the effort to make sure queer voices are heard within the sport.

"I learned how to swim in a Speedo suit. I feel like I used Speedo in my up-and-coming years to become a collegiate athlete and an Olympic athlete and them coming to me now and being like we now need your help for representation in the swim community is just something I will never take for granted and it's so surreal."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Erica Sullivan: U.S. Olympic swimmer talks representation, Pride Month