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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY | NOVEMBER 2019 | ISSUE # 22

009 HALI FLICKINGER ON MOVE TO ARIZONA STATE: “I JUST NEEDED A CHANGE” After training with the Athens Bulldog Swim Club since graduating from Georgia in 2016, Hali Flickinger joined the post-grad program at Arizona State with Coach Bob Bowman and will be training alongside another former Bulldog in Allison Schmitt.

by Dan D’Addona 010 THE SYDNEY SIX: THEY WERE YOUNG; THEY WERE TALENTED; THEY DEFINED AN ERA At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, six American male teenagers broke through during their first Olympic foray and remained major players in the sport in the years ahead.

by John Lohn 014 SUN YANG URINE WATCHER CHANGES HIS STORY: “I WAS NEVER TRAINED,” DESPITE SIGNING TO SAY HE WAS The Chinese Doping Control Assistant tasked with witnessing Sun Yang produce a urine sample on what turned into an acrimonious four-hour dispute through the night with a team of international out-ofcompetition testers last year, is reported by state media in China as having changed his story.

by Craig Lord 017 WADA BOSSES TO DECIDE FATE OF RUSSIAN SPORT AT DEC. 9 COMPLIANCEMEETING Russian athletes are due to be heard as to whether they’ll be able to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The World Anti-Doping Agency Executive Committee will meet Dec. 9 to decide their fate, including a possible whole-nation ban, after considering formal recommendations from the organization’s independent Compliance Review Committee.

by Craig Lord 018 DANIEL WORTH CRUSHES JEFF COMMINGS’ 28-YEAR-OLD STATE RECORD AT MISSOURI BOYS CLASS 2 MEET Daniel Worth, a junior at Lee’s Summit North High School, was a part of three Missouri Boys Class 2 state records, Nov. 16, including a 53.53 100 yard breast that shattered Jeff Comming’s state record of 54.78 set back in 1991.

by Chandler Brandes

022 MINNA ATHERTON TIPPED FOR $30,000 WORLD-RECORD BONUS FROM LEAGUE AFTER 54.89 BACKSTROKE MARK Pending approval from the International Swimming League, Australia’s Minna Atherton, swimming for ISL’s London Roar, may earn a performance bonus of $30,000 for the world record she set in the SCM 100 backstroke (54.89) in Budapest last month. It would be the second largest single amount awarded as a worldrecord bonus in the pool.

by Craig Lord 024 JURY FINDS USA SWIMMING NOT NEGLIGENT IN CALIFORNIA SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE 026 2019 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 032 AUSTRALIAN ABC PULLS PLUG ON OLYMPIC LIVE RADIO BROADCASTS FOR TOKYO 2020 If a decision by Australian ABC to prohibit Olympic radio broadcasts for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is upheld, there will be live-radio silence Down Under from an Olympic Games for the first time since 1952.

by Craig Lord 034 “LET’S TALK,” SAYS AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC BOSS MATT CARROLL IN RESPONSE TO ABC “RADIO SILENCE”

by Ian Hanson 036 ADAM PEATY: SUN YANG’S ATHLETES’CHAMPION CLAIM IS “AN ABSOLUTE JOKE”

by Craig Lord 039 RYAN LOCHTE TELLS ALEX RODRIGUEZ’S BACK IN THE GAME SHOW HOW RIO 2016 “MISTAKE CHANGED MY ENTIRE LIFE”

by Andy Ross 040 HOW THEY TRAIN: NOAH CORBITT

by Michael J. Stott 042 PARTING SHOT

019 KEATON JONES BREAKS NATIONAL AGE GROUP RECORD IN 13-14 200 METER BACKSTROKE Keaton Jones, 14, of Swim Neptune in Arizona recently broke the 13-14 NAG record in the 200 meter backstroke (LC) with a 2:00.28, bettering Josh Zuchowski’s previous mark of 2:00.97 set earlier this year.

by Andy Ross 020 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE ALREADY HINTING AT EXPANSION AFTER TOKYO OLYMPICS ISL founder Konstantin Grigorishin told the Washington Post that he is committed to expanding the League following next summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, despite the financial struggles within its first year.

by Andy Ross

PUBLISHING, CIRCULATION AND ACCOUNTING www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Publisher, CEO - Brent T. Rutemiller BrentR@SwimmingWorld.com Editor-in-Chief - Craig Lord Lord@SwimmingWorld.com Associate Editor-in-Chief - John Lohn Lohn@SwimmingWorld.com Operations Manager - Laurie Marchwinski LaurieM@ishof.org Marketing Director - Brandi West BrandiW@SwimmingWorld.com Production Editor - Taylor Brien TaylorB@SwimmingWorld.com Circulation/Membership - Ivonne Schmid ISchmid@ishof.org Accounting - Marcia Meiners Marcia@ishof.org

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EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION Editorial@SwimmingWorld.com Senior Editor - Bob Ingram BobI@SwimmingWorld.com Managing Editor - Dan D’Addona DanD@SwimmingWorld.com Design Director - Joseph Johnson Historian - Bruce Wigo Staff Writers - Michael J. Stott, David Rieder, Shoshanna Rutemiller, Andy Ross, Michael Randazzo, Taylor Brien Fitness Trainer - J.R. Rosania Chief Photographer - Peter H. Bick SwimmingWorldMagazine.com WebMaster: WebMaster@SwimmingWorld.com

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INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN) Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Camilo Cametti (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR) Japan: Hideki Mochizuki Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR) South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA) South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG)

PHOTOGRAPHERS/SWTV Andy Ross (SWTV Producer) Peter H. Bick, USA Today Sports Images, Reuters, Getty Images

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On the Cover (Left to right, top to bottom): Erik Vendt & Michael Phelps by Peter H. Bick, Ian Crocker & Aaron Peirsol courtesy of ISHOF, Michael Phelps courtesy of Swimming World Archive, Kleete Keller courtesy of Swimming World Archive, Anthony Ervin by Delly Carr & Erik Vendt by Peter H. Bick.

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Hali Flickinger on Move to Arizona State: “I Just Needed a Change”

by Dan D'Addona

F

or the first time in her professional career, Hali Flickinger is swimming for a new club.

Rio and had the top time in the world this year, it just wasn’t in the finals at the World Championships.

After training with the Athens Bulldog Swim Club since graduating from Georgia in 2016, Flickinger has moved west, joining the post-grad program at Arizona State with coach Bob Bowman and will be training alongside another former Bulldog in Allison Schmitt.

She talked after worlds about working on her mental game as hard as she has worked on the physical part of swimming.

Flickinger confirmed the move with Swimming World.

“I am training at ASU under Bob Bowman,” Flickinger said.

“I am very excited and happy for this new chapter. I am already in love with my new home.”

Flickinger had trained with Jack Bauerle at Georgia, then with the Georgia post-grad group for nearly eight years, qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio and finishing second in the 200 fly at the 2019 world championships.

But after training that long in Georgia, Flickinger was ready for a new life challenge.

“I just needed a change,” she said. Now she will be training under Bowman, who knows a thing or two about training 200 butterflyers, having coached the great Michael Phelps all his career.

Flickinger has been the top 200 butterflyer in the U.S. since

“I think I was meant to be taught a lesson. I look it as a blessing in disguise. I was obviously really disappointed in how everything ended up. But I learned more than anything I ever could have in that one race,” Hali Flickinger told Swimming World after worlds.

Flickinger, the heavy favorite in the 200-meter butterfly at worlds, won the silver medal, finishing in second behind her semifinal time with a 2:06.95 and behind Hungary’s gold medal winner Boglarka Kapas (2:06.78).

She exited the pool stunned.

“It stunk to get out of that pool, knowing what I had in me,” Flickinger said. “I learned what I needed to stop doing what I do in my head. I was the most physically prepared athlete in that race.”

Now, Flickinger is taking that preparation to Arizona State as she builds toward the 2020 Olympic trials.◀ BIWEEKLY

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The Sydney Six: They Were Young; They Were Talented; They Defined an Era

by John Lohn

I

n another hemisphere, as winter gave way to spring, a unique era dawned. Nearly two decades ago, there was belief a group of fresh-faced boys could emerge as mainstays for United States Swimming. As they raced over eight days at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, experts could not help but ask: “Is something special happening here?”

History has proven, time and again, that not all rising talents realize their touted potential. So, strictly from a mathematical perspective, the odds were against these six teenage guys doing what they did.

It’s not that teenagers are unusual on the global scene.

Rather, for several to emerge on a simultaneous path—and then continue to grow their careers—is what sets the Sydney Six aside as a distinct group. More, their individual stories included unique arcs.

There was Michael Phelps and the beginning of his climb to the top of Mount Olympus. There was the precocious sprinter in Anthony Ervin, who later in his career would write an epic comeback tale. While Maine-raised Ian Crocker emerged from an unusual locale, Aaron Peirsol was next in a long line of Southern California talents to make his name known. For Klete Keller, an under-the-radar approach became the norm.

Then there was Erik Vendt, whose training tenacity and grinder personality served him well.

Next summer, when the Olympic Games return to Tokyo for the first time since 1964, there is a solid chance a teenage male will use the stage to launch himself on a path toward

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stardom. Could there be six individuals who fit that mold?

