Nick Albiero is appreciating the good times.

The all-time great–yes, all-time great–NCAA swimmer recently celebrated his two Brazilian championships… just one week after arriving home from the Paris Olympics.

“Two-time Brazilian champion 😆,” he posted. “Thank you to everyone who supported me during this difficult year, it takes a village!”

The message, in an apparent nod to his Brazilian heritage and American upbringing, was written in Portuguese and English.

Albiero, 25, moved to Brazil last summer to try and qualify for the Olympic Games. He accomplished his goal in May, when he broke the Olympic index in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:55.52.

The son of two legendary NCAA swimmers–Arthur Albiero and the former Amy Comerford–Albiero recognizes his Olympic qualification wasn’t an individual achievement. It was a group effort.

“To touch the wall and realize that I had achieved one of the biggest goals of my life, it was just a testament to all the people that helped me get here, all the hands that touched my career since I even started swimming,” he told NCAA.com. “That’s everyone’s dream, to swim in the Olympics one day. … It’s a thank you to everyone that helped me.” 

Albiero’s first year in Brazil wasn’t always easy. But he says the hard times made him appreciate his community, and identity, even more.

“The representation here is so strong. The culture here is everybody is accepted,” he said. “Here I’ve just learned so much, and I really have a strong appreciation for celebrating people’s uniqueness. Pride is so much more than just the rainbows and the parades and the festivals. Yeah, that’s fun, but everybody can celebrate pride and celebrate their differences.” 

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Like many young adults, Albiero underwent a journey of self-discovery during the 2020 lockdowns, which is when he started to think about his orientation for the first time. Consumed with swimming for most of his life, Albiero didn’t have a lot of time to look inward.

When he did peek inside, he enjoyed a newfound sense of confidence and self.

“I think it took me a while,” he said. “Obviously I had known my whole life, but even in college I was so laser-focused on achieving certain things … I just didn’t have a lot of free time.

“When I came out, I remember I had a new confidence about myself. I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I was walking around deck with my head high. … I think it’s just about normalizing it in a way that is freeing for athletes and swimmers to just be themselves.”

At the same time, Albiero was learning how to better navigate his relationship with his dad. Arthur is the head coach at Louisville, and the father-son coaching dynamic wasn’t always easy.

“I think I managed our relationship so much better,” Nick said. “We were able to do some pretty crazy things in the NCAA as a father-son, coach-athlete duo.” 

That’s true. Albiero dominated at Louisville, capturing 28 All-American honors and two NCAA championships–just like his mother. He was also the first person in history to win 5 individual conference championships in the 200-yard butterfly in the ACC.

But in keeping with his humble nature, Albiero says his successes as a member of the team outweigh his individual honors. The Cardinals won their first ACC team title, and relay championship, during the 2021 season.

“Celebrating with those guys, it’s just different,” he said. “Relays have always been my favorite thing about swimming, so that title meant so much more to me than the individual one that I got the next day.”

Like many visible queer athletes, Albiero says coming out was a turning point. His big announcement came in the form of an Instagram post with a simple caption: “Nick Albiero is out and about.”

The first person he told was Erica Sullivan, who won silver for Team USA at Tokyo 2020 and is one of the faces of LGBTQ+ Pride for Speedo. 

“I feel less pressure,” Albiero told Team USA’s official website after unveiling his truth. “I know a whole community supports me regardless of the outcome in the pool. Now I represent more than my team; I represent a community. And I have more people in my corner than ever before.”

Those closest to Nick can see the difference. His sister Gabi, an All-American swimmer in her own right, says her big brother has been a new person since coming out.

“I remember around the time when he was deciding to come out to everyone else, just the way his personality shifted,” she said in a joint interview with Nick. “You could almost see the outward transformation from this weight being lifted off of him, and he can be just be completely who he is.”

Enjoying life as his true self, Albiero was one of at least 199 out athletes who competed in Paris. Though he didn’t medal, it’s apparent he relished the special experience.

“MERCI BEAUCOUP PARIS,” he posted on Instagram.

No… MERCI BEAUCOUP, NICK, for shining and inspiring!

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