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CONTENTS USA NEWS 008 WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE: THE BEST RACE OF OLYMPIC TRIALS JUST GOT EVEN FASTER by David Rieder No one would dispute that the women’s 100 backstroke is the race to circle for the U.S. Olympic Trials, the most competitive event on the program. With only two Olympic berths available and multiple medal contenders certain to be locked out from competing in Tokyo, a 57-second performance could be required just to qualify for the Olympics. 010 CLAIRE CURZAN OBLIVIOUS TO LIMITS IN RAPID RISE TO PERFORMANCE by David Rieder Claire Curzan has been swimming fast since she was a young age grouper and has continued to do so in high school. Last March, she came within 13-hundredths of the American record in the short course 100 fly, and in April, she found herself within 22-hundredths of the long course U.S. best. She’s versatile, she’s coachable, she has international experience, and she’s moved from a fringe Olympic contender to an Olympic favorite. Curzan is only 16, and her promising future couldn’t be brighter. 014 ASSESSING CLAIRE CURZAN’S EVENT-BYEVENT POTENTIAL FOR U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS by David Rieder Claire Curzan’s improvement in the women’s 100 fly (56.20 in April) has been the most recognizable measure of the 16-year-old’s breakthrough over the past year, but that won’t be the only event in which she makes an impact at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In fact, there are up to five events where she may be among the headliners in Omaha. 016 MICHAEL ANDREW ON FIRE HEADING TO OLYMPIC TRIALS by David Rieder At the recent TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Michael Andrew provided a jaw-dropping moment: He became just the third American man to break 59 in the 100 breast, and the first in nearly four years. Next month’s U.S. Olympic Trials could be a career-defining week for Andrew, an opportunity to display his unorthodox training style and career plan while in his prime with the entire world watching.
018 NCAA CHAMPION ELLA EASTIN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER DYSAUTONOMIA DIAGNOSIS by Andy Ross Eight-time individual NCAA champion Ella Eastin officially announced her retirement from the sport of swimming, sharing that she has developed chronic fatigue and dysautonomia—a “nervous system disorder that affects my cardiovascular health, my energy, my mental stability and so much more!”
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020 COVID PANDEMIC HAS OPENED OLYMPIC DOOR FOR RAPIDLY DEVELOPING YOUNGSTERS by David Rieder What a difference a year makes! The oneyear delay of the Olympic Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed many swimmers throughout the world to sufficiently improve to the point where they could now become a factor at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. 022 AHEAD OF OLYMPIC SUMMER, SWIMMING WORLD’S LATEST WORLD MALE RANKINGS by David Rieder
COLLEGE NEWS 028 MATT MACEDO CONTINUES TOUR OF CALIFORNIA AS NEW UC DAVIS HEAD COACH by Matthew De George UC Davis has hired Matt Macedo as its new women’s swimming and diving coach. Previously, he spent seven seasons at UC Santa Barbara after six at UC San Diego. And as a swimmer, he was a 20-time All-American at UC Berkeley!
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029 BIG FISH IN SMALL PONDS: HOW TOP ATHLETES CAN STILL FLOURISH IN STATES NOT KNOWN FOR MAJOR SWIMMING SUCCESS by Andy Ross
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017 RISING STAR LYDIA JACOBY READY TO CONTEND AT OLYMPIC TRIALS by Matthew De George Lydia Jacoby, 17, is vying to become the first Olympic swimmer ever from Alaska. After her 1:06.38 performance in the women’s 100 breast at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo—the third fastest U.S. time in 2019—she’s becoming a legitimate threat to get to Tokyo.
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USA NEWS
>> OLIVIA SMOLIGA
Women’s 100 Backstroke: The Best Race of Olympic Trials Just Got Even Faster BY DAVID RIEDER
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or almost two years, the women’s 100 backstroke at the United States Olympic Trials has been billed as the showdown of showdowns, a clash with just two Olympic berths available and multiple medal contenders certain to be locked out. The field was projected to include the world record-holder, the most recent previous world-record holder, the 2019 World Championships bronze medalist and the 2019 Pan American Games champion. No one would dispute that this was the race to circle for the Olympic Trials, the most competitive event on the program. Regan Smith went first, as the world record-holder swam a 58.77 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, topping her morning swim effort of 58.81 that was her fastest swim of the year by more than a half second. Solid but certainly overshadowed by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, Smith’s top challenger for Olympic gold medals in both backstroke events. McKeown has fired off startling swims left and right this season, and less than 24 hours prior, she had swum a 57.63 100 back to just miss Smith’s world record. But for Smith, the swim was solid, nothing to be concerned with a month out from Olympic Trials. But shortly after that, Olivia Smoliga and Rhyan White each recorded stunning 100 back efforts at the Atlanta Classic. Smoliga, the aforementioned World Championships bronze medalist who also was the Olympic Trials winner in 2016 and an Olympic finalist in Rio, swam a 58.31. That beat her personal best by four tenths and continued an impressive meet for Smoliga, who also swam a 1:57.04 in the 200 free Friday to move herself into 800 free relay Olympic contention. 8
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White finished just behind in 58.43, beating her own best time of 58.98 from the morning prelims, which in turn crushed her previous best of 59.66 from the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo last month. Before that, White’s best time had been a 1:00.60 from 2018. White has been a fast riser all year, and she is carrying momentum from a junior year at the University of Alabama which culminated with runnerup finishes in the 100 and 200-yard back at the NCAA championships. But it was impossible to foresee White coming from completely off the radar and developing into a national-level threat so quickly. As if that was insufficient for the evening, Claire Curzan blasted a 58.82 while competing in her home pool in Cary, N.C., and that took down her previous best time of 59.37. Curzan is expected to be among the Trials favorites in the 100 fly, 50 free and perhaps other events. So, to recap, that’s four Americans who broke 59 in the span of a little over an hour. Prior to Saturday, no American had swum under 59 yet in 2021. Eight total Americans have ever broken 59, and one of the others is Phoebe Bacon, who won the Pan American Games gold medal in 2019 and has been as fast as 58.63. Bacon finished second behind Smith in Indianapolis in 59.62, but her recent form suggests her best shot at making the Olympics could be in the 200 back. Bacon won the NCAA title this year in the 200-yard back and edged out Smith for the win in that event Friday, 2:06.84 to 2:06.90. The other active American who has been sub-59 is Kathleen
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
>> REGAN SMITH
Baker, who won silver in the 100 back at the 2016 Olympics podium for three straight Olympics. The third-place finishers and set the world record at 58.00 back in 2018, only for Smith at each of those Trials—Ryan Lochte in 2008, David Plummer to lower the mark a year later. Baker in 2012 and Matt Grevers in 2016— did not compete this weekend, but would each have certainly been in the she swam a 59.45 at the Mission mix if they had gotten past the gauntlet of Viejo meet last month. Olympic Trials or perhaps if the two-perDESIGNING & MANUFACTURING country rule were not in effect. HIGH QUALITY POOL DECK The final two Americans who have EQUIPMENT FOR 89 YEARS! been under 59 are both Olympic But here we have possibly six swimmers champions, 2004 and 2008 gold who could be medal contenders if the medalist Natalie Coughlin and 2012 cards break right, and don’t count out winner Missy Franklin. But the someone like 100-yard back NCAA active swimmers continue to bump champion Katharine Berkoff jumping that golden duo down the all-time into that mix as well. And given her American list, which now goes in world record credentials, Smith remains this order: Smith, Baker, Smoliga, the favorite for the first qualifying spot Franklin, White, Bacon, Curzan, in the event, which would mean only Coughlin. one spot left available for a big crowd of swimmers. In the all-time world rankings for the 100 back, Smoliga jumped to ninth, That stockpile of depth could push the White moved to 11th, and Curzan women to incredible swims, so could also ranks in the top 25 (while Smith a 57-second performance be required and Baker continue to rank first and just to qualify for the Olympics? That’s third, respectively). The Americans especially insane to consider when now dominate the 2021 world remembering that Katinka Hosszu’s 2016 rankings in the 100 back: Smoliga Olympic gold medal-winning time was ranks third, White fourth, Smith 58.45, and Kylie Masse won the 2019 sixth and Curzan seventh. world title in 58.60. Smoliga and White each swam faster on a random Saturday It’s not unprecedented for the evening in mid-May! Americans to be so deep in one event that would-be medal contenders All that’s certain in this extraordinary do not qualify for the Olympics. event is that whoever does survive the 800.824.4387 Take the men’s 100 back, where test in Omaha will head to Tokyo as a SRSMITH.COM the Americans have put two on the medal favorite. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
Claire Curzan Oblivious to Limits in Rapid Rise to Prominence BY DAVID RIEDER
Claire Curzan has been swimming fast since she was a young age grouper and has continued to do so in high school. In March, she came within 13 hundredths of the American record in the short course 100 fly, and in April, she found herself within 22 hundredths of the long course U.S. best. She’s versatile, she’s coachable, she has international experience, and she’s moved from a fringe Olympic contender to an Olympic favorite. Curzan is only 16, and her promising future couldn’t be brighter.