Unlikely. Sure, there have been significant changes over the years, notably more limited turnover due to athletes staying in the sport for multiple Olympiads. For the Sydney Six, though, their efforts were not the result of a quirk in the way the sport operated. These athletes had transcendent skill sets that catapulted them to sustained greatness and will forever keep them linked.

A New Era Unveiled For the 2000 Games to be the molding ground for enduring careers, the Sydney Six first had to navigate the land mines that dotted the lanes of the Indiana University Natatorium, then the focal-point venue of swimming in the United States.

It’s long been established that the United States Olympics Trials is the most cutthroat meet in the world, a do-or-die competition in which medal contenders are denied the opportunity to race in the Olympic Games. Both young athletes and veterans feel the pressure.

But when the racing in Indy ended, there were eight teenage men on the American roster, the Sydney Six and breaststrokers Patrick Calhoun and Kyle Salyards, whose careers in international waters did not endure. Not only were they talented enough to navigate the deep waters of the American scene, they demonstrated mental toughness that matched their prodigious talent.

From Indy, it was on to the Games.

There were varying degrees of success in Sydney, with Ervin

[ PHOTO COURTESY: PETER H. BICK ]

>> ERIK VENDT (LEFT) & MICHAEL PHELPS

reigning as an Olympic champion and Peirsol, Vendt and Keller earning individual medals. For Crocker and Phelps, who later developed a stellar rivalry, they finished just shy of the podium. But this trip was also about more than hardware.

It was about the future.

Sydney Six Tom Dolan was one of the veterans on the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team.

Surrounded by veterans of previous Olympiads, including the likes of Tom Dolan, Tom Malchow and Gary Hall Jr., the Sydney Six were thrust into an >> TOM DOLAN instant growth experience. Their lives would not be the same again, and there was a sense that—once Sydney wrapped up—they’d be seeing much more of each other, both as rivals and American teammates.

“Looking back on Sydney, there was indeed a feeling that the new generation of American men’s swimmers was breaking through,” said Bob Bowman, the man who guided Phelps’ illustrious career. “Each was talented, focused, and above all else, excited for the opportunity to compete at the highest level for the first time. It was fun to watch these guys train during the camps and finally to see them perform at the meet.

You could sense that this was just the beginning and that USA Swimming was starting to get on a roll.”

Raise the Curtain Given the way the spotlight followed him for the next 16 years as the sport’s main attraction, perhaps it was fitting that Michael Phelps became a primary storyline at his first Olympic Trials. There are very few 15-year-old males who even qualify for Trials, and a miniscule percentage who even alert the radar. Phelps, though, was anything but a typical case.

Known to those who followed the sport closely, Phelps wowed the crowd in Indy, impressively advancing through the first two rounds of the 200 butterfly to put himself within reach of an Olympic berth before he could even attain a driver’s license. And when he came charging down the final length of the pool in the final of that 200 fly, passing Jeff Somensatto for the second Sydney invitation behind Tom Malchow, a new chapter in the sport was written.

with Ian Thorpe the darling of the home crowd. It was Thorpe who was already a world champion come Sydney, and Phelps wasn’t yet in position to carry the torch as swimming’s Main Man. That identity would come a little later after Phelps had the chance to savor his first Olympic nod.

“That was a dream,” Phelps said. “A medal would have been nice, but I wanted to race at the Olympics, and I did. It was pretty amazing.”

And just the start.

By the spring of the next year, Phelps was the best in history in the 200 fly, a world record meeting the expectations of Bowman and serving as proof that this kid had something incomparable—talent maybe never seen before. A world title in the 200 fly followed in the summer of 2001, with additional events added to his international agenda the following year and for the duration of his career. michael-phelps-bob-bowman-press-conference-before-rioolympics For the next decade-and-a-half, Phelps was the face of swimming, twice winning eight medals in a single Olympiad, including his epic eight-gold showing in Beijing to surpass the excellence of Mark Spitz in 1972. He totaled 28 Olympic medals in his career, including 23 gold. He captured 33 medals at the World Championships. His 39 world records are the most in history, as recognized by FINA. To be present in Indianapolis and Sydney in 2000 was to witness a unique time for USA Swimming. To watch Phelps was to see the beginning strokes of a priceless portrait, a oneof-a-kind creation that will never be matched.

“Michael and I left Sydney hungry for more success,” Bowman said. “While a fifth-place showing at 15 was respectable, we both knew he was capable of much more.

I remember giving him his training set the day after his 200 final, and on the corner of the page, I wrote: ‘WR Austin.’

I didn’t have to explain it. He already knew it meant world record. His next chance to do it would be in Austin the next April at the World Championship Trials. It was a way of refocusing and resetting our goals. Of course, he came through that April with his first world record in the 200 fly.

Sydney inspired us to keep working and to really ask what was possible in the sport of swimming.”

In less than two minutes, Phelps became the youngest American male swimmer to qualify for the Olympic Games in 68 years, and his trip Down Under wasn’t going to be a mere sightseeing tour. As was the case in Indianapolis, Phelps improved in every round in Sydney, a fifth-place finish in the 200 fly capping an extraordinary summer. More, the world prepared itself for a redefinition of what was achievable.

Birth of a Sprint Star If there was a favorite for a medal from the Sydney Six, Anthony Ervin occupied that identity. Coming off a superb freshman year at California-Berkeley, Ervin carried considerable momentum into the summer season. Not only did Ervin win NCAA titles in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles, his effort in the shorter distance produced a short course world record.

In Sydney, Phelps wasn’t the most-talked-about teen, not

Ervin was one of the top recruits in the nation in 1999, and CONTINUED >>

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his emergence as an international threat was a matter of time.

When Ervin joined the Golden Bears, the training and coaching he received under the watch of Mike Bottom, then an assistant for Cal, fast-tracked Ervin’s ascension to Olympic contender.

As Ervin prepared for the Olympic Trials and Sydney, >> ANTHONY IRVIN (LEFT) & GARY HALL JR the youngster could not have asked for a better environment. Once his freshman year concluded, Ervin shifted his training—along with Bottom—to the Phoenix Swim Club. There, he engaged in daily battles with sprint stars Gary Hall Jr., the top gun in the American arsenal, and Poland’s Bart Kizierowski, a future European champion in the 50 free. Each day, the trio pushed one another to greater heights.

At the U.S. Trials, as his teenage brethren fought for their tickets to Sydney, Ervin had little trouble qualifying for his first Olympiad. Although Hall took the top spot in a national record of 21.76, Ervin was right behind in 21.80, and comfortably ahead of third-place finisher Neil Walker (22.12). The opportunity to race for Olympic glory had been secured.

“Anthony’s talent was apparent from Day 1,” Hall said. “I knew he was a real threat for the gold, and (I) predicted great accomplishments very early on, when he was unproven. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to beat him, increasingly cognizant of it as the season progressed. At the time, he did not comprehend or appreciate his talent—or the significance of the Olympic Games—which made him even more dangerous as a competitor.”

In Sydney, Hall and Ervin headed to the starting blocks as veteran vs. upstart, and when nearly 22 seconds of racing was over, there was no separating the American stars. At the touch, the clock revealed that Hall and Ervin tied for gold in identical times of 21.98. As quickly as Ervin earned the distinction of Olympic champion, he also was viewed as someone who could go down as the greatest sprinter in history.

Ultimately, that wasn’t part of Ervin’s plan.

Although he won world titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles in 2001 and was a World Champs qualifier in 2003, Ervin was out of the sport by 2004, opting to explore other areas of life. It wasn’t until eight years later that he returned to the 12

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pool, marking his comeback with a fifth-place finish in the 50 free at the 2012 Olympics in London. Four years later, at the improbable age of 35, Ervin won gold in the 50 free at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As difficult as it is to comprehend a 16-year gap between Olympic titles, that stretch is also a tribute to Ervin’s talents, first noticed in his teen years.

“It’s surreal, kind of absurd,” Ervin said of his second Olympic gold in the 50 free. “It’s been an incredible journey to think that after 16 years, I’m back on the podium at the Olympic Games.”

A Core Four An analysis of the Sydney Six can be interpreted this way.

Phelps roared his way to GOAT (Greatest of All Time) status while Ervin became an enduring sprint star with a twist.

The other members of this unique group, meanwhile, can be called a Core Four, each appearing in three Olympiads and combining to be a backbone of sorts for Team USA. For years, Aaron Peirsol, Ian Crocker, Erik Vendt and Klete Keller were called upon to represent the Red, White and Blue against the best in the world. Time and again, they flourished, a combined 20 Olympic medals earned. Had that number been thrown out just prior to action in Sydney, it likely would have been scoffed at. After all, 20 Olympic medals between four guys is no small feat.

Still, there was a belief that lengthy careers were going to be enjoyed.

“I know we were young, obviously uniquely so,” Peirsol said. “I do remember a collective confidence, a feeling that we felt we were going to be around for a while. We were just getting started. We all had larger goals, I think, and knew we had lots of time.”

For Peirsol, Vendt and Keller, their introduction to the Olympics featured podium placements in individual competition.

