SANTIAGO, Chile -- U.S. marathon swimmer Ashley Twichell was ready to retire after a frustrating seventh-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. A few months later, she had her first son, Lochlan, and the end of her career looked certain. But she has gradually gone back to competition, and after a gold medal at the Pan American Games on Sunday, the athlete from Fayetteville, New York, can see Paris drawing closer.
Twichell, 34, finished the 10-kilometer race in Santiago in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 16.4 seconds. Her rival and friend Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil, the gold medalist in Tokyo, was 13 seconds behind. Another Brazilian, Viviane Jungblut, won the bronze medal. It was Twichell's first international medal since her son was born in May 2022.
"I was pretty ready to be done after the Games. I stayed in the water during pregnancy. And once I had my son, I really felt like I still needed something for myself. And so I ended up getting back in the water in the mornings while my son was watching," Twichell said after her victory. "My husband and I just really took it day by day and found myself back to training."
Twichell's family has traveled with her to competitions before, but they did not come to Santiago, where other athletes also are competing after becoming mothers.
"It is a sacrifice to be away from him, so really make the most of it, which I feel like I did today," she said. "To be able to race Ana Marcela was really special and an honor. The weather conditions weren't ideal and it was wetsuit, which isn't my favorite. But like I said, I really just try to enjoy every single race now."
At 32, she competed in Tokyo as the oldest American swimmer to qualify for their first Olympic Games. She will be 35 when Paris plays host next year.
In the men's 10-kilometer swimming marathon in Chile, another American won.
Brennan Gravley, 23, won the gold medal with a time of 1 hour, 50 minutes, 23.4 seconds. Argentina's Ivo Cassini finished just 0.2 second behind. Mexico's Paulo Strehlke Delgado earned the bronze.
Dylan Gravley ended the race in fourth position, 3.4 seconds behind his older brother. The two had led most of the race.
The younger Gravley said there's no big rivalry between the two, and that he's fine with his brother discussing performances and making suggestions.
"A lot of the times, which is something that I think is quite necessary for me right now, is teaching me what to do. So it's cool to learn and see the world from his feet," Dylan Gravley said. "I know I'm out there with family."
Both Gravleys said they find it special to be able to compete and travel together.
"Spending time with my brother is really special. For many years we've done it together, traveled and saw the world together. It's priceless," Brennan Gravley said. "It is just still blossoming. We're still young enough, there's a lot of opportunity left."