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or years, Claire Curzan has been recognized as one of the most impressive young swimmers in the country. She has been consistently setting national age group records in butterfly, backstroke and freestyle events since she was 12, and in the summer of 2019, she earned some acclaim by finishing second in the 100-meter back and fifth in the 100 fly at U.S. Nationals. At the World Junior Championships a few weeks later, Curzan won four medals: silver in the 100 back, bronze in the 50 fly and 100 fly and gold on the U.S. women’s 400 medley relay.
returned to competition, she was already one of the best sprint butterflyers in the world. At a July 2020 intrasquad meet, Curzan’s first competitive foray in four months, she swam a 50.03 in the short course 100 fly, making her the eighth-fastest swimmer in history. A few weeks later, she swam under 50 seconds for the first time. By March 2021, Curzan had nearly taken down the American record. She swam a 49.51, just off Erika Brown’s record of 49.38, and good for fifth-fastest all-time in the event. Curzan Can Swim Long Course, Too Well, sure, that’s just short course yards, but over the course of several months, Curzan rapidly proved herself in the big pool, too.
In February 2020, Curzan broke a pair of national high school records in the 100-yard fly and 100 back while representing Cardinal Gibbons High School at North Carolina’s high school state championships. She was a high school sophomore at that point, only 15.
Pre-COVID, her 100-meter fly best time was 57.87, but in the fall of 2020, she dropped to 57.57 and then, at the U.S. Open in November, to 56.61. Suddenly, the 16-year-old had vaulted herself into a three-way tie for 12th-fastest all-time in the 100 fly, sharing that spot with the likes of 2000 Olympic gold medalist Inge de Bruijn, and third-fastest ever among Americans behind only 2012 Olympic gold medalist Dana Vollmer and 2016 Olympian Kelsi Dahlia. It was the fastest time any American swimmer had posted since 2018.
Anyone who has followed Curzan’s career could see her special potential quite clearly, but then the COVID-19 hiatus came and competition came to a halt. As soon as Curzan
“The whole week of training before, I wasn’t really feeling that great in the water,” Curzan said. “I felt kind of heavy, and then in warm-up, my fly felt amazing. I didn’t know I was
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But Curzan was not done showing her cards quite yet. In April, while racing against fellow teenage star Torri Huske in the 100 fly at a meet in her home pool in Cary, N.C., Curzan dropped her best time to a stunning 56.20, a performance that reverberated around the swimming world. She moved to eighth all-time in the event and became the second-fastest American ever, ahead of Dahlia. “I thought I could go 56, 56-mid or high. I don’t know. I was not expecting that,” Curzan said. The immediate aftermath of the swim left Curzan in a state of almost shock, and it took a little while for the impact of her effort to sink in. “I didn’t know I could go that fast. I didn’t know I could drop that much again.” With just a few quick performances, the Olympics had become much more than a dream. Now, Curzan will go to June’s U.S. Olympic Trials firmly in the spotlight. Her best time is now just two tenths off Vollmer’s American record (55.98), and having dropped more than a second in the last year, it’s not crazy to think she could make that leap. She has already swum quicker than the silver medal-winning time from the 2019 World Championships. And, yeah, she’s still just 16 years old! The Coach’s Perspective At the TAC Titans, Curzan’s coach is Bruce Marchionda, and Curzan remembers Marchionda telling her after the Greensboro meet “how I don’t have to go that much faster to make the Olympic team.” “Her workouts leading up to that swim indicated that she could go that fast,” Marchionda said. “Whether she would or not, I had no idea, but based on her workouts, I knew that was definitely a possibility. For her, when she did, that gave her confidence in what we are doing and belief in the system that we have put in place for all of our swimmers, not just her. I say, kind of jokingly, the negative of that is it does put a lot of pressure on someone.” Marchionda called Curzan “probably one of the most
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
taking it out as fast as I did. I was just kind of sticking to my race plan and just going off the adrenaline,” Curzan said. “I was just kind of shocked. A little tinkling in the back of my head told me that I could go that fast, but I didn’t really believe it until I looked up and saw it. It was just one of those races where it’s kind of out-of-body.”
coachable athletes that I’ve coached in the last 30 years.” He complimented the 16-year-old’s ability to take feedback and make stroke changes, including in her head position while breathing in butterfly. She consistently brings a positive attitude and competitiveness to practices that benefits the entire group. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, she shows up with a smile on her face and maintains that smile throughout the workout,” Marchionda said. In practice, Curzan likes working her underwaters, already a strength of hers, and she enjoys opportunities for off-theblocks all-out efforts. Long, aerobic swimming and repeated fast efforts on short rest, on the other hand, are not her favorite. Right before sets that she is not thrilled about, Curzan “will look at you with those sad, puppy-dog eyes, like, ‘I have to do this?’” Marchionda said. “And then she’ll turn around and do it…and crush it.” One resource Curzan has available to her is Claire Donahue, a 2012 Olympian in the 100 fly who Marchionda coached at Western Kentucky. Donahue has helped Curzan with keeping her emotions in check and keeping a professional approach to swimming and reminding her that swimming is still swimming, even when the stakes are ratcheted up. To keep her nerves in check during a meet, Curzan likes to go over her races in her head so that she feels less daunted. And to her credit, Marchionda thinks Curzan has handled the tension of the upcoming Olympic push impeccably. “The pressure never really rattles her,” Marchionda said. “I think it’s something that she believes she can do, that she can compete with the best in the world. We have worked on CONTINUED >>
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that event very often. “I got to the 300 mark, and I was like, ‘I’m so happy I’m a sprinter. I don’t know how people do it,’” Curzan said. “The 500 short course is not even bad, but it just makes me appreciate distance swimmers that much more. Their training is so hard, and their events are long, and I just don’t know how they do it. It just made me happy that I’m a sprinter.”
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
These days, swimming is Curzan’s only significant in-person commitment, with her school entirely online for the entire year. When she’s not at practice or doing school work, Curzan has one go-to hobby: “I’m a big reader,” she said. “If I’m bored and I have a good book, that’s always a fun way to pass time.”
the idea that, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to compete with the best swimmers in the world.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, you are one of the best swimmers in the world.’ Getting that confidence and believing that you belong there just kind of fell into place and took kind of a natural process as her progress continued to move forward.” More Than a 100 Flyer In addition to her efforts in the 100 fly that have thrust her into the world spotlight, Curzan should be in the mix in several other events at Olympic Trials. At the April meet, she swam a time of 59.37 in the 100-meter back that thrust her up into a tie for 12th-fastest American all-time in the event and sixth among Americans since 2018. Curzan should be in the mix for a spot in the final of the event at Olympic Trials, although it would take another huge jump to overcome some of the stellar talent in backstroke and qualify for the U.S. team in that event. Curzan also swam a 54.40 in the 100 free, and with another drop, she could be in the mix to qualify for the 400 free relay at the Olympics. She also swam a 24.44 in the 50 free, but was disqualified for going past 15 meters underwater on the start. As for the 200 fly and some other longer events, Curzan prefers to avoid those when she can. When she swims her favored sprint races, she likes to remind herself that it’s not the 200 fly to get herself excited. She remembered one meet where she swam the 500-yard free and realized midway through the race how thankful she was to not have to swim 12
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In the coming months, she will make some college very happy when she announces her verbal commitment, but Curzan said she is in no rush to make that decision. Curzan has two siblings, younger sister, Kate (11), and older brother, Sean (18), and both she and Sean are looking at colleges at the same time, which she called “kind of weird.” On her relationship with her siblings, Curzan said, “We’re kind of all best friends. We make fun of each other because that’s what siblings do, but, you know, all the love.” Enjoying the Grind Over the last year, Curzan’s commitment and dedication to swimming have launched her career to new heights, maybe a little earlier than expected, but her passion for swimming is not simply end result-focused. While she admitted that sometimes the thought of the Olympics “will come up and surprise me,” she tries to focus more on the process of the season, and that’s what is most exciting for her. Even as she has piled up impressive accomplishments so close to Olympic Trials, she has been able to shrug off the pressure by staying process-focused. “I just kind of have a love of the water and just a love of working hard,” Curzan said. “I enjoy the feeling of kind of pushing your body until failure. It kind of sounds weird, but I enjoy the grind, and just being able to see the grind pay off is kind of cool.” As she has been grinding away at training and racing, the world has had no choice but to take notice. Many elite swimmers only swim close to their best a few times per year, but the youthful Curzan has reached the point where every time she is in the pool, she has the capability of pulling off something astounding. Along the way, Curzan has quickly forced her way firmly into Olympic contention with the biggest swim meet of her life quickly approaching. ◄
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Assessing Claire Curzan’s Event-by-Event Potential for U.S. Olympic Trials