Peirsol earned a silver medal in the 200 backstroke behind countryman and mentor Lenny Krayzelburg, with Vendt grabbing silver to fellow American Tom Dolan in the 400 individual medley. As for Keller, he claimed bronze in the 400 freestyle, an event won by Thorpe to raucous applause.

Klete Keller The success of this triumvirate was just starting, as Peirsol went on to win seven career Olympic medals, including a sweep of the backstroke events in 2004 in Athens, and a repeat in the 100 back at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Vendt backed up his Sydney finish with another silver in the 400 medley in Athens, this time behind Phelps, and Keller was again the bronze medalist in the 400 free in 2004, and etched himself as a longtime staple of the American 800 freestyle relay. For Keller, he will long be remembered for holding off Thorpe on the anchor leg as the United States beat Australia for gold in the 800 free relay in Athens.

[ PHOTO COURTESY: ISHOF ]

who come together and change the landscape of United States swimming? It’s not out of the realm of possibility, but the likelihood is slim. For one, the sport has changed, and with veterans remaining in the water for longer careers, there are limited opportunities for several teenagers to break through.

More than anything, though, there is the simple fact that a talent tidal wave like the one that swept the sport in 2000 is an anomaly. The men who made up the Sydney Six are all Hall of Famers, either already enshrined or an inductee down the road. They all possessed spectacular talent, longevity and an ability to shine in the most pressure-filled moments.

>> IAN CROCKER (LEFT) & AARON PEIRSOL

Then there was Crocker, who just missed the podium in Sydney with a fourth-place finish in the 100 fly, but handled that leg on the victorious 400 medley relay, his split of 52.10 the second fastest in the final. In the years ahead, he won silver in the 100 fly in Athens and was a world champion in 2003 and 2005.

Together, the Core Four consistently delivered.

Forever Connected Will there ever be another group of youthful American men

“I think we knew we had youth on our side, and a confidence born from maybe a faith in how we were preparing for everything,” Peirsol said. “Yes, we were naive, but we were managing our own, and soaking it all up along the way. The years directly proceeding this, we kind of knew we belonged there, and so much of it is simply that—understanding you belong there as much as anyone else.

“I’m just so proud of everyone I swam with through that period. We worked really hard and were really motivated and there was, in general, a mutual respect born from that consistency. So, we traveled the world together for the better part of a decade and more. There are stories we will be sharing for decades to come—unique stories and unusual stories, and stories that color our lives. So, we did have a unique experience, and we’ll always have that in common.”.◀

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Sun Yang Urine Watcher Changes His Story: “I Was Never Trained,” Despite Signing to Say He Was

by Craig Lord

T

he Chinese Doping Control Assistant (DCA) tasked with witnessing Sun Yang produce a urine sample on what turned into an acrimonious four-hour dispute through the night with a team of international out-of-competition testers last year, is reported by state media in China as having changed his story.

Reported as having refused to testify to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing last Friday in Montreux, Switzerland, the DCA, exercising his right to anonymity, now tells Xinhua that he had offered himself as a witness but had not been called to the CAS hearing.

Further, he is reported to have said that he was never trained for the role of DCA. The question that follows is clear: which version of events from the DCA and others is a lie?

His signature is on an agency Statement of Confidentiality (SoC) confirming his appointment, the training he had received from the DCO and agreeing to standard confidentiality provisions. He would now appear to have broken those.

From the stand in Montreux, Tudor Popa, of the IDTM testing

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agency hired by FINA for its out-of-competition testing program and the body whose Statement of Confidentiality the DCA signed, swore on oath that the DCA was trained for the role.

Sun’s argument with the DCA is well documented in the swimmer’s explanation as to why he refused to provide a urine sample at the testing mission on the night of September 4-5.

The DCA had shown his national identification card. Experts from and witnesses for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) maintain that an ID card was all that is required and was required on 64,000 other IDTM testing occasions across 30 sports (19,000 of them in swimming) under the terms of the International Standards for Testing and Investigations (ISTI).

Sun’s counsel argued that WADA best-practice guidelines require more “documentation” from testing officers than the paperwork provided on September 4, 2018. However, WADA’s guidelines state clearly that they are not legally binding and that the ISTI is the rule that must be observed.

[ PHOTO COURTESY: CRAIG LORD ]

>> SUN YANG AND HIS COUNSEL, IAN MEAKIN

“The Athlete’s entourage continually asserted that the IDTM DCA should have presented to the Athlete DCO accreditation and related authorizations. This is absolutely not required – despite testimony that in China it is standard for all individuals who attend at a sample collection session to be trained as DCOs. In the ISTI, and for all tests performed by other Sample Collection Authorities while in China, it is perfectly proper for DCAs or Chaperones to perform their limited roles and tasks with no DCO accreditation. This socalled “higher standard” claimed by the Athlete’s witnesses is not required in the ISTI, and is absolutely not a justification to refuse to accept the credentials of an otherwise properly authorized DCA, who is not a DCO.” That FINA Doping Panel report also set out what happened beyond Sun assuming more “documentation” was required: The Athlete was not satisfied with the DCA’s identification card. The Athlete complained that this was not proper authorization for a DCA. The DCO explained repeatedly to the Athlete that she had appointed the DCA and that she had trained the DCA to perform the specific tasks that he was responsible for during this testing mission (to merely witness the passing and collection of urine). The DCO told the Athlete that the DCA had signed an IDTM document called a Statement of Confidentiality (SoC) confirming his appointment, the training he had received from the DCO and agreeing to standard confidentiality provisions. The BCA had signed a similar IDTM SoC. However, the SoC documents were considered internal IDTM documents and the DCO did not have them with her. Both of the signed SoC were filed with the Doping Panel.

“The Athlete did not accept that the DCA was properly authorized by IDTM and insisted that the DCA leave the doping control station. Much discussion ensued. The Athlete took pictures of the DCA’s identification card and sent the pictures to unknown persons. The Athlete’s mother threatened the DCO, claiming that she had police contacts and could determine if the DCA was, in fact, properly authorized to test her son. In the result, at the Athlete’s insistence, the DCA was excluded from the doping control station.”

Construction Worker And The Testimony That Appears to Be A Work In Progress Now, two Xinhua reports in the past 24 hours have made much of the DCA being a “construction worker”. Doping control agents working for the likes of IDTM can and do come from any walk of life the world over.

Xinhua’s report all but equates the man’s profession with the status he would need to observe urine being passed as a DCA, who “said he was not a trained professional Doping Control Assistant (DCA), but a construction worker.”

[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]

That was backed up by the FINA Doping Panel report of January 2019 when judge wrote in their caution to Sun Yang:

Xinhua adds: “The DCA, who insisted on anonymity, revealed he had provided his testimony by a written letter in Chinese to CAS and WADA several days before the public hearing.

“I am a builder and I am always busy at work, day and night. No one ever trained me about the doping test, and it is unnecessary for me to undertake such training. I agreed to give my words at a video conference before the public hearing as they requested. I was ready, but no one had ever contacted me about this.”

That statement raises several questions, including the obvious contradiction in statements older and newer and an absence of any insistence from Sun’s counsel at the hearing that the DCA should be heard. One key question is why journalists were told that the DCA had refused to attend the hearing in Montreux if the man now says he was willing to participate but never called.

The answers may well for part of the paperwork and evidence that was not presented at the hearing but will form part of the deliberations of the panel of three CAS judges, along with what WADA counsel Rich Young described as a folder “heavy on red lines” marking the places where witnesses, including Sun, Dr Ba and others, had “changed their stories in the past six months.”

Tampering One such changed story cuts to the heart of the WADA case against Sun. The chief charge revealed by Young in Montreux was of tampering, namely with a blood sample that the swimmer had approved and was already a part of the chain of custody at the moment Dr Ba Zhen, a twice-banned doctor representing the athlete, removed the sample from that CONTINUED >>

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chain of custody.

The container housing the blood sample was subsequently smashed with a hammer on the pavement outside the control room and no sample, neither blood nor urine, would ever be sent to an anti-doping laboratory for analysis.

In original testimony, Sun was said to have taken back the blood container from the DCO and the chain of custody.

Sun had said that it was the DCO herself who had given him the container. That evidence has since been removed from the record, according to Young, while in Montreux Sun stated from the stand that it had been Dr Ba who had taken the sample.

On the stand in his turn Dr. Ba – who in 2014 and 2015 received two suspensions from WADA for prescribing Sun with a prohibited substance and then working with the athlete at the Asian Games at a time when he should have been serving his first suspension – first said he could not recall who took the blood container back from the chain of custody.

When reminded of Sun’s testimony a few hours before, Dr Ba agreed that he had been the man who had taken the sample back from the chain of custody after having spoken on the phone to Dr Han Zhaoqi, the deputy director of the Zhejiang anti-doping agency who also serves as a science chief on Sun’s team and has also performed that role for the Chinese Olympic team. Dr Han is the chief doctor at the hospital where Dr Ba works.

