RIO DE JANEIRO — Gold medalist Madi Wilson has perhaps the most unusual phobia of any Olympic swimmer — she is afraid of jumping into the water.
Wilson, who took gold as part of the Australian 4x100-meter freestyle relay on Day 1 of the Games, will be seeking her second victory in Monday night’s 100 backstroke.
However, she has gained as much attention at the Aquatics Stadium for the unconventional way in which she enters the pool in the backstroke as for her swimming exploits. Wilson grips onto the bars attached to the edge of the pool and inches her way down into the water, more in the manner of a nervous novice still learning to swim rather than one of the finest athletes in the sport.