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s the spring of Claire Curzan faster than the times from the TYR BY DAVID RIEDER continues, the world got a Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, reminder on Friday evening that the 16-year-old will be a where Regan Smith won in 57.68 and Kelsi Dahlia, the top factor in events beyond just the 100 butterfly. Competing at American performer in the event for the past several years, the TAC Titans Spring Invitational, again in her home pool in took second in 57.75. Cary, N.C., Curzan swam times of 56.43 in the 100 fly and then 24.17 in the 50 free, taking down the world junior record 100 Backstroke in the latter event. The 100 back will be the deepest and most competitive event of the Olympic Trials, and Curzan should be among Her rapid improvement in the two-lap butterfly race has been those in contention. She broke 1:00 for the first time in the most recognizable measure of Curzan’s breakthrough April, swimming a 59.37, and then she clobbered her best over the past year, but when that event wraps up on day two time again in May as she swam a 58.82, moving her into the of next month’s U.S. Olympic Trials, that won’t be the end top 25 all-time in the event and to seventh in the world this of the sure-to-be indelible impact Curzan will make on the year. However, the caveat is Curzan ranks behind three other eight-day meet. Americans, Olivia Smoliga, Rhyan White and world recordholder Regan Smith. Former world record-holder Kathleen In fact, there are up to five events where we may see Curzan Baker and Phoebe Bacon have also swum under 59 in among the headliners next month in Omaha. the past. 100 Butterfly It’s not news at this point to declare Curzan as the clear favorite in the women’s 100 fly. Her three most recent efforts in the event have included a 56.61 in November, a 56.20 in April when she out-dueled fellow teenager Torri Huske (who swam a 56.69 of her own) and then a 56.43 Friday night in Cary. While Curzan had far less daunting competition on this occasion, she took the race out in 25.64, significantly faster than the 26.21 in which she covered the first 50 meters in her April swim and also well ahead of world-record pace. This time, though, Curzan faded coming down the stretch, so it will be interesting to see how she chooses to strategize at Olympic Trials. Curzan ranks eighth-fastest in history in the event, secondfastest all-time among Americans and second-fastest in the world for 2021 behind China’s Zhang Yufei at 55.73. From a more immediate perspective, Curzan’s time was much
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However, Curzan could have a decision to make with regards to the 100 back since the preliminaries are scheduled for the morning of the 100 fly final and the semifinals would occur shortly after the 100 fly final. She may choose to focus all her energy on the event that remains her best, the 100 fly, particularly with the depth of the 100 back field, but if she swims the event, she will undoubtedly be in the mix with a tight and fast heat. 100 Freestyle At Curzan’s big breakthrough meet in April, she swam only a 54.40 in the 100 free, which did not move the needle significantly as far as jumping into the mix for Olympic Trials, where six swimmers will be selected for the 400 free relay in Tokyo. But Curzan is definitely in contention now after she swam a 53.55 Sunday night. That time made Curzan the second-fastest American this year, behind Huske’s 53.46 from their May contest, and she ranks sixth in the Olympic
Trials qualifying period behind Simone Manuel, Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitzeil, Erika Brown and Huske. The American team will undoubtedly need Curzan (and Huske) to keep improving and then team up with their veterans if there is any chance of upsetting Australia for the gold medal in the 400 free relay. Curzan’s massive drop opens the door just slightly, but it will still take a lot to catch the squad from Down Under led by Cate Campbell and Emma McKeon. 200 Backstroke Curzan admits that the 200 fly is not her favorite event to swim, but she has had some success in the 200 back and could be a factor should she contest the event at Trials. Her best time is a 2:10.16, which ranks 13th in the U.S. during the Trials qualifying period, but that time is from the 2019 Nationals. In March, she swam a 1:49.35 in the 200-yard back, but Curzan has swum the event only sparingly this season in long course. The 200 back falls on days six and seven at Trials, overlapping with the 100 free final and the first two rounds of the 50 free, so that might disincentivize Curzan from taking up the challenge of this grueling event. 50 Freestyle When Curzan and Huske faced off last month, the duo actually tied in the 50 free in 24.44, but Curzan was disqualified for
using her lethal underwater dolphin kicks too much and going slightly past 15 meters. So Curzan’s legal best time prior to Friday was 25.26, but by the end of the day, she had swum a 24.17. All the sudden, she was the third-fastest American ever behind reigning world champion Manuel and five-time Olympian Dara Torres. Globally, Curzan tied for 16th alltime and tied for third in the world in 2021. The 50 free will come at the tail end of the Olympic Trials program (prelims and semifinals on day seven and the final on day eight), and at this point, Curzan should be considered a co-favorite alongside Manuel, with Huske and 2016 Trials winner Weitzeil as their top challengers. Claire Curzan has described a primary motivating factor throughout the year of training and racing as “trying to set myself up the best I can for Olympic Trials.” During the toughest parts of practice, she thinks about how “this is just going to help me in the long run. When I get to that last 25, last 15 meters of the race, this is what’s going to help me push through to get to the wall.” Well, Trials begins in one month, and Curzan is positioned beautifully for a productive week. In two events Friday night, she reaffirmed and then established favorite status for the bookends of her program, and we’ll see if she can move up the pecking order in her other events before this weekend is complete. ◄
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got three and a half weeks. It’s exactly what we needed, what I needed, but overall, just really thrilled. We’ve been putting a lot of work into this, physically, mentally, spiritually, doing everything we can, no stone unturned, and to see it come together like this, it’s just really nice.” [ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
The following day, Andrew would swim a 50.80 in the 100 fly, breaking 51 for the first time and moving to second in the world this year. World record-holder Caeleb Dressel remains the heavy favorite in the event at Olympic Trials, but Andrew actually swam faster than the 51.15 Dressel posted at the Atlanta Classic. Andrew will certainly be a favorite for the No. 2 spot at Olympic Trials.
Michael Andrew on Fire Heading to Olympic Trials BY DAVID RIEDER
I
n 2020, Michael Andrew appeared poised to finally put the pieces together, fulfill his massive potential that he had flashed since he was a young teenager and storm his way onto his first Olympic team. At the TYR Pro Swim Series in Des Moines, Iowa, in March, Andrew swam lifetime bests in two of his signature events, the 100 breast (59.14) and 200 IM (1:56.83). That turned out to be his last meet before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and shut down the sports world. After competition resumed, Andrew struggled to return to his previous splendid form from the spring. During the International Swimming League bubble, a racing-heavy short course format suited to his skillset, Andrew finished in the top three just nine times in 25 individual races over the course of the season and recorded just a single victory. Andrew said of that ISL experience, “I was very physically unready, which was unfortunate.” His first few long course meets of the 2021 season were solid but nothing spectacular, as he topped out at 22.13 in the 50 free, 1:00.03 in the 100 breast, 52.43 in the 100 fly and 1:57.98 in the 200 IM. Then he swam Thursday morning at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis and provided a jaw-dropping moment: He became just the third American man to break 59 in the 100 breast, and the first in almost four years. Andrew’s morning time of 58.82 broke Adam Peaty’s Pro Series record, and in the final, he swam a 58.67 that broke the U.S. Open record and missed Kevin Cordes’ American record by just three hundredths. Andrew jumped up to fourth in the 2021 world rankings, a tie for 11th all-time and into the status as favorite in the event for the U.S. Olympic Trials next month. For Andrew, the swim was a validating moment and a surge of momentum heading into the all-important test. “It’s huge,” Andrew said after the race. “I felt like I had a lot of confidence, even with the 1:00.03 I swam in Coronado the other week. So bringing that into this with a really fast pool, really good atmosphere, it’s been huge. Going to Trials, we’ve
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On the meet’s final day, Andrew won the 200 IM in 1:56.84, a slim one hundredth off his lifetime best from last year and good enough to cement his status as a favorite to qualify for Tokyo in this event, too. Andrew moved to fourth in the world in the event, and he is the fastest American in 2021 by more than two seconds. The difference in his swimming in Indianapolis compared to his previous meets since the post-pandemic resumption, Andrew said, was consistency in his training, which had been lacking at times over the past year due to circumstances related to the pandemic. Sometimes the answers are very simple and straightforward, particularly in a year with as much global turmoil and uncertainty as the last one. Simply finding a way to get back to his normal helped put Andrew back on track. Andrew’s 100 breast holds a little extra weight because of the potential impact for a 400 medley relay. It’s no secret that the American men have struggled on the breaststroke leg of that relay for a few years. Securing that leg is essential if the Americans hope to continue their run of success in the 400 medley relay at the Olympic Games. The event has been contested at the last 15 Olympics, and the Americans have won 14, with the only exception coming during the boycotted 1980 Games. Andrew swimming a 58 right now provides a spark, and more U.S. men could follow at next month’s Olympic Trials. Olympic Trials could be a career-defining week for Andrew, an opportunity to display his unorthodox training style and career plan while in his prime with the entire world watching. But for right now, Andrew was more than content to call his 100 breast one of the best swims of his career, even though he acknowledged he will be gunning for the American record in short order. “I feel like the next step is trying to get that American record, and then obviously, I want to break some world records,” Andrew said. “My goal is now to replicate this swim at Trials, make the team, and do well for the U.S. I haven’t really thought about where it sits on the list of my best swims, but it’s up there because it’s a huge time, I’m really happy with it, and I think we can really grow from here and get into a good position going into Trials.” ◄
Jacoby’s time ranks third among the American contingent, trailing only King and Lazor since the beginning of 2019. It offers a major confidence boost heading into Trials. “That race was really exciting because give or take a few women, that was the same heat that’s going to be swimming finals at Olympic Trials,” Jacoby said. “So it was kind of fun to be able to race with them and having them all together. I’ve raced a lot of them when it’s just one or two of them, but it’s nice having them all in the pool.” [ PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]
Jacoby is less of a contender in the 200 breast, though she continues to drop time at a frantic pace. She was ninth in Mission Viejo in 2:27.39, a best time by more than five seconds. Since the beginning of 2019, she ranks 16th among Americans in that event.
