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US swimmer Sierra Schmidt shows off pre-race dance moves at Olympic trials

Schmidt has said dancing before a race calms her nerves. Those moves were on display Monday at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

She may not have qualified for the Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle Monday, but swimmer Sierra Schmidt did have a lot of eyes on her for her pre-race dance moves.

As the NBC telecast was going through the list of swimmers, which includes multiple Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky, the camera got a look at Schmidt showing off her routine behind the blocks.

This is not a spur-of-the-moment thing. Schmidt is known in the swimming community for her dancing before she competes. At Michigan, where she just finished up her senior season, she picked up the nickname "The Dancing Queen."

“I love dancing, and I love music," Schmidt told Swimming World in 2015. "Usually, I get really nervous behind the blocks. It helps calm me down before the race.”

Schmidt said in 2015 that she changes her playlist for every race. For longer races, like the 1,500-meters, she usually plays something different than for shorter races to keep her intensity at the proper level.

It may remind folks of U.S. luger Kate Hansen. With her headphones on, her pre-race warm-up dances caught the attention of fans during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Schmidt finished sixth in the 400-meter freestyle final, nearly eight seconds behind Katie Ledecky, the five-time gold medalist and reigning Olympic champion in the event. Ledecky was a good five body lengths ahead of runner-up Paige Madden, touching the wall in 4 minutes, 1.27 seconds.

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