Paul Kingsman won bronze by 0.04s at Seoul in 1988.
Q: Paul, when was the last time you were in a pool?
A: Does a spa pool after a speaking engagement in Virginia count? Otherwise the answer is: a while. I'm normally in the gym five days a week but I don't miss training six hours a day, watching the ceiling go by.
Q: After taking bronze by 0.04s at Seoul in 1988, you must know the value of time?
A: Well, my wife and I have built our brand around that swim. I do a lot of public speaking, predominantly in the financial services industry, where I talk about overcoming distractions and staying focused. I know it's almost 26 years later but the angle is timeless. I'm still involved and licensed as a financial adviser. We came back to northern California in 2001.
Q: You also work closely with your local church?
A: I've been co-pastoring the last couple of years. I graduated from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary last year after spending seven years getting my master's in theological studies. I also spend up to an hour and a half each Tuesday evening at our local jail working with inmates.
Q: How rewarding - or intimidating - is that?
A: It's in the part of the jail for inmates who will serve lengthy sentences. It is rewarding in that a lot of them come from broken backgrounds with no idea what it's like to have a positive male role model. They have no understanding of the Bible or Jesus Christ. It's a chance to tell them all is not lost and they've got all sorts of questions.
Q: Have you ever caught up with the blokes on the podium with you in Seoul?
A: [Gold medallist] Igor Polyansky now lives in New Zealand. He used to coach at my home pool in Mt Roskill. We had a 10-year reunion race over 50m at Cameron Pool which I won. Make sure you get that in [laughs]. Funnily enough, Igor and I never really spoke about the Olympics. We just spoke about life and coaching.
Q: Tell us about standing on the podium and having fourth place-getter Sergei Zabolotnov read out as the bronze medallist?
A: I remember thinking something's going to happen, maybe because I was tired or because the occasion seemed surreal. They made the mistake of reading out Zabolotnov but then the announcer said "stand for the New Zealand national anthem" rather than the Soviet one. He found me after the press conference and I could see he was upset. He said, "I apologise for messing up the greatest day of your life. If there's anything I can do, please let me know." So they had this cool music playing in the background on pool deck and I asked the guy if he could get a tape for him. He was as good as his word.
Q: When you returned to the US in 2001 you worked for Morgan Stanley who had office space in New York's World Trade Centre. How did September 11 affect you?
A: I was in the second-to-last training class there in June and July. I remember being on the 102nd floor at this beautiful restaurant and seeing aircraft flying below. [Back in California] when the attacks occurred something flashed on the screen from our New York bonds desk saying, "Something's happened which just rocked our building, we need to go." Then the towers came down and froze anyone's screen with that window open for about 48 hours.