Rising Star Lydia Jacoby Ready to Contend at Olympic Trials BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
As the new kid on the American women’s breaststroke block, Lydia Jacoby has to remind herself not to be daunted. When she’s in the same ready room as Lilly King and Annie Lazor and Molly Hannis and the rest of the leading lights of one of the U.S.’s deepest events, it takes the 17-year-old a moment to remember that the distance in the pool to those stars is small … and getting smaller all the time. A year ago, that would’ve been a tougher sell to Jacoby. But now, as she approaches the Olympic Trials a year older, wiser and much faster, she’s not just in a steadier place mentally. She’s a legitimate threat to get to Tokyo. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot both physically and mentally this year,” Jacoby told Swimming World. “Last year, I think I would’ve done well but didn’t have any shot of actually making the team. And this year, I feel like I have just as good of a shot as any of the other top six women. I’m very excited to see what happens and I think even if I don’t make it, I’m in a really good place where I’m so young and won’t be losing anything.” Jacoby proved herself at last month’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo. She set a best time in the 100 breast at 1:06.38, finishing second to King. Behind her in that final were Lazor, Hannis, Emily Escobedo and a raft of other contenders for what is presumed to be the second spot in Tokyo with King, the reigning Olympic champ and world record holder, the heavy favorite.
Jacoby has time on her side. She won’t graduate high school until 2022, and her future is pledged to the University of Texas. She’s part of a wave of young swimmers who could find the extra year from the COVID-19 postponement of the Tokyo Olympics accelerating their chase for an Olympic spot. But Jacoby is unique in one big way: She’s vying to be the first Olympic swimmer ever from Alaska. She’s uniquely qualified to represent the state, having lived there her entire life. Her pandemic training was a pan-Alaskan affair: When pools in her native Seward, where she trains with Seward Tsunami Swim Club, closed, she shuttled two-plus hours away to Anchorage, where her family rents a home. That allowed her to train at Northern Lights Swim Club. Jacoby started swimming when she was six and jumped headlong into it by middle school. She ran track at Seward High School her freshman year, around the time she qualified for Olympic Trials at age 14. The elongated wait to Trials is nearly at an end. It might prove to be the beginning to so much more. And when she’s in Omaha, Jacoby will be carrying her Alaskan community close to her heart. “I think it’s really neat,” she said. “A lot of top-notch swimmers come from big teams in the lower 48 that attract the best of the best. It’s really cool to come from a different background and know that I’m doing essentially the same thing as those other teams. “I have a lot of support within Alaska and especially the Alaska swimming community. I get a lot of support from my coaches and swimmers all over the state because I think one of the cool things is … once you get out of state, everyone kind of knows each other so we kind of come together as one team. So I think that’s really cool to have that support.” ◄ BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
NCAA Champion Ella Eastin Announces Retirement After Dysautonomia Diagnosis BY ANDY ROSS
E
ight-time individual NCAA champion Ella Eastin has officially announced her retirement from the sport of swimming after a successful career at Stanford University and SoCal Swim Club. Eastin shared she developed chronic fatigue and dysautonomia – “a nervous system disorder that affects my cardiovascular health, my energy, my mental stability and so much more,” she wrote on social media. “Over the past year and a half, I have been battling a seemingly undiagnosable illness that incapacitated me. I lost my ability to manage daily activities and had to be taken care of by family and friends. I couldn’t live a normal life, much less one of a professional athlete,” Ella Eastin wrote on social media. “I finally decided that for the first time, the health of my body and mind had to take priority. Those that know me are aware that I have previously happily sacrificed my time and wellbeing for this sport. This wasn’t an option this time around as I couldn’t finish a warm up, much less a whole practice. I tried for months, praying that one day I would wake up feeling “normal” again. I was finally assured that my thoughts and feelings were justified when I found a doctor that was able to tell me that I developed chronic fatigue and dysautonomia.” Eastin received an NCAA postgraduate scholarship where she will pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a registered nurse. Ella Eastin helped Stanford win three NCAA titles from 2017 – 2019 as she was the first Division I woman to win the 400 IM NCAA title four times, an event she still holds the American record in. She also holds the 200 IM and 200 fly
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American records that she set in 2018 in the lead-up to being named CSCAA swimmer of the year that season. She won two NCAA titles in those events each while swimming for head coach Greg Meehan. Eastin was the 2013 junior national champion in the 400 IM, where she still holds the meet record to this day as she was also the world junior champ that year. She broke out on the national stage in 2017 by touching second in the 400 IM at the 2017 World Trials, but she was disqualified. She ended up making the 2017 World University Games team where she won gold in the 200 butterfly and silver in the 200 IM. Eastin would have been a favorite to make the 2020 Olympic Team in both IMs and the 200 butterfly but she will pursue a post-swimming career. She is ranked as the 8th fastest American ever in the 200 IM, 14th in the 400 IM, and 19th in the 200 fly. “I have been blessed by my swimming career in that it gave me lifelong friends, priceless experiences, and prepared me to take on any challenge that may come my way,” Ella Eastin wrote on social media. “I fell in love with the water at a young age, and through this experience, I have fallen in love with it again. I still love swimming outside in the sun as my body allows me and plan to keep it as a restorative activity in my life. “You may just see me again behind the blocks one day. Thank you to all of those that have supported me on my journey and continue to as I begin taking steps to become a nurse- another lifelong dream. Good luck to those chasing their dreams at Olympic Trials next month- my heart and soul is with you! See you again on the pool deck soon.” ◄
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[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
WORLD NEWS
>> TORRI HUSKE
COVID Pandemic Has Opened Olympic Door For Rapidly Developing Youngsters BY DAVID RIEDER
I
n less than a minute at an under-the-radar April swim meet in Cary, N.C., two teenagers changed the complexion of the women’s 100 butterfly in the United States. 16-year-old Claire Curzan swam a time of 56.20, and 18-year-old Torri Huske was just behind in 56.69. No other American woman has broken 57 since 2018. But think back to a little over a year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic began. At that point, Huske’s best was 57.48, and Curzan was at 57.87. Both were darkhorse candidates to make the U.S. Olympic team but little more. The one-year delay of the Olympic Games allowed the two teenagers to sufficiently improve to the point where both will be favorites at June’s Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. And they aren’t the only swimmers to massively improve their stock since 2020. Claire Curzan, USA After her 56.20 100 fly, Curzan now ranks eighth all-time and second ever among Americans, behind only the 55.98 that Dana Vollmer swam on her way to Olympic gold in the event in 2012. Curzan has jumped ahead of Kelsi Dahlia, the top American in the event since 2017. Moreover, the 56.20 ranks fifth among current active swimmers, and the time would have been good enough to take silver behind Maggie MacNeil—and ahead of Sarah Sjostrom—at the 2019 World Championships. Since then, Curzan has posted world-class times in other events, suggesting that she will be a challenger or even a favorite to make the Olympic team in more than just the 100
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fly. In May, she posted a 24.17 in the 50 free to become the third-fastest American ever, behind only Olympic medalists Simone Manuel and Dara Torres. She became the eighth American woman to break 59 in the 100 back, swimming a 58.82, but that shapes up as the most competitive event of Olympic Trials and a tough field for Curzan to overcome. She has also been as fast as 54.40 in the 100 free. Curzan has been a rising star in swimming, but she never would have been in the conversation for an Olympic medal had the Games gone off as scheduled in 2020. The extra year has made all the difference. Torri Huske, USA Huske is in the same boat as Curzan, and she’s now a Trials favorite in the 100 fly. While Curzan’s effort ranks first in the world this year, Huske ranks third (with Australia’s Emma McKeon just ahead of her), and all-time, she has moved into a tie for 15th. Among Americans, only Vollmer, Curzan and Dahlia have been faster. Huske also threw down a monster 100 free effort this weekend in Cary, her 53.46 jumping her to fifth in the world this year in the 100 free and fifth among Americans during the Trials qualifying period, trailing Manuel, Mallory Comerford, Abbey Weitzeil and Erika Brown, all professionals. With six swimmers to be selected for the Olympic team in the 100 free for relay purposes, Huske has a great shot here after dropping her lifetime best by more than a second in the past year. On the final day of the Cary meet, Huske blasted her lifetime
best in the 50 free by nine tenths. She put up a 24.44, moving her all the way to second in the U.S. during the qualifying period, just ahead of Weitzeil. She moved to sixth-fastest ever among Americans. So that’s three different events where Huske could find herself in the mix in Omaha, and she could be competitive in the 200 IM, as well. Her lifetime best of 2:11.18 ranks her sixth among Americans since 2018. Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia Evgeniia Chikunova won world junior championships in both breaststroke events in 2019, so she’s not exactly new to the scene, but the 16-year-old made a huge jump last week in twice knocking off veteran Yulia Efimova at Russia’s Nationals. Chikunova swam times of 1:06.06 in the 100 breast and 2:21.63 in the 200 breast. She now ranks second in the world in the longer event, and even though she has never competed at a senior-level international meet, the extra year gives her a little more prep time to be in medal contention come Tokyo. Elizabeth Dekkers, Australia The fourth-fastest time of the year in the women’s 200 fly belongs to Elizabeth Dekkers, a 16-year-old from Queensland. She has cut more than a second off her lifetime best in the event since December, getting down to a 2:07.25. That would have been good enough to finish fourth at the 2019 World Championships, and she fills a huge hole for Australia: no swimmer from Down Under even swam in the semifinals at Worlds after Brianna Throssell finished 11th in prelims and then scratched. Sam Short, Australia Also this week, 17-year-old Australian Sam Short broke Kieran Perkins’ Australian All-Comers record in the 800 free with a 7:52.18 at the Australian Age Championships, and Short will be in contention to make Australia’s Olympic team in this event newly added to the Olympic schedule. Short added a 3:47.52 in the 400 free and a 15:02.48 in the 1500 free, the later a lifetime best by more than 18 seconds. His times are not yet quick enough to reach the final at the World Championships, but he will have a chance to improve and challenge veterans Jack McLoughlin and Mack Horton for Australia’s spots in the event in Tokyo Erika Fairweather, New Zealand She finished 17th in the 400 free at the 2019 World Championships, but Erika Fairweather has taken a huge jump forward since then. Now 17, her improvement has put her on track for a spot in the Tokyo Olympic final. She has dropped her best time from 4:08.48 in 2019 to 4:07.43 in December and then 4:06.54 this week in Auckland. She did not swim fast enough to confirm her spot in Tokyo until October, but with the pressure of Olympic qualifying lifted, she could be in store for another drop in July.
