Nicholas Delgado is doing what he can, while he can, and not letting a tragic injury stand in his way.
On a beautiful Friday afternoon, Nicholas Delgado, a 54-year-old swimmer from California, took to the water in his Swimming event at the National Senior Games. As a lifelong pool lover, Nicholas took up the sport when he was young. He eventually moved to coaching swimming and water polo at Summit High School in Fontana, California, where he teaches.
Tragedy struck for Nicholas in 2024 when he was in a car accident that caused serious spinal deterioration. The accident spurred Nicholas to get back in the pool, and he is determined to keep swimming for as long as he is physically able.
“I used to do a masters program a long time ago, and started back up last year, and I’ve lost 73 pounds so far.”
While swimming is an individual sport for the most part, Nicholas emphasized the importance of his swimming community in his recovery. “You have the support, not just the masters program, but worldwide,” Nicholas noted, “I got the chance to qualify (in Senior Games), so why not just have some fun!”
Nicholas also cited the invigorating support from his son, mother, sister, friends and coaches as a key factor in his healing journey. He thanks all his supporters for his ability to compete at The Games this year.
After his accident, Nicholas joined The Claremont Club Masters Swimming and keeps a rigorous training schedule. He trains several times daily, usually beginning at 5 a.m., then working as a teacher during the day, and training again after work. He emphasized the importance of warming up, which requires more focus due to his spinal deterioration.
Nicholas went from competitive swimmer to coach, and has now returned to competition. “It has its ups, it has its downs, but right now, it’s all ups!”
This is Nicholas’s first National Senior Games, but he plans to make the most of it. His goal is to improve his times in all six of his events throughout the weekend.
On top of all of his achievements, and all of the difficulty he has overcome, Nicholas swam to a Gold Medal and is the 2025 Age 50-54 100M Backstroke Champion.
By: Sydney Parker