The Big Star, The Fan & Doping Officer, His Smartphone and ID Meanwhile, the DCA, who was criticised from all sides for taking “fan” photos of Sun on his smartphone, claimed back in January that the DCO, a former school classmate, had called on him to provide temporary help on the mission of September 4, 2018. The DCA is reported by Xinhua to have said: “Sun is a big star in China and it was my first time being near him. I was excited. I took a couple of pictures outside the room with my cellphone. When I tried to take pictures of him again when we were sitting in the room, Sun told me not to do so. Then he asked every one of us to identify ourselves. I showed my ID card. Sun pointed out that I was not an accredited tester and should not stay in the test room.”

He recalled the September 4 test in these terms: “She called me to pick up her at the railway station and drove her to Sun’s home at that night. In fact, there was another lady with the DCO at the station. She was the BCA (Blood Collection Assistant). Before we entered the test room, the DCO asked me to escort Sun into the bathroom. As my understanding, she was asking me to watch Sun Yang urinating. Because both of them were ladies, I agreed.”

Those words and descriptions give the impression of a man 16

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who had never been called on to serve as a DCA before.

However, in Montreal, WADA counsel noted, with no objection raised, that the DCA had been on other test missions before and had signed the agreement confirming his status and that he had been trained.

The relentless pressure on the three Chinese anti-doping testing officers – including the DCO and the Blood Collection Assistant (BCA) – at the heart of the case is tangible. Three CAS judges are reviewing all evidence before them ahead of a verdict and report that will not be ready before January.

Among concerns over “issues of intimidation and protection”, as Young put it, the DCO was threatened with a police visit on the mission last year; “spoken down and never allowed to finish her sentence” every time she attempted to warn of the risk that she would have to register a violation of “refusal” to comply with testing, said Young; and was given a ‘friendly’ reminder by Hao Cheng, the head of the Chinese Swimming Association, that another DCO who registered a “refusal” was sacked.

Huangfen Lin, the BCA, is the only officer named and the officer coming under the greatest pressure, with Chinese sources claiming that she has been intimidated and threatened.

That aspect of the case was raised by WADA in Montreux when the cross examined Prof Pei Wang, a witness for Sun brought in to explain that Huangfen Lin now faced a jail sentence for having drawn blood in a region of China beyond the Shanghai province she is licensed to practice in.

WADA raised objection to the witness, who, said Brent Rychener, counsel for WADA, was “giving his opinion” not sticking to the facts. Though the comment was not fully explained, Rychener asked Pei whether a digital copy (on a smartphone) of an add-on supplement to a nursing licence allowing a nurse to practice beyond the province of his/her original licence would be accepted as accreditation.

Pei said “no”, only the original certificate would be accepted.

It was assumed from that exchange that Huangfen Lin’s practice certificates (more than one was referred to in Montreux) may include a supplementary accreditation that was not presented to the hearing in public but may form part of the evidence before judges in the weeks ahead of judgement.

Head Of CAS Says Sun Has ‘Nothing to Complain About’ Meanwhile, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald addressing complaints from the Sun Yang team about the arbitration process, the president of the CAS, John Coates, has defended the integrity of the hearing in Montreux, saying responsibility for translations lies with the appearing parties and the Chinese star could have asked for the case to be heard over a longer period. Sun had ‘little to complain about…’. ◀

WADA Bosses to Decide Fate of Russian Sport at Dec. 9 Compliance Meeting

by Craig Lord

R

ussian athletes are due to be heard before Christmas whether they can still include the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in their plans.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee (ExCo) will meet on Dec. 9 to decide the fate of Russia, including a possible whole-nation ban, after considering formal recommendations from the “organization’s independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC).

Decision date was set yesterday at a meeting of CRC members after they had considered a report from the Agency’s Intelligence and Investigations Department (I&I) and independent forensic experts into ongoing compliance procedure brought against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the role of the Russian Ministry of Sport in the mix.

The December 9 meeting will be significant to all Russian sports, including swimming, and the legacy of Sir Craig Reedie, whose presidency of WADA ends at the close of this year.

In a WADA statement, the global anti-doping police body, noted: “The WADA I&I report was based on its assessment of a number of inconsistencies found in some of the data that was retrieved by WADA from the Moscow Laboratory in January 2019. This assessment included consideration of responses from the Russian authorities to a list of detailed and technical questions, including follow-up questions, raised by WADA I&I and the independent forensic experts.

process is respected, as outlined in the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories.”

Meanwhile, the 47 cases that were sent by WADA in July to a number of International Federations for action were based on data that were unaffected by these inconsistencies, WADA stated in a note that confirmed two significant news lines.

When WADA noted that the 47 cases “can proceed without delay”, it also told the world to brace itself for the next round of revelations, stating that “more such cases will follow in due course”.

None of those cases involve the much larger number of test samples included in the investigation and report in cases involving “inconsistencies” believed to include athletes from aquatic sports.

Whatever the meeting of WADA bosses on December 9 decides, it appears that we can expect further revelations ahead at the start of Olympic Year 2020.

Meanwhile December 9 will mark the last set of decisions taken by Sir Craig, who gives way to the start of a new era on January 1, 2020, when Witold Banka, the former Polish 400m runner and Sports Minister, takes over the WADA presidency. ◀

“These questions gave RUSADA and the Russian Ministry of Sport an opportunity to explain the inconsistencies, as part of WADA’s decision on 17 September 2019 to open a formal compliance procedure against RUSADA. WADA continues to pursue this matter robustly and as quickly as practicable, while ensuring that due BIWEEKLY

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Daniel Worth Crushes Jeff Commings’ 28-Year-Old State Record at Missouri Boys Class 2 Meet

by Chandler Brandes

F

ollowing the Class 1 meet, the 2019 Missouri Boys Class 2 State Swimming & Diving Championships took place on Nov. 16 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo. Lee’s Summit North junior Daniel Worth highlighted the meet with his impressive performances that rewrote the record books. Not only did he set three Class 2 marks (200 IM, 100 breast, 4×50 free relay), but his 100 breast time of 53.53 shattered Jeff Commings’ Missouri state record of 54.78 set back in 1991.

St. Louis Univ. High School used impressive depth to capture the team title for the second-consecutive year, finishing with 314.5 points ahead of Rockhurts (247) and Kirkwood (234.5).

Top 5 Team Scores: 1. St. Louis Univ. High – 314.5 2. Rockhurst – 247 3. Kirkwood – 234.5 4. Lee’s Summit North – 226 5. Rock Bridge – 172 The meet began as Lee’s Summit North’s Alder Harding (26.76), Worth (24.20), Lance Godard (22.81), and Andrew Bennett (20.84) posted a convincing victory in the 4×50 medley relay, winning in 1:34.61 ahead of Kirkwood (1:36.55) and St. Louis Univ. High (1:36.86).

Worth successfully defended his state title in the 200 IM, winning in 1:49.39 as the only swimmer in the race to crack the 1:50-barrier. His time broke his own Class 2 mark of 1:50.18 he set at this meet last year. He then went on to dominate the 100 breast for the second-straight year, turning in a time of 53.53 to break Commings’ 28-year-old Missouri state record of 54.78.

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It was a 1-2 punch for Lee’s Summit North in the 50 free as Bennett sprinted his way to first place in a time of 21.01, followed closely by teammate Godard who took second in 21.25. Godard was soon back in the water to earn another gold in the 100 fly, touching the wall in 50.14 ahead of Lorson (50.67).

Joplin’s Alex Crawford sprinted to the top of the podium in the 100 free, winning by nearly a full second in a quick 45.87.

Rock Bridge’s Oakley Lorson powered home to a win in the 200 free, stopping the clock in 1:41.86 ahead of Christian Brothers’ Max Wehrmann (1:42.32).

Lee’s Summit North’s Worth (21.29), Clayton Adkins (22.23), Bennett (20.52), and Godard (20.52) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in record-setting fashion. Their final time of 1:24.56 broke both the Class 2 as well as the overall Missouri state record in the event.

In the meet’s closest race, St. Louis Univ. High’s Cooper Scharff held on for a win in the 100 back. His time of 51.10 out-touched Hickman’s Kyle Holzum (51.11) by .01. For the second-consecutive season, Francis Howell North’s Logan Schelfaut dove to first on the 1-meter board after posting a final score of 499.70, only two points ahead of St. Louis Univ. High’s Sebastian Lawrence (497.50).

Rockhurt’s Dylan Nill won the 500 free for the secondconsecutive year, turning in a final time of 4:31.46 to win the event by seven seconds. His time of 4:27.87 during prelims was just shy of the Class 2 record of 4:27.72 set in 2017. Nill (47.62) then joined teammates Thomas Tietjen (48.98), John Tietjen (48.36), and Caden Francois (46.93) to conclude the meet as 4×100 free relay champions in a time of 3:11.89. ◀

[ PHOTO COURTESY: JEFF COMMINGS ]

>> JEFF COMMINGS (LEFT) & DANIEL WORTH

>> KEATON JONES (CENTER) WITH PARENTS, LIZ & RANDY

Keaton Jones Breaks National Age Group Record in 13-14 200 Meter Backstroke

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by Andy Ross

-year-old Keaton Jones of Swim Neptune in Arizona recently broke the 13-14 national age group record in the 200 backstroke in long course meters as he inched closer to the 2:00 barrier with a 2:00.28, breaking the NAG record that was actually broken this year by Josh Zuchowski at 2:00.97.