Ethan du Preez, South Africa South Africa has a pretty impressive recent history in the 200 fly with 2012 Olympic champion Chad le Clos leading the way, but he will have some company in Tokyo with 17-yearold countryman Ethan du Preez. Du Preez swam a 1:56.44 at South Africa’s Nationals this week to earn Olympic selection for the first time, and he will head to Tokyo with a time worthy of semifinal qualification at most major meets and just a few tenths short of what it took to make the final at the 2019 World Championships. This will also mark the first occasion that le Clos will have a countryman sharing the pool with him in the 200 fly. Lydia Jacoby, USA There has never been an Olympic swimmer from Alaska. Lydia Jacoby, a 17-year-old committed to swim at the University of Texas, could break that streak in 2021. She jumped into contention at this week’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo, improving her 100 breast lifetime best from 1:07.57 to 1:06.99 and then to 1:06.38, good enough for second place behind Olympic gold medalist Lilly King. During the Olympic Trials qualifying period, she now ranks third behind King and Annie Lazor. She’s by no means a Trials favorite at this point, but she has rapidly jumped into the mix. Jacoby isn’t quite on the same level in the 200 breast, but she did drop a whopping five seconds this weekend, from 2:32.36 to 2:28.87 to 2:27.39. Many Women’s 200 Butterflyers, USA Hali Flickinger remains the big favorite in this event at U.S. Olympic Trials, with a 2019 time of 2:05.96 that surpasses any other swimmer globally in the past two years, and Regan Smith and Katie Drabot remain the top two contenders for the second spot in the event. But a substantial group of teenagers is knocking on that door, hoping that another year of improvement will give them a chance. Charlotte Hook, a 17-year-old teammate of Curzan’s at the TAC Titans, has been as quick as 2:07.87 back in 2019, and she narrowly missed her best time this weekend in Cary with a 2:07.99, suggesting a time drop to come. Lillie Nordmann, 18, has been as quick as 2:07.43, and she finished second this week at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo behind Katie Crom, a 17-year-old who defeated the field in a tight finish and swam a time of 2:10.38 that was just off her best time. All of these teenagers could find themselves in a tight mix in Omaha. Whoever is in contention on the last 50 and has something left in the tank could give themselves a chance to steal a spot in Tokyo, a spot that may not have been possible had the Trials gone off in 2020. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]
>> CAELEB DRESSEL
Ahead of Olympic Summer, Swimming World’s Latest World Male Rankings BY DAVID RIEDER
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ow can we compare the world’s best swimmers across all different events? We can consider world records, gold medals, head-to-head record, versatility and a million other factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot comes down to how swimmers have taken advantage of their sparse opportunities to race major events. Add all that together, and you get this list of the top 25 male swimmers in the world just a few months out from the 2021 Olympic Games. Taking a step back from that narrow lens of the present, the landscape of events change over time and not at a consistent rate. No events have seen a greater shift than the men’s breaststrokes, where Adam Peaty has led the charge in the 100-meter distance into 57 territory and now into the 56s, while Anton Chupkov is at the helm of the 2:06 club in the 200 breast. Given the massive improvements in the breaststroke events, it should come as no surprise to see a significant overrepresentation of breaststrokers on this list. A lot is left to unfold in the next few months prior to the Olympic Games, and these rankings will surely shift after the European Championships later this month and the U.S. and Australian Olympic Trials in June. And remember, this list is just one opinion with no right answer. If you disagree, you probably have a point. These rankings focus on long course ability with an eye towards the Olympics, but each such list will weigh different factors and produce vastly different rankings. But the best men’s swimmer in the world? There is be little disagreement about that title, even after Michael Phelps retired following a long run at the top. While the United States is sparsely represented throughout this list, there is one standout American who has clearly been the standout of men’s swimming over the past four years.
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1. Caeleb Dressel, USA After Michael Phelps’ second retirement in 2016, Caeleb Dressel grabbed the mantle of world’s best swimmer and never looked back. He won seven gold medals at the 2017 World Championships, taking advantage of the addition of mixed relays to the program to match the record for most gold medals at that meet, and then he became the first man to win eight total medals at the 2019 World Championships (six gold and two silvers) and set his first long course world record in the 100 fly (49.50). He projects as the gold medal favorite in three individual events for this summer’s Olympics and the key leg on all U.S. relays. Most recently, Dressel was named MVP of the International Swimming League and led his Cali Condors to the league championship as he set three world records and won five individual events in the final meet. Needless to say, there were no questions about who deserves the top spot on this list. 2. Adam Peaty, Great Britain While Dressel’s all-around brilliance makes him the easy No. 1 choice, no swimmer has dominated an event like Adam Peaty has dominated the men’s 100 breast, and that earns him the No. 2 spot. In fact, since 2015, the only men to win Swimming World’s World Swimmer of the Year have been Dressel, Phelps and Peaty. Peaty’s 100 breast world record of 56.88 makes him the fastest man in history by more than a second, and until last week, he was the only man to ever break 58. He owns the top 13 performances in history and 19 of the top 20. Already in 2021, he has swum as quick as 57.39, and he will take aim at his world record as he pursues his second straight Olympic gold medal in the event. And on top of his 100-meter success, Peaty is the only man to ever break 26 in the 50 breast, and he owns the top eight CONTINUED >>
[ PHOTO BY PATRICK B. KRAEMER ]
[ PHOTO BY HUNGARIAN SWIMMING ]
[ PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU / ISL]
Championships, and then this year, he again swam under Phelps’ former mark with a 1:51.40. A 1:49 performance is well within the realm of possibility. And on top of that, the 20-year-old is the favorite for silver (behind Dressel) in the 100 fly, where his 50.47 from earlier this year ranks him seventh all-time.
