Liana Planz stepped onto the blocks for her final event at the 22nd World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Singapore with focus and calm, representing American Samoa in the Women’s 50m Freestyle. One of the fastest off the blocks in her heat with a reaction time of 0.65 seconds, Liana sprinted to a finishing time of 28.95 in what was one of the busiest Oceania races of the day with swimmers from Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga also in the mix.
A smooth race, having felt good through the water Liana reflected back on her moments before the race. She stayed relaxed and focused in the call room, “I was pretty relaxed,” with her headphones in and locked into her own thoughts. “I was doing my breathing techniques. I didn’t have as much nerves as yesterday, so I think yesterday took away all the nerves.” Her pre-race rap playlist helped get her in the zone.
Beyond the racing, Liana described her highlight of the competition being the people. “I just enjoyed sitting with all the Oceania teams in the waiting room and just chatting it up with everybody. It was a pretty cool experience, just getting to know everybody.”
The week offered her more than a chance to compete, it offered learning too. “Trusting the process a little bit more and learning what my body needs,” she said when asked what she’ll take into future meets. “During warm-up or while I’m at the hotel… just trying to listen to my body and recover more.”
This time round she was pleased with her technical preparation: “This week I used more resistance stuff, that really helps. I use it during practice but usually before meets I don’t bring my resistance socks or chutes. This year I think preparing for these swims was a lot more beneficial because I had that equipment with me and actually used them!”
When asked about her biggest inspiration, Liana’s answer was immediate and heartfelt: “My grandma. Her name is Laura. She’s in a wheelchair, but she keeps fighting and she just has a smile on her face every day. I look up to her because she lives every day to her fullest. That’s what I try to do while I’m swimming as well.”
Looking ahead, Liana is setting her sights on new challenges both in and out of the pool. “I am starting my Master’s program at UT soon. So I’m going to focus on that, but I’ll also swim at home and then really train for bigger meets like Short Course Worlds, the World Cup and probably do some smaller meets in my area to warm up.”
And when it comes to rewarding herself at the end of a long week of racing? “It’s definitely food!” she laughed. After spotting some sweet treats earlier in the week, she already knows what her well-earned treat will be.
With her signature resilience, composure and precision, Liana closes her World Championships journey with pride, carrying home strong race results, renewed motivation and a strong bond with an entire Oceania family.
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