Jones swam at the October Long Course Challenge in Chandler, Arizona shortly before turning 15 as he was able to break Zuchowski’s record, which he only got to hold for seven months. Before this year, the record belonged to current world record holder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol, who held it for 21 years.

That swim was also an Olympic Trial cut for Jones, but he had already accomplished that earlier in the summer with a 2:01.2, just missing Zuchowski’s record. Jones is currently a freshman at Higley High School in Gilbert, Arizona.

as those two could be developing a rivalry in the years to come.

Keaton Jones was named Swimming World’s age group swimmer of the month in this year’s October issue.

All-Time Rankings 13-14 Boys 200 Back 2:00.28, Keaton Jones, 2019 2:00.97, Josh Zuchowski, 2019 2:02.78, Aaron Peirsol, 1998 2:02.86, Ryan Murphy, 2010 2:03.28, Destin Lasco, 2016 2:04.06, Michael Andrew, 2014 ◀

“The Olympic Trial Cut was the ultimate goal for the season,” Keaton Jones said in a press release issued to Swimming World. “However, after getting so close, I knew I had to try for the NAG record before I aged up, so I’d never wonder ‘what if.’ It is the icing and cherry on top and to be in the history books with the likes of Aaron Piersol…it’s pretty incredible.”

This was Jones’ last swim as a 14-year-old as he has since aged up and will be chasing records in the 1516 age group, alongside Zuchowski BIWEEKLY

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by Andy Ross

I

nternational Swimming League founder Konstantin Grigorishin said in an interview with the Washington Post this week that he is committed to expanding the league following next summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, despite the financial struggles within the first year.

The ISL has received plenty of media coverage from swimming news outlets like us at Swimming World Magazine, but has not expanded much to outside parties. There are no visible sponsorships on display on the pool deck or on the broadcast.

The ISL became official in January and announced the eight teams and schedule in June. The league moved so quickly to get off the ground that there wasn’t enough time to garner sponsorships and many venues had already been booked.

“We’re in the most tough financial stage. We’re investing the money,” Grigorishin said. “But how do you convince a sponsor to sponsor something that does not exist? Now we have a product.”

There has been some good come out of the ISL with strong international ticket sales, a world record, and an electric atmosphere on the pool deck from athletes and coaches.

Grigorishin is hoping there will be a boost in popularity after the 2020 Olympic Games next summer for the second season which he hopes to start in September. Year one of the International Swimming League saw eight teams compete in seven meets. Year two is projected to add two more teams that will compete in 27 total meets, with a championship slated for April 2021.

The International Swimming League will host its first “postseason” this weekend in College Park, Maryland as the four US-based teams (Cali Condors, LA Current, DC Trident, NY Breakers) will vie for spots in the Las Vegas final in December, with the top two teams advancing. Next week the four European-based teams (Energy Standard, London Roar,

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Team Iron, Aqua Centurions) will race for the same stakes in London.

DC is one of the great swimming towns in the United States, hosting perhaps the top club in the country in Nation’s Capital Swim Club. Event organizers are expecting a sold-out crowd in College Park of about 1,000 fans on both Saturday and Sunday.

With many of the world’s best swimmers focused on the 2020 Olympic Games, participation has been sparing. Katie Ledecky, arguably the greatest female swimmer of alltime, has only swam in one meet and will be skipping this week’s meet in Maryland, despite having grown up in nearby Bethesda. Ledecky is in the middle of heavy training and elected to stay back at Stanford in hopes of qualifying for a third Olympics next summer.

Ledecky has called the league a turning point for the sport, and others, such as world record holders Lilly King and Adam Peaty, have said the ISL represents the future for swimming. But it also could change training habits and impact performances.

“If it grows into what we believe it can be, it is going to totally change the way swimmers train,” King said. “Normally, we’re such a training-driven sport, where it’s normally train, train, train for maybe two big meets a year. Now it’s more like a league like MLB or NFL, where you’re racing every weekend. So it’s definitely going to impact training. We’ll see if that’s a positive or a negative.”

The crowds at the International Swimming League have been hit-or-miss. The first match in Indianapolis sold between 700 and 1,000 tickets for each session. The meet in Dallas sold out tickets for both days. The European crowds have been fantastic in swimming terms with the Naples crowd reaching near-capacity at 1,600 in attendance, and the Budapest crowd selling 2,000+ each day.

[ PHOTO COURTESY: PETER H. BICK ]

International Swimming League Already Hinting at Expansion after Tokyo Olympics

The league was built on the foundation that swimming at the Olympic Games is the most popular sport. In fact, 33 million homes in the United States tuned into night four of NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage, which featured Katie Ledecky in the women’s 200 free and Michael Phelps in the 200 fly.

For contrast, 31 million people tuned into Game 7 of the NBA Finals that year when LeBron James took on the 73 win Golden State Warriors in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, ultimately bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers its first title in franchise history. That was the most watched NBA Finals game since 1998, and yet TWO of the NBC primetime nights (night four and night six — the night of the men’s 200 IM) surpassed game 7 of the NBA Finals in terms of viewership.

shows” list that is updated frequently with which shows are trending.

But imagine if the show had been cancelled after its first season. The International Swimming League may never reach the popularity of NBC’s The Office, but the two are comparable in that they need time to grow. Time was kind to The Office, so what will happen to the ISL in three to five years?

Konstantin Grigorishin and the athletes are optimistic that the league has a future. It will just take time to get there. ◀ The Washington Post contributed to this article.

Of course Mr. Phelps had something to do with that, bringing the sport of swimming to a whole new level in popularity. It will be interesting to see what will happen to the ratings next summer for NBC’s primetime coverage without him, although Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel should be able to draw in big audiences.

There is proof that swimming is popular so why couldn’t it be that popular during non-Olympic years?

But this wasn’t going to happen overnight; it would have been foolish to think the ISL would be a huge hit right off the bat. Swimming World editor-inchief Craig Lord said earlier this month in a tweet to Australian correspondent Ian Hanson estimating that it will take “3-5 years for the thing to turn from subsidy to business.”

To think of this in pop culture terms, NBC’s widely popular TV show The Office was in fear of cancellation in its first season, as revealed in the newly launched podcast Office Ladies hosted by actresses Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey who starred in all 188 episodes of the show. The show average 5.4 million viewers in its first season, which put them as the 102nd most popular show on television in the 2004-05 season. But NBC green-lit the show for a second season and ratings spiked to 8 million in the second season, eventually peaking at nine million in its fifth season to be the 52nd most popular show on television in the 2008-09 season. Of course streaming services like Netflix have given the show a second life with the show currently sitting 28th on IMDb’s “most popular BIWEEKLY

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Minna Atherton Tipped for $30,000 World-Record Bonus from League after 54.89 Backstroke Mark

by Craig Lord

M

inna Atherton may land a performance bonus of US$30,000 for the World Record she established over 100m backstroke at the Budapest round of the International Swimming League last month.

Swimming World understands that the ISL has not yet given the green light to a sum that would match the second-biggest single amount ever handed out as a world-record bonus in the pool.

The 19-year-old, guided by Australia and ISL London Roar coach David Lush, clocked 54.89 to become the first woman inside 55sec over 100m backstroke short-course and the first League world-record breaker on October 27 in Budapest as Roar sped to a strong team victory.

While we await news from ISL, which would have to wait for confirmation that the World record has actually been ratified

by FINA after indications that it would be, here is where that kind of sum would fit in the thread of swimming history on world-record prize money.

Yana Klochkova, Ukraine’s double-double (200, 400m twice) medley Olympic champion of Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, remains the winner of the biggest prize handed out for a single World record, albeit one that was linked to a series of achievements required before the global-standard reward kicked in.

The European swimming league (LEN) offered a DM100,000 (about $45,000) “Superstar 2000” prize for any European swimmer who won the 1999 European short-course title, the

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2000 European long-course title and the Olympic crown in the same event. It also gave a DM100,000 bonus if the superstar prizewinner set a world record to claim the Olympic title.

Klochkova ticked all boxes in the 400m medley and was rewarded with a payday of around $90,000, half of which was for the World record of 4:33.59 she set for Olympic gold on September 16 at Sydney 2000.

The standard cracked the 4:34.79 of China’s Chen Yan from 1997 and lasted six and a half years until America Katie Hoff clocked 4:32.89 for the World crown at Melbourne 2007.

The ISL and World Record Bonuses If support for adding world-record prize money to the payment pot of the first professional league and global ProTeam event in swimming history, Atherton would write a new line in the ISL’s developing story as the first recipient of a record reward in League waters.

ISL organisers will look at the global coverage generated by Atherton’s swim and surely understand the value of a world record in terms of how much media such pioneering moments generate. The league also has a racing-first/clock-lessrelevant philosophy designed to bypass the constant pressure on swimmers (and what Ukrainian ISL founder Konstantin Grigorishin has described as a risk to athlete health) to have to produce peak, championship-performance level in order to gain serious recognition as world-class athletes.

Atherton’s pioneering speed, which will stand as a world record, is comparable with that on freestyle of the early

career, world-record pace of fellow Aussie 1960 Olympic 100m free champion John Devitt and that of quadruple Olympic champion of 1968 and 1972 Roland Matthes, of East Germany, on backstroke.

London Roar hosts the European Derby of the League this weekend at the 2012 Olympic pool. Atherton is among a strong Australian contingent racing on the same team as Adam Peaty and Co at a match that will decide which two of the four squads based in Europe will join battle with the top two American teams, LA Current and Cali Condors, at the first-season Final Match in Las Vegas on December 20-21.

The 100m backstroke record had stood since 2014 at 55.03 to Hungarian Katinka Hosszú, captain of the ISL’s Team Iron. Hosszú is the biggest world-record bonus prize-money winner in history, having picked ups US$120,000 for the global short-course standards she set on Cup winning sprees between 2013 and 2016.

If confirmed, the prize Atherton is whispered to be in line for would match the biggest prize given out by FINA for a World record. The international federations’ scale of world-record bonuses is as follows: World long-course Championships: US$30,000 Champions Series: US$20,000 World Cup: US$10,000

G.O.A.T Michael Phelps: the biggest swim-earner of all-time As the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps net worth is estimated this month – along with the guess-timate sums for commercial contracts – at between $40 million and $60 million, based on a estimates that he has earned $95.8 million in his life, of which $94 million was derived from advertisers, endorsements and not from performance prize money.

His then suit sponsor, Speedo, awarded Phelps a $1 million bonus after Beijing 2008 and the landing of a record eight golds on the way to a career outer-orbit-achievement total of 23 golds atop 28 medals. Phelps is said to have disbursed the money to several different charities through his organization the Michael Phelps Foundation. As such, that $1 million is not included as part of Phelps’ net worth in the estimates above.

In a list of “The Top 20 Richest Olympians in the World, 2019” – using figures from Celebrity Net Worth, and Forbes – Phelps comes in at No4 on $55 million.

At No 16 at $20m is Mark Spitz, winner of the seven golds at Munich 1972. The list does not confine itself to earnings stemming directly from athletic performance: No 1 is Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, the Olympic decathlon champion of Montreal 1976 as a man and today, identifying as a woman, estimated to be worth $100 million. ◀

Medals Vs Records World-record bonus money has also been paid out by national federations in the past but the key emphasis at the Olympic Games is on medals. The biggest handouts are made by the world No 1 swim nation, the United States.

Katie Ledecky’s performance at the Rio Olympics netted her a total of $355,000 in medal awards that she was able to keep while remaining eligible to compete for Stanford.

Three other incoming or current college swimmers at that time and those Games also ended up with six-figure sums from Rio 2016: California’s Ryan Murphy ($234,375), Stanford’s Simone Manuel (just shy of $200,000) and Indiana’s Lilly King ($134,375).

Those figures take into account money from USA Swimming, which awarded $75,000 for an individual gold medal won in Rio, $30,000 for a silver and $15,000 for a bronze. For a relay event, the amount was divided equally among all members of the team, including heats swimmers.

On top of the above, there was also money from the U.S. Olympic Committee’s basic Operation Gold program: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Relay medal winners also got the full amount each not a share.

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A

jury in the Jane Doe v. USA Swimming case in Stockton, California, today found that USA Swimming was not responsible for the actions committed by a coach employed by a California swim club.

USA Swimming Press Release USA Swimming is grateful to the jury for their time and consideration of this extremely important matter. While the decision correctly identifies who was responsible for this atrocious act, it does not right the wrong, nor should anyone forget that a child was harmed and that everyone needs to continue to do more to ensure a safer environment for our athletes.

An independent body was presented USA Swimming’s athlete protection program, along with expert analysis, and concluded that USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program and initiatives met or exceeded the standard of care for a youth serving organization.

Today’s decision reinforces our course of action and strengthens our resolve to continue to focus on what is important – protecting our athletes and our membership.

Background per The Gazette in Colorado Springs: Former swim coach Shunichi Fujishima of Stockton Swim Club was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Stockton, California judge, and had pleaded guilty to sexually terrorizing an underaged girl that he coached over seven months last

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year. He also pleaded guilty to targeting a 13-year-old girl he coached with unlawful sexual communications for four months.

The girl, who is now 14 and remained nameless only to be identified as Jane Doe, testified in October that the ongoing sexual assaults her swim coach began inflicting on her when she was just 12 robbed her of her dreams of becoming an elite swimmer and left her with memories so horrifying she can’t imagine ever jumping in a pool and competing again, according to The Gazette.

The unnamed sexual assault victim filed a lawsuit against USA Swimming for negligence that allowed Stockton Swim Club to “become a sexual hunting ground for the team’s head coach,” according to The Gazette.

“USA Swimming does not seem to understand that almost 95 percent of its members are children,” Jane Doe’s lawyer B. Robert Allard said. “As such, they are one of the largest child care organizations in the country and have a critically important obligation to keep kids safe, especially from predators.”

USA Swimming insists others are to blame for the sexual abuse of the young swimmer in Stockton, also claiming that sexual safety training was made available to the Stockton Swim Club before the incident, clearing USA Swimming of responsibility if that training wasn’t done.

[ PHOTO COURTESY: CONNOR TRIMBLE ]

Jury Finds USA Swimming Not Negligent in California Sexual Assault Case

Allard has sued USA Swimming before for other sexual assaults by swim coaches.

Stockton Swim Club had been caught up in another sexual misconduct case in 2017 about another coach in the club.

Marco Villanueva, then 19, wrote inappropriate Snapchat messages to a 13-year-old girl in 2014 and 2015.

Despite reviewing the Snapchat messages and finding that Villanueva transported the girl to social engagements without the permission of the girl’s mother, USA Swimming issued only a written warning that allowed Villanueva to continue coaching.

While USA Swimming was investigating Villaneuva, Fujishima began pressuring Jane Doe for sex according to evidence in the criminal case. He had sent explicit photos to the young girl during the same month USA Swimming received the complaints about Villaneuva and had begun regularly driving the swimmer from swim practice to his apartment to have sex with her in May 2018. She said the sexual assaults lasted for seven months in her application for a restraining order against Fujishima.

“There was a complete absence of any child protection measures which were implemented at the Stockton Swim Club, thereby making it a very attractive haven for predator

coaches,” Allard said. He argued that USA Swimming is still not requiring young swimmers to take training on how to spot sexually predatory coaches and how to protect themselves from becoming targets for abuse.

USA Swimming in July began mandating that its adult members take abuse safety training (Minors, but the organization still doesn’t require such training for members who are children or their parents. The organization makes safety training information available online for parents and children who want to review it on a voluntary basis.

Allard said only requiring safety training for adults actually can make matters worse. The limited approach can create situations where predator coaches receive training they can exploit to avoid detection, he said. Meanwhile, children, who make up the vast majority of USA Swimming membership, and their families remain in the dark on how to protect against sexual abuse, Allard added. ◀

If you are a survivor of abuse, we encourage you to report to law enforcement and to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

USA Swimming also offers resources to survivors. For more information visit: www.usaswimming.org/report or email swimassist@usaswimming.org.

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Australian ABC Pulls Plug on Olympic Live Radio Broadcasts for Tokyo 2020

by Craig Lord

V

ideo may have killed the radio star, as the song goes, but live broadcasts for the ear have been a part of Olympic Games coverage in Australia since it hosted the biggest multisports event in history in Melbourne back in 1956.

If a decision by Australian ABC to pull the plug on Olympic broadcasts for Tokyo 2020 stands, there will be liveradio silence Down Under from a Games for the first time since 1952.

That means that any Aussie out working, in their car and going about their daily lives on the day Kyle Chalmers may stand up to defend the 100m freestyle crown and take a shot at being the first Australian to keep what is considered by some to be the blue-riband swim title, will not be able to hear the race and commentary of the moment as it unfolds.

Tokyo finals are in the morning to suit NBC, the U.S. television rights holder that trumps all others in the Olympic realm of financial contribution. For east coast Australians, they might have a lucky lunchtime window for the 100m free final and a chance to catch the live on others channels.

Those out and about – especially in remote areas that will not have access to the live commercial radio likely to be tuned in but unlikely to be truly national and broadcasting well shy of the reach of ABC – will be deaf to it all … but they will be able to tune into Swimming World‘s coverage on their phones and tablets and read the result within seconds of stop from the team, including Ian Hanson, our Oceania Correspondent, who in this tribute to Cecil Healy nods to there depth of tradition and heartbeat in Australian sport and its meaning to the nation.

Younger audiences may well shrug, radio

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[ PHOTO COURTESY: DELLY CARR ]

>> KYLE CHALMERS OF AUSTRALIA

unlikely to be their first port of call, but for older generations, radio still resonates.

The reasoning of the Aussie non-commercial rights holder: a budget too far.

The decision has caused uproar Down Under, the pressure to have the decision reversed immediate. The ‘think again’ plea comes from ABC’s Olympic staff, former presenters now retired and the Australian Olympic Committee that is seeking talks with ABC. In the mix are budget pressures on monumental sums, including an annual figure of about Aus$1bn that ABC has to work with for all coverage and an $87m cut in funding for 2020.

What is not forthcoming from ABC, AOC nor anyone else is the costs of Olympic live coverage; the sums involved for a broadcaster to buy the rights and then foot the bill for onlocation live radio and TV services. Commercial secrets are a part of the picture, as is what critics have going pointed to when listing the downside of the Olympic Movement: lack of transparency.

An ABC spokesman explained the reasoning behind the network’s decision: “The decision was made due to the cost of covering the Games as well as budget pressures and the changing broadcast environment. This means the ABC will not be providing live commentary for the Olympics on radio, however ABC News and ABC Grandstand will provide daily Olympic updates throughout the event.”

In a statement, the AOC said it had “called on the ABC to reverse its decision not to provide live radio coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games”.

AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll branded the decision “short-sighted” and one that ran contrary to the ABC Charter (at the conditions of engagement for the public broadcaster). He added: “The ABC should reconsider this decision. The AOC is prepared to put this case to the Chair of the ABC directly, on behalf of the 8 million Australians who participate in Olympic sports. Not to mention the millions more who follow, support and celebrate those athletes. The AOC believes the decision is monumentally short-sighted and a great let down to Australians who rely on their national broadcaster – from the smallest of communities to our suburbs.”

Carroll said this was a time when Australians “should be inspired to participate in sport, to defeat the growing scourges of obesity and mental illness”, adding: “Tokyo 2020 presents such an opportunity to do that, given the time-zone, in particular. The Olympics can inspire Australians to embrace something valuable and as the ABC’s charter indicates – to contribute to a sense of national identity.

“There’s no bigger event in the world to fulfil this ambition.

There is no sporting movement in Australia that covers the multi-cultural and geographical diversity of our country as the Olympic movement – we will be sending athletes to compete in some 42 disciplines in Tokyo. These are things go to the heart of the ABC Charter.” ◀

The spokesman described the decision as “incredibly tough” but said that the ABC had to consider other budget priorities and the ability of audiences to access Olympics coverage in other ways in the digital age.

The story ran in The Australian and led to articles in the Sydney Morning Herald from reporters Fergus Hunter and the man on the swim beat, Phil Lutton, reporting the depth of emotion sparked by the ABC decision among many in a sport-crazy nation of soaring achievements that have contributed to the reputation of the land of the kangaroo having long been a nation boxing beyond its population size.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is to make a direct appeal to ABC chairwoman Ita Buttrose, calling ABC’s decision “monumentally short-sighted”.

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“Let’s Talk,” Says Australian Olympic Boss Matt Carroll in Response to ABC “Radio Silence”

by Ian Hanson

T

he Australian Olympic Committee has today opened its doors to negotiate with its National broadcaster the ABC just 24 hours after news broke that there would be “radio silence” from the Olympic Games for the first time since 1952.

all Australians…so let’s at least have the conversation.

While ABC Programming director Judith Whelan has declared its budget is simply too tight to afford the $1 million needed to broadcast the 2020 Tokyo Olympics live on radio.

“It’s non commercial rights so I don’t think we are talking about huge sums of money….if it is an issue..let’s talk.”

The AOC’s CEO Matt Carroll appeared on Australia-wide ABC News Breakfast television to appeal to its Chair, Ita Buttrose to initiate discussions with Rights Holders Seven West Media confirming the ABC’s charter indicates, that it must “contribute to a sense of national identity.”

And Carroll’s appeal comes after respected ABC athletics commentator Quentin Hull described the network’s decision not to provide radio coverage of Tokyo 2020 as a “National shame!” with reaction to the news going viral on social media outlets.

Carroll told the show’s co-host Lisa Millar, who covered the Games herself in Beijing in 2008, that the news came out of the blue.

“Were you given a heads up on this – was there any consultation?” asked Millar.

“No it came as a complete shock,” replied Carroll who later in the interview said “I’m happy to talk to the Chair of the ABC and to have a conversation with the rights holders and see if we can work things out.

“We are obviously disappointed but we are disappointed for 34

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“The Olympic committee is here to assist, to make sure that as many Australians as possible can follow the Games in Tokyo…. we are here to help.

Carroll said there has been a fantastic partnership between the Olympics and the ABC since 1952 and it was important for all Australians to be able to follow their Olympians throughout all their opportunities.

“The Games will be in Tokyo which will a perfect opportunity; the perfect time zone, a one hour time difference is a great opportunity for Australians to get behind the team and to follow them in regional Australia where often other opportunities for broadcasting is unavailable,” said Carroll.

“Radio still plays such a huge part…particularly the ABC… which prides itself on sport coverage…people are driving around in cars, tradies (tradesmen) on construction sites… they can’t look at the other forms of broadcast…and radio in regional parts of Australia…

“At least have the conversation..we would be happy to take up the discussion with the rights holders.

“The Olympic Games is the one thing that unites all Australians …the biggest sporting event on earth….people love to cheer on their Australian Olympians….whether they are medallists or doing the best they can.”

Carroll reiterated the decision would make a huge difference.

“The ABC is very good about telling stories about athletes and adding that extra colour…that’s what radio can do…. athletes stories and journeys are so important for the next generation of Australian athletes to take up sport.

Maybe they should have started talking in their own studios.

The ABC has said its budget is simply too tight to afford the $1 million needed to broadcast the 2020 Tokyo Olympics live on radio.

“The Olympic committee is here to assist, to make sure that as many Australians as possible can follow the Games in Tokyo so we are here to help.”

Whelan said the $1 million price tag included the costs of sending commentators to Japan and setting up the broadcasting system.

ABC commentators – past and present – have themselves reacted strongly to the decision with track and field caller Quentin Hull saying: “The ABC will lose part of its DNA by not being at the Tokyo Olympics…the coverage has always shed a light on amazing stories of not only Australians but human achievements the world over..It’s a National shame.”

Ms Whelan said the public broadcaster’s budget was “running hot” because of the amount of emergency broadcasting it was committed to that had extended from a six month period to 12 months across the nation.

Former ABC swimming caller Gerry Collins – who called the Olympic and Paralympic action from poolside in Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London and so many great calls alongside the legendary Norman May, said: “Surely the ABC will see sense and reverse this decision before its too late.”

And ironically the decision comes in the middle of a major ABC campaign labelled Australia Talks – Where do you fit ? A survey asking 54,000 people about their attitudes, behaviours and experiences…helping people understand where they fit in modern Australia.

“Our budget is very tight. It has been tightened tremendously over the past five years and we are facing more budgetary pressure at the moment,” she said on Tuesday.

Ms Whelan said Australians would still be able to pick up Olympics coverage on other digital platforms, with the ABC still providing daily updates.

Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the decision would “surprise and disappoint many Australians”.

“Under its legislation, editorial and content decisions are a matter for the ABC’s board and management, and it is for the ABC to explain why it has taken this decision,” Mr Fletcher said. ◀

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by Craig Lord

A

dam Peaty has described as “an absolute joke” Sun Yang’s claims that he was simply standing up for the rights of other athletes when he contributed to the smashing of a blood-sample container with a hammer.

Neither he nor 95-98% of the World swimming community

is buying a word of it, says the Olympic 100m breaststroke champion in comments made on the eve of the International Swimming League’s European Derby in London.

A Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing heard in Montreux last Friday heard Sun declare himself an athletes’ champion for standing up for the rights of sportsmen and women to know who is testing them and to expect “professional” handling and high standards from anti-doping testers.

The alternative view was that of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has called on CAS to throw out a FINA caution to Sun over the events surrounding an acrimonious test mission to his home in September 2018, in favour of a two-to-eight year ban for “tampering” that would effectively end the Olympic freestyle champion’s career. A panel of three CAS judges will decide the case ands issue it report in the New Year, possibly as early was January.

Peaty, Olympic breaststroke champion, said of Sun’s justification and explanation for his behaviour:

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[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]

Adam Peaty: Sun Yang’s Athletes’-Champion Claim Is “An Absolute Joke”

“That’s an absolute joke. That’s probably what his lawyers told him to say, he’s probably got some great PR support. But I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.”

Sun first made the ‘Athletes’ Champion’ claim after Mack Horton and Duncan Scott refused to join him on the medal podium at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, last July.

Both Horton and Scott received plaudits from the likes of Peaty and Katie Ledecky, as well as supportive comments from USADA boss Travis Tygart and treated to standing ovations from other international swimmers when they returned to the athlete’s village after they staged podium protests. Scott’s moment was beamed around the world after Sun blew his top and and screamed at Scott: “you loser, I’m winner”.

All three freestyler specialists were slapped with a warning from FINA but the international federation’s director Cornel Marculescu, singled out Horton and Scott for criticism without mentioning Sun at the closing press conference of the championships.