>> ADAM PEATY
>> KRISTOF MILAK
>> EVGENY RYLOV
performances ever in that event. 3. Kristof Milak, Hungary Kristof Milak does not possess the versatility and longevity of other swimmers on this list, but his amazing accomplishments in recent years have made him one of just a few swimmers considered basically a lock for Olympic gold this year. That’s because, in 2019, Milak took down Phelps’ world record in the 200 fly, considered his best event, and became the first man under 1:51. Milak swam a 1:50.73 at the World 24
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4. Daiya Seto, Japan The title of world’s most versatile swimmer belongs right now to Daiya Seto, who captured gold medals in both IM events as well as a silver medal behind Milak in the 200 fly at the 2019 World Championships. He had previously won world titles in the 400 IM in 2013 and 2015 and also Olympic bronze in the event in 2016. Seto actually swam his lifetime bests in both IMs shortly before the pandemic began, a 1:55.55 in the 200 IM that ranks tied for seventh all-time and a 4:06.09 in the 400 IM that is fifth all-time, and he enters the Olympic summer as a favorite for gold medals in both. 5. Evgeny Rylov, Russia Evgeny Rylov, the 24-year-old from Russia, captured Olympic bronze in the 200 back in 2016 and then won two straight world titles in the event in 2017 and 2019. Rylov swam a 1:53.23 in the 200 back at Russia’s Olympic Trials last month, good for fifth-fastest all-time and faster than any other currently active swimmer. He also swam a 52.12 in the 100 back, which is faster than any world title-winning time ever but still off his best time of 51.97 from 2019, which made him just the fourth swimmer to ever crack 52 in the event. The 100 back should be a good battle for Olympic gold with Ryan Murphy and Xu Jiayu, among others, but Rylov is the clear favorite in the 200-meter distance. 6. Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy Gregorio Paltrinieri is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the 1500 free, and he will take a shot at three Olympic gold medals in Tokyo. He is the reigning world champion in the 800 free, an event making its Olympic debut, and he swam a 7:40.22 in August 2020 and then a 7:41.96 in April, far faster than anyone else has swum since 2019. He took down his own European record in the 1500 free last year with a 14:33.10, improving on his own status as the second-fastest man in history, although he should have some challenges for the gold medal in that event. And he’s also a leading contender in the unpredictable 10k open water race, which Paltrinieri qualified to swim at the Olympics after finishing sixth at the 2019 World Championships. 7. Anton Chupkov, Russia Anton Chupkov is only at the absolute elite level in one event, but he has redefined the limits in his signature 200 breast. He followed up an Olympic bronze medal with two straight world titles and, in 2019, a world record to boot, his 2:06.12 sitting three tenths clear of anyone else in history.
And Chupkov swims the race a lot differently than most of his competitors: he lengthens his stroke and relaxes over the first 100 meters before accelerating significantly on the back half. He frequently swims each of the last two lengths in under 32 seconds, which is all but unheard of. In fact, in the 2019 World Championships final, he was eighth after 50 meters, eighth after 100 meters, fifth after 150 meters and then faster than anyone else in history at the end. 8. Duncan Scott, Great Britain Duncan Scott was a newer face to the international scene when he qualified for the 100 free final at the Rio Olympics and then swam on a pair of silver medal-winning British relays, but he will head to his second Olympics with a target on his back. Scott pulled off one of the most amazing relay legs ever when he pulled Great Britain from behind to win gold in the men’s 400 medley relay at the 2019 World Championships, his 46.14 the second-quickest in history. Scott also tied for bronze in the 200 free at Worlds and took fifth in the 200 IM, but so far in 2021, he has swum times of 47.87 in the 100 free, 1:44.47 in the 200 free and 1:55.90 in the 200 IM. At the Olympics, he will be a gold-medal contender in the 200 free and a medal contender in his other events along with a key factor on British 800 free and 400 medley relays in the hunt for gold. 9. Florian Wellbrock, Germany In 2018, Florian Wellbrock handed Gregorio Paltrinieri his first 1500 free loss in five years at the European Championships, and he again took gold in the event at the 2019 World Championships. Wellbrock also won gold in the 10k open water event in 2019, so he will be a favorite again in both of those events in Tokyo, along with possibly the 800 free. His lifetime best in the 1500 is 14:36.15, which ranks him fourth all-time behind Sun Yang, Paltrinieri and twotime Olympic gold medalist Grant Hackett, and he has swum almost that quick this year with a 14:36.45 at Germany’s Olympic Trials. Wellbrock also currently holds the world’s fastest time in the 400 free (3:44.36), but he will have a tough road to an Olympic medal in that event. 10. Arno Kamminga, Netherlands Arno Kamminga has never swum in a final at a World Championships, and he has never been to an Olympics, but his recent exploits in the breaststroke events have earned him a high ranking here and status as Olympic medal favorite in two events. In December, he swam a 2:06.85 in the 200 breast, making him one of just five men to ever swim under 2:07, and he has been as fast as 2:07.71 in December. But Kamminga made a huge statement in the 100 breast when he recently swam a 57.90 that made him just the second man ever to break 58, following Adam Peaty. In quickly improving fields in the men’s breaststroke events, Kamminga is a newer face that is making a major impression.
11. Xu Jiayu, China Xu Jiayu is the two-time world champion in the 100 back, and he will be in the hunt to improve upon his Olympic silver medal from 2016 this summer. Xu swam a time of 51.86 in 2017, just one hundredth off Ryan Murphy’s world record, and although he has not improved on that time in the four years since, he recently swam a 52.88 at China’s Olympic Trials despite being pre-selected to swim the event in Tokyo. Murphy and Evgeny Rylov should each pose challenges in what should be a close and exciting race at the Games. Xu has not had as much success internationally in the 200 back, but he ranks eighth all-time at 1:53.99. 12. Shoma Sato, Japan Japan has a long history of incredibly successful 200 breaststrokers, and the latest is just 19 years old. Shoma Sato has never swum at a World Championships, and just two years ago, he was the silver medalist in the event at the 2019 World Junior Championships in 2:09.56. Now, he’s the second-fastest man in history at 2:06.40 after he took a run at Anton Chupkov’s world record at Japan’s Olympic Trials last month. Sato will be one of Japan’s top gold medal hopes at its home Olympic Games, and he will look to join 2004 and 2008 gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima as a 200 breast champion. 13. Kyle Chalmers, Australia Kyle Chalmers was just 18 when he came from behind to stun a loaded field to win Olympic gold in the 100 free in Rio. The teenager dripped potential after taking down a field of decorated veteran sprinters in an event that typically favors the experienced. But Chalmers faced challenges in the years since Rio, including a heart surgery in 2017 and an arthroscopic shoulder procedure in November 2020. But he has bounced back nicely this year to swim times of 48.04 in the 100 free and 1:47.03 in the 200 free. Chalmers ranks sixth all-time in the 100 free at 47.08, swum as he pushed Caeleb Dressel to the finish at the 2019 World Championships before settling for silver, and he is arguably Dressel’s strongest threat in an individual event in Tokyo. Chalmers also has 1:44 potential in the 200 free and is a key for Australia’s 800 free relay gold medal hopes. 14. Ryan Murphy, USA At the 2016 Olympics, Ryan Murphy put together the best performance of his career as he swept gold medals in the 100 and 200 back and then broke the world record in the 100 back while leading the United States to a gold medal in the 400 medley relay. Since then, Murphy has not won an individual world title, but he remains among the top backstrokers in the world and a favorite to challenge for gold medals in Tokyo. Murphy swam the most recent sub-52 in the 100 back, his a 51.94 at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, but he finished a shocking fourth at the 2019 World Championships when
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but was disqualified for a false start, and his lifetime best of 1:44.38, which ranks him sixth all-time, is the quickest by any swimmer since 2013. Rapsys also finished a narrow fourth in the 400 free at the 2019 World Championships, and during the 2020 ISL season, he posted the fastest time in the 400 free and the third-fastest time in the 200 free.
