MANILA, Philippines — Growing up trying to be the best swimmer he can be, Filipino-American tanker Jarod Hatch simply burned out and decided to retire from the sport.

The University of California, Berkeley standout said the amount of times where he swam as fast he could and still fell short especially in matching or eclipsing his previous bests took a huge toll on him.

That's why he retired in 2021.

"For swimming, you're training multiple times a day, looking at the black line at the bottom of the pool all for a tenths of a second [improvement] at the end of the season, at the end of your championship meet, increments of a second and say you're couple tenths off your best time, you look at the clock and say 'oh man, that hurts' and once its starts to kind of buildup and snowballs and you're so focused on swimming that you don't reel in other aspects of your life, like your family, education, or whatever it is," shared Hatch in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas 2 Sports.

"For me, I just got really burned out because growing up all I did was swimming. I'm the first from my family to go to college so growing up, it's just going to school and swim. I make sure to get my education and swim but other than that, I literally did nothing else. It was great because I'm the first person in my family to have a college degree but when those two things are taken away, and you don't know you are, that's when you really start to spiral down, you're unhappy, you don't know what else to talk about, what to invest in like spiritually."

Hatch, who owns the Philippine records in 50m (23.89) and 100m (52.87) butterfly events, took some time off albeit he keeps swimming just to keep in shape. Former Philippine swimming president Lani Velasco called him in an effort to persuade him to return to the national team and eventually vie for a Paris Olympics slot but he rejected it.

But as he kept swimming just to stay in shape, Hatch found himself wondering if he could still compete and if he actually made the right decision to retire. Over time, this kept him up at night.

Then, Hatch asked God for a sign if he was going to return or stay retired. He went to the beach just basking at the glory of nature's beauty until his phone rang anew with Velasco once again calling him, asking him to return. That was the sign that was as clear as day, he said. That's why he decided to return.

Hatch stepping away from the sport eventually led to him finding his way to the grandest stage -- the Olympics. He qualified through the Universality place given to the top-ranked male athlete in a country. His teammate Kyla Sanchez qualified through the same route in the women's class.

Hatch will compete at the 100m men's butterfly event.

"I remembered, I asked God for a sign. I was going crazy because I couldn't sleep at night so I kept thinking 'did I make the right decision? Am I really done? Then, I remembered the next day, I was walking down the beach and I was looking at the ocean and taking at the sights and everything and at that moment, 'tita Lani' called me and said 'Jared I need you back in Paris', and I said 'okay, I'll do it' and she started crying.

"When I was at the coast, looking at this beautiful beach, looking at these beautiful waves, splashing down, contemplating my future and then tita Lani called me I'm like 'okay, this is as clear as day, I'm gonna come back."

For Hatch, stepping away from the sport was cathartic. It made him realize who he is outside swimming which he said he is a 'family person that loves to support those around him'. It also made him realize that enjoyment is his priority and not the pressure of being an elite swimmer.

"Being able to step away and figure out who I am and what I like to do and how I like to spend my time and how I like to support others and whatnot. That was important for me as a person. That way I can be happy as an individual and take that happiness into swimming."

In the Paris Olympics, Hatch, a two-time Southeast Asian Games silver and bronze medalist, boldly declared his intentions to win the gold medal but at the same time savor every moment and enjoy the sport like a kid.

"I would love to semifinal, I would love to final, I would like to win the whole thing, that's what I train for everyday but more than anything like I said, I feel like athletes, we're so stocked in performance and not to take anything away from performance, performance is obviously what we do it for. But at the end of the day, we started this sport because we love it and we're having a great time, we enjoy it so I'm trying to, while I'm trying to reach the highest level of swimming, I'm keeping those feelings as a kid," said Hatch.

"The happiness, the joy, and all of that. Being able to have those two elements in one space, I feel like that is exactly what I'm looking for is to truly enjoy this experience and I believe when you're happy, when your energy is light, when your energetic, you get this extra pump, you get this extra push because you're enjoying it but when you're so tensed and stressed out, it just makes everything harder. I'm just keeping it light and happy while also being out there competing is what I'm truly striving for."

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