BBHHS grad competes in Olympic swimming trials

by Emily Canning-Dean

From the time she was 6 years old, Hannah Bach has loved the water. She started swimming competitively at the age of 10 and the hard work paid off during her years as a champion swimmer at both Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School and The Ohio State University.

“I was recruited to Ohio State my junior year of high school, specifically for swimming,” Bach said.

This spring, the OSU grad found herself in an elite group of swimmers who traveled to Indianapolis June 15-23 where she competed in Olympic tryouts.

“It’s an honor to even get to compete at this level,” Bach, who also qualified for and competed in the Olympic trials in 2021 following her sophomore year at OSU, said prior to the competition. “I’m really excited and very prepared. I’m just trusting the process and trusting my training. I want to perform to the best of my ability.”

Bach, who was a competitor in the 100-meter breaststroke category, explained that the top 16 swimmers were determined during the tryouts, then the top eight swimmers were determined during the semi-finals.

During the finals, the top two swimmers out of the top eight moved on to compete as part of the Paris Summer Olympics, which takes place July 26-Aug. 11.

“When I competed before, I made it to the semi-finals,” she said. “My goal this time is to at least make it to the finals. I want to give it my best shot and if I make it to the Olympics I’m even happier.”

In the days before she headed to Indianapolis, Bach said the experience felt bittersweet because unless she was one of the top two swimmers to go on to the Olympics, the competition would be the end of her competitive swimming career.

“I’ll keep swimming, but this will be my last time as a collegiate athlete. I won’t be going pro,” she said.

During the competition, Bach advanced to the 100-meter breaststroke semifinals after racing to a ninth-place finish in prelims with a time of 1:08.05. She placed 13^th overall in the semifinals with a time of 1:08.56, which did not qualify her to compete in the final round of competition amongst the top eight swimmers in the category.

In the end, Lilly King, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with a time of 1:05.43, and Emma Weber, a sophomore at the University of Virginia with a time of 1:06.10, finished in the top two slots respectively and were added to the Olympic roster.

With the Olympics out of the picture, Bach instead launched new career in July. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in public health with a specialization in sociology, she has been selected to work in the Next Gen program of the Eugene D Smith Leadership Institute at OSU.

“It’s a full-time job and a two-year program where I’ll be working in the athletic department,” she said. “The first year I’ll be working in development where we work with fundraising, donors and recruitment. The second year I will work in another department, but I’m not sure what that is yet.”

When asked for advice on how to stay successful while competing, Bach said constant training, communication and discipline is key.

“You want to have constant communication with your coaches so you can gain clarity during your training,” she said. “Being disciplined about nutrition and understanding what your body needs is also important. It also means sacrifice. You might not be able to hang out with your friends because you need to train. It’s also very important to surround yourself with good people and have that good support system.”

Bach said that at OSU, many of her close friends are also fellow swimmers. In fact, three women who she is close with also traveled with her to Indianapolis to compete.

“I also want to pay tribute to my high school team at Brecksville-Broadview Heights,” Bach said. “I wouldn’t have gotten here without the support I got in high school, including the support of my teammates and the coaches who pushed me even further. I am very grateful for that experience and the valuable skills I learned from them. I owe them a lot.”

While going to the Olympics would have been exciting, Bach said she enjoyed her final competition in Indianapolis and made sure to take it all in while she was there.

“It’s been a long journey that is coming to an end, but I’m very grateful I got to take it,” she said. ∞

Hannah Bach competed in the Olympic trials for the second time in her college swimming career this past June in Indianapolis. Photos submitted.

Hanna Bach. Photo submitted.

On our cover (photo): Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School graduate Hannah Bach was one of a few elite swimmers to compete in the 2024 Olympic trials in Indianapolis this past June, placing 13th overall in the semifinals. Photo submitted.