>> SHOMA SATO
>> DANAS RAPSYS
>> MITCH LARKIN
he comfortably led early on before fading badly. He is the second-fastest man since Rio in the 200 back, but he will have to deal with the impressive Evgeny Rylov in that event. 15. Danas Rapsys, Lithuania This might seem high for a 25-year-old who has never made it past the preliminaries at the Olympics, never won a medal at the long course World Championships and has not recorded any stunning swims in recent months, but Danas Rapsys took the world by storm in the 200 free prior to the pandemic. He touched first in the World Championships final 26
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16. Mack Horton, Australia In 2016, Mack Horton captured Olympic gold in the 400 free in 2016, defeating Chinese favorite Sun Yang after Horton had criticized Sun’s previous ban for use of banned substances. That victory made Horton the first Australian man to win Olympic gold in 12 years, and he will be in position to run it back in 2021, particularly if Sun’s latest doping ban is reinstated in an appeal. Horton ranks seventh all-time in the 400 free in 3:41.55 and also 18th in history in the 800 free in 7:44.02, but his best medal chances for Tokyo will be in the 400 free and as part of Australia’s 800 free relay, which he anchored to the 2019 world title in 1:44.85. 17. Andrei Minakov, Russia Andrei Minakov is just the second teenager on this list after Shoma Sato, and the future Stanford swimmer has a bright future ahead after he captured silver at his first senior World Championships in the 100 fly in 2019. He ranks 14th in history in that event in 50.83, and already in 2021, he ranks second in the world in the 100 free in 47.77 and fourth in the 100 fly in 51.17. The 19-year-old figures to play a significant role in the individual 100 fly in Tokyo along with Russia’s gold medal-contending 400 free relay, and he likely has a long and productive career ahead of him. 18. Chase Kalisz, USA At this point, it is impossible to know which version of Chase Kalisz will show up to the U.S. Olympic Trials next month. Kalisz won Olympic silver in the 400 IM in Rio and then went to the World Championships one year later and captured gold medals in both IM events. He is the third-fastest performer in history in the 400 IM in 4:05.90 and sixth all-time in the 200 IM in 1:55.40. But Kalisz fell to third in the 200 IM at the 2019 World Championships and missed the 400 IM final altogether. He has shown very little since then, with his best times this year sitting at 2:00.79 in the 200 IM and 4:16.53 in the 400 IM. Kalisz at his best is one of the world’s best IMers, but it’s unclear if he will be there or anywhere close in June and July. 19. Kliment Kolesnikov, Russia For years considered a rising star in the backstroke events, 20-year-old Kliment Kolesnikov is now the world’s fastest 100 freestyler. He swam a 47.31 at Russia’s Olympic Trials to improve to 10th all-time in the event and stake his claim as a medal contender in the event for the Olympics along with a key piece of Russia’s impressive 400 free relay. But
20. Ilya Shymanovich, Belarus While Adam Peaty is the dominant 100 breaststroker of the era in long course, he had a rival this past short course season in Belarusian Ilya Shymanovich. At the ISL final in November, Peaty lowered the short course meters 100 breast world record to 55.41, but Shymanovich tied Peaty’s previous record in finishing second in 55.49. A few weeks later, Shymanovich broke the world record with a 55.34. In long course this year, Shymanovich has been as quick as 58.77, leaving him in a tight bunch behind Peaty and Arno Kamminga in the event, but he’s been as fast as 58.29, which ranks third all-time. 21. Mitch Larkin, Australia Now 27, Mitch Larkin has never recaptured the form that helped him win world titles in both the 100 and 200 back in 2015, but he’s still one of the best backstrokers in the world and also one of the best in the 200 IM. He captured bronze in the 100 back and gold in the mixed 400 medley relay at the 2019 World Championships, and at the Australian Swimming Championships last month, Larkin swam his quickest mark in years in the 200 back with a 1:54.38 along with a 1:56.74 in the 200 IM. Larkin will choose between those two events, which overlap in the Olympic swimming schedule, and he will be a medal factor in whichever he chooses along with the 100 back and as the medley relay leadoff swimmer. 22. Chad le Clos, South Africa It has been nine years since Chad le Clos scored his stunning, career-defining upset of Michael Phelps in the men’s 200 fly at the London Olympics, and le Clos is now 29 years old, but he remains one of the world’s top butterflyers and a certain medal contender for the Tokyo Olympics. In 2019, le Clos won bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 fly at the World Championships, and in the fall of 2020, he had a strong ISL season when he took second to Caeleb Dressel in the 100 fly in the ISL final and won the 200 fly in 1:48.57, just a few tenths off Daiya Seto’s world record. In long course, le Clos ranks fifth all-time in the 200 fly (1:52.96) and eighth all-time in the 100 fly (50.56). 23. Matthew Wilson, Australia Another standout breaststroker making the list, Matthew Wilson won his first international medals in 2018 when he took bronze in the 200 breast at both the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships, and then his career really took off in 2019 when he tied the 200 breast world record in the semifinals with his 2:06.67. He swam one
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
Kolesnikov is still really good in backstroke, too. He took second behind Evgeny Rylov in the 100 back at Russia’s Trials in 52.24, moving into a tie for ninth all-time, and for good measure, he swam a 24.08 to miss his own 50 back world record by just eight hundredths.
>> GABRIELE DETTI
hundredth slower in the final and settled for the silver. Wilson should be among the many in medal contention in that event in Tokyo, but he will face some tough competition at Australia’s Olympic Trials from Zac Stubblety-Cook, who beat Wilson at Australia’s national championships last month, 2:08.28 to 2:09.44. 24. Gabriele Detti, Italy Gabriele Detti can get overshadowed by his Italian compatriot and fellow distance standout Gregorio Paltrinieri, but Detti has built a very solid résumé of his own. After winning bronze medals in Rio in the 400 and 1500 free, he won the world title in the 800 free in 2017 while adding bronzes in the 400 free at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Detti has eschewed his old focus on the 1500 free in recent years, but he has the top 400 free time in the world since the start of 2020 with his 3:43.73 from August 2020, and he is second in the 800 free behind Paltrinieri at 7:46.04. Detti is a solid bet for medals in both the 400 and 800 free this summer and could be in the gold-medal hunt in the 400 should circumstances go his way. 25. James Wilby, Great Britain While Adam Peaty has stamped his utter dominance on the 100 breast since 2015, James Wilby has given Great Britain a very solid No. 2 punch in the event in recent years. Wilby took the silver medal in the 100 breast behind Peaty at the 2019 World Championships in 58.46, and he ranks fifthfastest all-time. Wilby has already swum a 58.76 this year as well as a 2:08.06 in the 200 breast, although he will need to drop that time further to qualify for the Olympic final. Aside from his own individual medal potential, Wilby provides a nice piece for Great Britain’s men’s and mixed medley relays as a prelims swimmer, allowing Peaty to rest for the final. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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COLLEGE NEWS
Matt Macedo Continues Tour of California as New UC Davis Head Coach BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
U
C Davis has hired Matt Macedo as its new women’s swimming and diving coach, continuing Macedo’s travels through the state’s swimming realm. Macedo spent seven seasons at UC Santa Barbara after six at UC San Diego. He graduated from the University of California in 2003. Macedo replaces Barbara Jahn, who announced her retirement in December for the end of her 46th season at UC Davis. “I am both honored and humbled to follow coach Barbara Jahn to lead the Aggies’ swimming and diving program,” Macedo said in a university statement. “UC Davis has a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence, it was clear to me throughout this process that the department is committed to its staff and student-athletes. Having competed against UC Davis in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation the past seven years, I am focused on continuing the program’s quest for conference championships and success in the NCAA postseason.” Macedo is familiar with the league, having spent five seasons as the head coach at UC Santa Barbara after two years as an associate head coach. He was named the MPSF coach of the year in 2016-17 and 2017-18, leading a group of Gauchos that included 11 qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Trials. Macedo was hired by UC San Diego in 2008 as an assistant.
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He was elevated to head coach in 2011, leading the Division II power to 16 national titles in three seasons. Macedo’s club experiences includes working for The Race Club in Florida as an assistant to Mike Bottom in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics. He was the head coach for Trinidad and Tobago, led by Race Club swimmer George Bovell, at the 2008 Games. He was the head coach of North Coast Aquatics from 2004-07. “We are excited to welcome a coach with Matt’s experience and philosophy to the UC Davis family,” UC Davis director of athletics Rocko DeLuca said. “His record of success at UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego speaks for itself, and we have no doubt he will continue the tradition of excellence with our swimming and diving program. I would like to thank Anissa Nachman, the recruitment advisory committee and our senior staff for guiding a competitive search. I know our alumni and fans will enjoy getting to know Matt and his family as we welcome them to the Davis and Aggie community.” Macedo is a native of San Jose, Calif., and attended Leland High School. He was a 20-time All-American at Cal, qualifying for the NCAA Championships all four years and winning NCAA titles in the 400 free relay in 2001 and 2002. A U.S. National teamer, he finaled in the 100 free at the 2000 Olympic Trials. ◄
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
>> PATRICK CALLAN
Big Fish in Small Ponds: How Top Athletes Can Still Flourish in States Not Known for Major Swimming Success BY ANDY ROSS
The United States has been dominant in the sport of swimming for decades. With great coaches at the club and college level spread through all 50 states and with more than 300,000 athletes, it is no wonder the United States churns out so many high-caliber swimmers each and every year. The college system helps with that as well. With the attainable goal of swimming beyond high school as a valued member of a team pursuing a common goal, it can draw people into the joys of team swimming. Oftentimes, the drive and determination to reach the collegiate level helps those late blooming swimmers make their way onto a college team, reaching their full potential in a supporting environment. In states like California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, there are ample opportunities for high school swimmers to attain in-state tuition at Division I, II & III schools, and oftentimes the best high school prospects each year come out of those states. In looking at USA Swimming’s gold medal clubs in 2020, Nation’s Capital in Maryland and Virginia is the No. 1 ranked club, followed by Swim MAC in North Carolina, Dynamo in Georgia, NOVA in Virginia and the Mason Manta Rays in Ohio. The success of these clubs is due, in part, to location. Previous success brings in swimmers from outside to train at a prestigious club. And swimming has long been a hotbed in those aforementioned areas of D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta and Cincinnati. While swimmers in those states and cities may have advantages over others, that doesn’t mean success can only come from those states.
