Bill May is a man of the water, athletically, professionally, and artistically.
The 44-year-old Cirque du Soleil artist who daily showcases his aquatic talents in the Las Vegas water-based show O! came out of retirement to capture a silver medal in Artistic Swimming – Team Technical event at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
The highlights are shown below.
May trains extraordinarily hard in Las Vegas and Henderson to prepare for his role in the show O! May has competed in open water swimming races, including winning the overall U.S. Masters Swimming national 10 km open water swimming championships in Lake Mead, Nevada by over 6 minutes in 2013.
He does hypoxic sets of 100-yard swims in his training where he swim 4 laps of a 25-yard pool without breathing. His dedication to his sport and his artistry is legendary.
May said, “The inclusion of men in Olympic Artistic Swimming was once considered the impossible dream. This proves that we should all dream big. The male athletes have endured. Now, through their perseverance and the help and support of so many, all athletes may stand alongside each other equally, reaching for Olympic glory.”
It is our guess that he will be the oldest medalist at these 2023 World Aquatics Championships – and may become the oldest medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the aquatic events since Dara Torres won 3 silver medals at the age of 41.
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming