Canadians are known for being overly polite — but swimmer Santo Condorelli is single-handedly changing that opinion in Rio thanks to his pre-race ritual.
As many have noticed, Condorelli flips the bird before every race.
Not only does he give the finger to the stands — it’s directed at his father.
READ MORE: Canada’s Santo Condorelli aims for the podium in 100-metre freestyle swim
But, don’t worry; it’s all in good fun. According to an interview with swimming news site Swim Swam, the tradition stems from a pep talk Condorelli’s father, Joseph Condorelli, gave him when he first started competing.
“I told him ‘enough is enough’,” his father said. “When you get on the blocks, just put everything out of your mind and swim like there’s nobody near you. He said to me ‘how do you do that?’ and I said ‘well, you say **** it’.”
Then, just before a race, the father-son duo flipped each other off. Condorelli went on to win that race and many others in his early career.
“My dad was like you know what? Give me the finger before every race, just to worry about us, what we put in, we can conquer anything,” Condorelli told Swim Swam.
The 21-year-old from Kenora, Ont., is the first male on Canada’s swim team to qualify for an individual final in Rio. He posted the fastest 100-metre freestyle time of his life in Tuesday’s semi-final.
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His time of 47.93 tied for third-fastest among the eight men swimming for medals Wednesday. The athlete says he is determined to make it to the podium Wednesday night.
“Obviously top three,” Condorelli said of his target. “Bring home some hardware for the men’s team.”
Condorelli began swimming at the age of five when his father threw him in their backyard pool and began coaching him. He says his father is his biggest inspiration.
He has had to tone down his ritual, however. He now usually holds his middle finger close to his swim cap, as if he’s adjusting it, after having to write an apology for indirectly flipping off a TV camera at a junior national championship.
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