On the biggest stage of his life, Santo Condorelli stands on the blocks before jumping into the water. Through his goggles he scans the crowd at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, searching for his father. He locates Joseph and raises a finger in recognition, like he’s been doing since he was 8 years old.
No, it’s not a thumb.
The 21-year-old — born in Japan, raised in Oregon and competing for Canada (where his mother was born and raised) — flips off his father before every race, and a happy dad gives the salute right back.
It’s been a tradition Joseph started to get his son in the right mindset. The swimmer isn’t sending a message to the crowd, but rather to himself.
“[Joseph said], ‘You’ve got to build your confidence yourself and say eff everybody else that you’re racing,'” Santo told The Canadian Press. “He said, ‘Every time you’re behind the blocks, give me the finger and I’ll give it back to you.'”
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The tradition’s been toned down recently, as the platform (and the potential for offending onlookers) has grown. What used to be a glorious, full-extension middle finger to the world has become a restrained, subtle bird that could be mistaken for scratching an itch.
“I was looking at my father and I gave him the finger … directing it right at the camera,” Santo said, recalling a moment at the junior nationals when the digit getting televised got him into trouble. “I had to write an apology.”
Now it’s understated but unmistakable. Condorelli advanced to the 100-meter freestyle semifinals Tuesday after Canada came in seventh in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay Sunday. He will compete in the 50-meter freestyle Thursday. And each time, he’ll look at his father, give the universal eff-you symbol, and a proud father will respond in kind.