| | | Michael Phelps Headed For Long-Awaited Induction Into International Swimming Hall of Fame (See Incredible Bio) |
|
| In most sports, there is debate about the Greatest of All-Time, colloquially known as The G.O.A.T. On the basketball hardwood, is it Jordan or James? On the golf course, is it Nicklaus or Woods? On the tennis court, is it Federer or Nadal, or Djokovic? Usually, fiery discussion emerges between fans and pundits, all seeking to make an argument strong enough for their choice. In the pool, there is no need for debate. One name is a lock: Michael Phelps. More than 20 years ago, a teenager from Baltimore arrived on the swimming scene, hungry to showcase his prodigious talent. Yet, for all the potential he flashed at a young age and for all the promise recognized by coach Bob Bowman, there was still no way of predicting a career that can only be described as one-of-a-kind. The summer of 2000 was a transformative period for the sport as USA Swimming watched a special group of teenage boys emerge as cornerstones for the future. One of them was Phelps, who as a 15-year-old qualified for the Olympic Games in Sydney in the 200-meter butterfly, in the process becoming the youngest male swimmer to qualify for Team USA in 68 years. A month later, Phelps claimed a fifth-place finish at the Games, and his journey to greatness was underway. Within a year of making his Olympic debut, Phelps had elevated to another level, thanks to a world record in the 200 fly while still 15 years old, and by claiming the first world championship of his career in the summer of 2001. From there, additional events were added to Phelps’ program, this expansion providing the opportunity to showcase his vast skill. While additional world records were registered in the 200 fly, Phelps also defined himself as a world-record setter in the 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley. |
|
| | | | A Look at the Team USA Roster for Next Week’s World Junior Championships |
|
| A talented group of U.S. high-school-age swimmers will race at the World Junior Championships in early September in Netanya, Israel. The list of 19 athletes includes last year’s bronze medalist in the 200 IM at the senior-level World Championships, Leah Hayes. The meet is scheduled for Sept. 4-9. Hayes finished third in the 400 IM, fourth in the 200 IM and tied for 11th in the 100 freestyle at U.S. Nationals, her path to a repeat appearance at Worlds blocked by Kate Douglass’ return to the 200 IM alongside defending world champion Alex Walsh. Hayes will compete in all three of those individual events plus both freestyle relays at World Juniors, and she will likely emerge with a large medal collection.
On the boys’ side, Daniel Diehl will be the key swimmer for the U.S. men as he takes on a lineup of five individual events: the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke plus the 100 free and 200 IM. Diehl finished tied for third in the 200 back at Nationals in a personal-best time of 1:56.04, which left him less than a half-second away from World Championships qualification, and he won the 100 back B-final despite swimming well off his best form in that event. |
|
| | | Great Races: 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle; A Gathering of Hall of Famers |
|
| "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” - Loren Eiseley
Great races are made of great racers. Great racers start out with a dream. That dream becomes reality through limitless training, never-ending miles, demanding coaches, and bone-aching fatigue. For most, the dream dies there. Not for great racers. Great racers get short glimpses of the dream unfolding with a swim at nationals or a trip on an international team. The dream stays alive. It blooms. Swimming is a sport in which racers excel – those athletes who love to compete and do not back down. The men’s 400-meter freestyle final at the 1976 Olympic Trials in Long Beach California had a field of eight great racers. It had the current world record holder. Thecurrent Sullivan Award winner for the nation’s top amateur athlete and the athlete who would follow him as the award recipient. Four of the racers had already qualified for the Olympic team. By the end of the Olympic Trials all eight racers had made the 1976 US Olympic Swimming Team; one month later at the Montreal Olympics, the individuals in this race would win 13 Olympic medals. Collectively, they set 34 world records. Five of the eight would be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The end of this race would see seven of the eight racers break 3:56, a feat previously accomplished by only two individuals. The last lap of this race would send the Belmont Plaza pool audience from a hushed state of near silence to an uproarious standing ovation. There was a great deal of anticipation before hand; the race lived up to all of it and more. |
|
|
| | Kaylee McKeown Joins Women’s Triple Crown Club in Second Event (The Complete List)
|
|
| It’s difficult enough to capture one gold medal in global competition, let alone celebrate titles at all three of the sport’s worldwide meets – Olympic Games, World Championships, World Short Course Championships. One day after posting an article on the men who have achieved the Triple Crown, we now look at the women who have accomplished the feat. Since the World Short Course Champs debuted in 1993, there have been 26 instances (by 22 athletes) in which a woman has captured the three major crowns in the sport. After completing the Triple Crown in the 200 backstroke during the 2022 campaign, Australian star Kaylee McKeown wrapped up the Triple Crown in the 100 backstroke this summer, thanks to gold at the World Championships in Fukuoka. Click 'Read More' for the full list of women who have managed the Triple Crown.
|
|
| | | Throwback Thursday: The Early Training That Led Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman to Hall of Fame (Sample Sets) |
|
|
Next month, Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Together, they forged the most successful athlete-coach relationship in the history of the sport. Here is a look at some of the early workouts that led to Phelps’ stardom.
I think it was pretty clear from the beginning that Michael Phelps was a special swimmer. When he joined us at North Baltimore Aquatic Club as a 7-year-old, he was a baseball/soccer/lacrosse athlete. His first year, he just did a 60-minute, once-a-week stroke clinic with our aquatics director, Cathy Lears. His training and intensity escalated from there, to where, by the time he was 10 and setting NAG records, he was better than many of the older swimmers. Obviously, we had to do some rapid lane promotions. To those who knew the Phelps aquatic heritage, his prowess was no surprise. His oldest sister, Hilary Phelps, was a national-level swimmer. His second sister, Whitney Phelps, was also a 200 flyer. She made the 1994 World Championship team that competed in Rome. (She still held the 11-12 NAG record in the 100 yard fly at the time this article was printed.) So, in many ways, swimming excellence has been a family trait. And while it is also tempting to think of Michael only in terms of the fly and IM, a review of his record reveals a litany of national rankings in the free and back as well.
|
|
|
| |
|