Success in States With No Division I Program USC freshman Kaitlyn Dobler recalls being the first swimmer from Oregon to set a national record in 30 years in swimming in 2020, a feat that saw her receive a standing ovation at the Oregon High School State Championships. “That was really an amazing moment,” Dobler said. “I knew pretty much everyone that was at that pool. It was really nice to see everyone appreciating that accomplishment. The announcer had been announcing since before I was born so it was a really great moment. It was such a tight knit community and I was proud to represent Oregon on the national level too.” Michigan junior Patrick Callan remembers being the first swimmer from Oklahoma to make the National Junior Team in 2017. “All my teammates were like, ‘holy crap!’ That is almost unheard of in Oklahoma to make it to any sort of national team. Obviously (David) Plummer did it which was a huge deal in the whole state when he made that (Olympic) team because he may have been the first. It was definitely not sort of an expectation to get to any sort of high level just because for most people, high school swimming is the top level of swimming in the entire state. So whenever someone does go super high D-I or makes the national team, it is a huge deal for the entire state and everybody rallies around that person and tries to help that person be as good as they can be.” Texas commit Lydia Jacoby was the first swimmer from
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school,” Jacoby said. “There were several factors, definitely a lot of sports. Basketball is really popular.” “Mainly high school swimming is it for most people,” Callan said. “A lot of people I know would do cross country in the fall and then swimming in the winter or spring so most people didn’t just do swimming. Obviously, every once in a while there is somebody that goes off to college in Oklahoma but it is very rare, so for most people senior year high school state is the last meet and they move on. High school swimming is very low key.” >> DAVID PLUMMER
Alaska to win a junior national title, when she won the 100 breaststroke in 2019. “Alaska swimming is such a tight-knit community so I have not only my club team and my coach but also all the state pretty much,” Jacoby said. “All the coaches and swimmers are really supportive. It’s really cool. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I swam Nationals and Juniors back to back and I had a 1:10 seed and went to a 1:09 at Nationals and then a 1:08mid in finals, and at Juniors I dropped down to a 1:08 low. It was a big drop. I had been training hard so I was hoping and I thought I could do better but that was really unexpected and it was really cool how much support I got from Alaska swimming.” How Swimming Is Perceived and Appreciated For these three specifically, reaching the national team was never a “must have” goal. For each of them, they were the first time their club team was exposed to the national level. With Alaska, Oklahoma and Oregon each having zero Division I in-state options for college swimming, elite swimming is not an expectation for those in high school, unlike it is in some states and at some gold, silver and bronze medal clubs. “For me, a bunch of my friends did (swimming) when I was little and petered out in middle
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“I feel like most people that make it to senior year swimming will likely go to an out of state school to swim,” Dobler said. “There’s some people that once high school swimming is done, they usually stop swimming if they aren’t going to swim in college. I feel like in my class there was one person that ended up running track instead of swimming. The fact there aren’t any schools within Oregon that have teams, it doesn’t really affect us. California and Washington aren’t that far away so it’s not that big of a leap to go out of state.” Each of them come from small club teams. Jacoby’s Seward Tsunami Swim Club has around 50 members. When Callan graduated from Trident Aquatic Club, he left a club of about 30 swimmers. Dobler’s team of The Dolphins had around 100 people at her location and close to 300 total. And in their states swimming is not the priority. Basketball is a big sport in Alaska. Football takes precedence in Oklahoma, and track and field is huge in Oregon. For swimmers in “powerhouse” states such as Indiana, California, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, high school swimming is viewed in a much more competitive nature, something that Callan, Dobler and Jacoby noticed when traveling out of state either for recruiting trips or national team trips. “I kind of wish I was in one of those states where high school state is a huge deal,” Callan said. “I was watching (my friends) race in their meets and it looked so much fun. I noticed it my senior year when I had already committed and knew all these guys and they were talking about their high school meets and shaving and tapering for the state meet. In Oklahoma, when you’re at the national level, high school state is the meet you usually use to prepare for sectionals a few weeks later.” “I feel like, especially talking to people from California, it is definitely less of a big deal,” Dobler said. “The swimming community is small in Oregon and I actually liked that atmosphere. I know
pretty much everyone my age who swims in Oregon. It was nice because we stayed in the Pacific northwest – sectionals was at Mt. Hood (Oregon) and for short course it would be in Federal Way (Washington). It was more relaxed in Washington and Oregon but it was also a lot of fun. California meets were usually a lot more competitive, which I enjoyed as well but it was a nice atmosphere (in Oregon). “For my senior year, I was the only club swimmer on my high school team,” Dobler said. “Some of the private schools had more club swimmers, but it wasn’t something we took that seriously. My club team would sort of taper for it but we didn’t practice with the high school team at all, so it was more like another club meet, whereas on the east coast I know it gets really competitive with schools. The team scores at the end of high school state, it is nice for the team that wins but it isn’t like do or die for the other teams.”
Callan made the 2017 World Juniors team and has the third fastest time in the nation this year in the 200 free. Dobler is the national high school record holder in the 100 breaststroke and was NCAA runnerup in that event for the University of Southern California this year. Jacoby was the 2019 junior national champion in the 100 breast and has the second fastest time of any American this year in that event, even with only one 50m pool in the state. “They change it to long course once a year but with COVID they haven’t. It is in Anchorage, which is about two hours from my house in Seward. Our pool in Seward didn’t open
For Lydia Jacoby specifically, swimming in Alaska is a very intimate affair. With not many opportunities post high school, nor a history of consistent national representation, swimming can be viewed more in a non-competitive light, and it often is a dropped activity when pursuing out of the pool endeavors for college. “We have a lot of sectional level athletes and some futures, junior nats people (in Alaska) – those are the top. Some people that go DI are at smaller schools and a lot go to DII schools. A lot keep swimming through DIII or with club teams. It depends on the person. I wouldn’t say most people do it but it is cool to see how many people stick with it. “(My club team has) one person who I believe is qualified for sectionals in one event. There’s not really a group for me to train with. The majority of my club is little kids.” Even without the advantage of a Division I in-state program or many 50-meter pools in the state, Callan, Dobler and Jacoby have all seen success in the sport of swimming. CONTINUED >> BIWEEKLY
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leaving the Pacific northwest, including Alaska, without another successful mid-major program in the area. “Alaska swimming, just because we are so small and don’t have as many people, we don’t generate many D-I swimmers so I don’t think (Boise State cutting swimming) affected the swimming state as a whole but it is really sad when you see programs like that get cut because you know how much it affects the athletes,” Jacoby said.
>> KAITLYN DOBLER
up until late August so my family moved to Anchorage. We had a house up here, and I trained here for the most of the summer. “I never really practiced long course which I think is an advantage and disadvantage. It’s always been that way so I don’t think about it much, which I think helps me. I haven’t had the opportunity to do it normally so when I don’t have it, I’m not like ‘oh no!'” For each of them, representing their state at the national level is a sense of pride they carry everywhere they go. And seeing other swimmers from their states achieve great things in the sport is another source of inspiration. “I remember watching (national high school record holder Aiden Hayes) at a meet and he dropped something absurd at 13-years-old and I was looking over at Titus (Knight), my coach, and was like, ‘who is this kid?'” Callan said. “I knew then he was going to be something special and here he is going to NC State and I’m really excited for him. It’s definitely really cool to see more and more people out of Oklahoma. It seems like every year, there’s a couple people that are really good and it’s awesome. To see more people get in to D1 swimming is incredible.” “Jacob Pebley was a huge inspiration for my generation in Oregon swimming, and I hope to make even just a fraction of the impact he had on the next generation of Oregon swimmers.” Dobler said. “He is Oregon’s bragging right. I remember watching him swim. It was nice to have a role model saying ‘you can get there!'” The Toll Swimming Has Taken But of course, even with past successes in these states, swimming has still taken a big hit. In 2019, Oregon State cut its women’s team, leaving the state without an in-state Division I program. The University of Washington, originally Jacoby’s dream school, discontinued swimming in 2009. Earlier this season, Boise State also cut its women’s team, 32
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“For the swimmers that were already going to Oregon State, it was really hard for them,” Dobler said. “A couple of them had been on my team before and that was hard for them to figure out how to transfer. I know people on other teams that were there so it was difficult.” Division II Oklahoma Baptist also cut its swim team in 2020, while the state of Oklahoma also closed down a 50m pool in Oklahoma City in 2015 due to the city being unwilling to fund a $6 million renovation project. “It was definitely really sad to see that,” Callan said. “They were the only program in the entire state at any level if I remember right. It was disappointing to see them being cut because now there won’t be any college program in the entire state. “I see it as a cycle,” Callan said. “People don’t see swimming as a very big thing so they get rid of these facilities or don’t fund it whatsoever and then it’s ‘how is it supposed to be a big thing if you don’t have the facilities or the funding?’ It’s at a point where a lot is going to have to be invested into it to build swimming into a bigger deal like Indiana or Texas. There has to be that base for that to work out and Oklahoma doesn’t have that. I know they are working on trying to get a 50m pool in Norman which would be incredible because that would be one step closer to getting a college program there.” With success coming from states with no Division I programs, perhaps it can strike a change in how swimming is viewed in states like Alaska, Oklahoma and Oregon. “Making a national team was originally unheard of and now me and Aiden doing that, a lot of people are thinking they can do that too,” Callan said. “That’s incredible seeing that from a small swimming state. You want to see more and more people do that. I know in my club team, people are getting a lot better really quickly. A lot of the younger kids are getting really good and that’s good to see because it’s really rare, especially when I was there. There wasn’t a whole lot of people that were really good when I was in high school and it seems there are more and more people getting up to that level. I think some of the expectations and goals for people have shifted.” ◄
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