Why Canadian Swimmer Santo Condorelli Won't Stop Flipping The Bird

With all the star power in pool during the 2016 Rio Olympics, 21-year-old Canadian swimmer Santo Condorelli could have easily gone unnoticed, if it weren't for one strange pre-race ritual.

Before diving into the pool - wether it be at the Pan American Games, World Championships, or even the Olympics - Condorelli dons his googles and caps, searches for his father's face in the crowd, and then flips him the bird.

We've seen a lot of fingers wagging in Rio, from breakout star Lilly King and her new nemesis, Russian swimmer, Yulia Efimova, and from the golden boy himself Micheal Phelps; but flipping people off is a new one.

What seems like an insolent gesture towards a key member of Condorelli's support system is part of a ritual that Santo's father, Joseph Condorelli, came up with over a decade ago. Creating an outlet for his son's frustration and nerves. Joseph started flipping off his son as a "motivational tool"

Both father and son say the gesture is what helped the Olympic competitor gain the confidence to beat older, stronger, bigger swimmers. "It became a good ritual for both of us he got a lot of his aggravation out."

Some might call it superstition, but Joseph says that flipping the bird helps relax Santo before a big race. "It calms him done on the blocks for sure," he said. "It's a communication between him and I to calm down and get ready. Racing is about being at peace."