FINA and its lawyers have also taken Sun’s part in the CAS hearing, ignoring the outpouring of protest from vast waves of their major stakeholders, the athletes. FINA counsel Fabrice Tissot stated that “75%” of the argument in favour of treating

Sun with what many regard as leniency – a caution well shy of a penalty – rested on the view that proper notification procedures were not followed by the three officers attending the control mission for the IDTM testing agency long used

by FINA. While Sun’s legal team match FINA’s much-questioned stance that best-practice guidelines from WADA were not observed but should have been, counsel for WADA pointed to the fact that guidelines are not legally binding and the only rules that matter are those laid out in WADA’s International Standards for Testing and Investigations (ISTI). Those conditions were met, WADA asserted in Montreux.

When it comes to Sun’s claim to have acted as an Athletes’ Champion, Peaty would have none of it. He told the Australian Telegraph’s Julian Linden: “If you went around each athlete in each country and asked them ‘would you support Sun Yang in this current situation?”, I’m pretty sure 95% or 99% would say absolutely no way.

I remember when Duncan came back to the room, all the countries were clapping him for standing up to Sun Yang so he can’t just turn around and say ‘I’m fighting for athlete’s rights.’ It doesn’t work like that. You don’t have serious allegations like that against you and turn around and go ‘I’m actually fighting for you guys.’ This is just him trying to swing the story.”

CONTINUED >>

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Sun and his supporters, including the Xinhua state news agency of China, have gone on a charm offensive this week after the hearing in in Montreux revealed several key changes to witness statements by Sun and his entourage.

That included, said Rich Young, counsel for WADA, the removal of Sun’s original claim that the Doping Control Officer (DCO) had handed the now controversial blood sample back to him. sunyanglast2

Meanwhile, Peaty noted that Sun was bronze out of the League because the ISL did not accept swimmers towing a doping record. Said Peaty: “Doping is one of the biggest threats to any sport because once you lose that fan base and they think what they’re seeing isn’t real then you’ve lost them forever. Over the (northern hemisphere) summer, there was obviously a lot of doping allegations that were drowning out the success stories we need to be celebrating so we need to get rid of all the rubbish dopers.”

A string of articles heavily supportive of Sun Yang at Xinhua grew longer this week and included an “exclusive” interview with the swimmers’ lawyers in which counsel Ian Meakin says: “Ok, they didn’t ask for his sperm but they asked for his blood and his urine and in order to do that, to take your bodily fluids, you have to be qualified.”

WADA says that the doping-control officers in question were qualified and that Sun had recourse, like all other athletes, to register his concerns and complaints on the dopingcontrol form in the same way as he had done before and in the way that athletes do the world over. Instead, say WADA lawyers, he complied in part, refused to comply in part and then tampered with a sample by taking it out of the chain of custody that it had entered.

Meakin also accepts Sun may also be at fault when he notes: 38

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[ PHOTO COURTESY: BECCA WYANT ]

In Montreux, Sun stated that it had been his physician Dr Ba Zhen who had taken the container carrying Sun’s blood back from the chain of custody it entered when Sun signed paperwork agreeing that all proper procedure had been followed. Dr. Ba, twice banned by WADA in 2014-15 after he prescribed a prohibited substance to Sun, arrived at the testing mission around 1am and argued that the sample was invalid and should be removed from the chain of custody because the blood nurse on the visit did not have a license to draw blood in that particular region, Zhejiang, of China, her qualifications pertaining to the Shanghai region. More on all of that.

“Ok, you can criticise him on a behavioural aspect but he is a human being after all.”

Whether the same mercy will apply to the human who served as a qualified blood nurse on the fateful evening last year, remains to be seen. One of Sun’s witnesses, Prof. Pei Yang, travelled to Switzerland to tell the CAS hearing that she is now facing a jail term for drawing blood beyond the region of her licence.

In Montreux, Young, for WADA, said he was concerned about “issues of intimidation and protection” surrounding the case. It is hard to find coverage of that line in China.

Meanwhile, in the relentless Xinhua coverage of Sun’s side of the argument, Sun Yang’s Australian coach Dennis Cotterell is quoted as saying: “Sun is justified in refusing to let people not properly qualified to do whatever or tamper with the samples”. For his part, Sun attacks “prejudices and unfair treatment” of him. ◀

[ PHOTO COURTESY: CONNOR TRIMBLE ]

Ryan Lochte Tells Alex Rodriguez’s Back in the Game Show How Rio 2016 “Mistake Changed My Entire Life”

by Andy Ross

F

our-time U.S. Olympian Ryan Lochte appeared on Alex Rodriguez’s show Back in the Game on Wednesday to discuss his ongoing struggle with his fallout from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Lochte, 35, lost all of his sponsorships after he filed a false police report in Rio claiming that he and three other teammates were robbed at gunpoint. He was suspended for ten months from the incident, making a brief comeback at the 2017 U.S. Open.

Lochte was suspended a second time in 2018 by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for receiving an unapproved IV-transplant. He was held out of US Nationals that year, losing his chance at qualifying for the 2018 Pan Pacs, 2019 Pan American Games, and the 2019 World Championships.

Additionally, Lochte lost an opportunity to swim in the first ever International Swimming League because of the league’s zero tolerance policy with athletes that have served doping suspensions.

“One mistake changed my entire life,” Lochte told Rodriguez in the show. “I went from hero to zero. I’m just trying to fight my way back to the top again.”

Lochte has since signed with TYR, who has given him a second chance after he was dropped by Speedo and numerous other companies after the Rio incident. He now has two children and has been married for over a year to Kayla Rae Lochte. But the TYR sponsorship is not enough to financially sustain Lochte, who admitted to earning over a million dollars in his career from sponsorships. However, he noted that his TYR salary would be performance-based and since he was suspended, he couldn’t earn the money.

Since he is the soul provider for his family, Ryan Lochte was living his life paycheck to paycheck. With the help of Rodriguez, Lochte was going to get “back in the game” so he could financially support his family and shift the public’s opinion on him as he chases a berth on his fifth Olympic team

next summer in Tokyo.

In the show, Ryan Lochte takes Rodriguez and the camera crew into his new Gainesville apartment where he was forced to downsize because he couldn’t afford to live in his old house. He had a sit-down with Rodriguez where they went over his expenses, which Rodriguez said he couldn’t live that way forever saying he needed to find a solution so he wouldn’t go bankrupt. One of the first solutions was that Lochte get rid of one of his cars, which he admits later in the episode in turning in his Porsche, freeing him of about $900 worth of monthly car payments.

In an emotional moment in the episode, Lochte called up some of those closest to him to apologize for his past behavior.

He at first tried calling long-time rival Michael Phelps, who initially did not pick up but called him back later off-camera.

Lochte decided to call up former USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch to personally apologize for his behavior in Rio, to which Busch said he was Ryan’s “biggest fan” and thanked him for reaching out.

At the end of the episode, Rodriguez and Lochte travelled to the former baseball player’s home in Miami to help Lochte set up meetings with new sponsorships to help endorse him leading into 2020.

This special was filmed last summer, explaining why Lochte says he was still suspended and was 34 (he turned 35 in August).

Since returning from suspension, Lochte has won a National title in the 200 IM, his 1:57.76 effort moving him up to 12th in the world and fourth in the United States in 2019. He still holds the world record at 1:54.00 and with more confidence, financial stability, and a more mature lifestyle, he looks like a man capable of getting down to the 1:56 zone that would give him a great chance to make his fifth Olympic team. ◀ BIWEEKLY

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Sponsored by:

NOAH CORBITT

HOW THEY TRAIN

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT | PHOTOS BY JOHNS HOPKINS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

we back off every two to three weeks and give him a de-load week. We hope to dovetail this when school is particularly demanding:

PROGRESSION OF TIMES SCY

2016

2017

2018

2019

100 Free

46.91

45.72

45.98

45.36

200 Free

1:41.54

1:39.44

1:39.23

1:37.81

A

s a two-time high school state champion in the 200 yard freestyle (1:41.65/1:41.45) and once in the 100 free (46.70), Noah Corbitt was the No. 1 2018 recruit from The Palmetto State (South Carolina). As a freshman this year at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., Corbitt became a three-time All-American. He secured a runner-up finish in the 200 free (1:37.81, missing first by 6-hundredths of a second!) and was a part of two fourth-place freestyle relays, anchoring the Blue Jays’ 800 (6:36.44/1:36.16) and leading off the 400 (3:00.13/45.40).

As a 6-0, 155-pound mechanical engineering major out of Hilton Head, S.C., Corbitt is a cerebral swimmer.

“Noah is one of the most curious swimmers with whom I’ve worked,” says his coach, Scott Armstrong.

“He doesn’t second-guess or test the coach—he just genuinely wants to know how things work. He loves creating and building things on the pool deck. Building or fixing the power racks is a good example.

“This curiosity helps him stay fresh in any given practice. It enables us to set up a training plan that engages him in the mechanics and details. This year, he made huge strides with his flip turns. The changes were as simple as explaining the why and how we wanted his turns to change. Once he understood the physics behind the change, it was as if a switch had been flipped on, and he was able to consistently perform the improved technique,” says Armstrong. “Noah thrives on variety, and balancing his energy systems is the key to his continued progress. He also takes a lot of pride in his kicking, which is a team-wide trend!

“Noah’s basic weekly plan is shown here. In addition,

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• Monday a.m.—aerobic development • Monday p.m.—skills/drills and video work plus 90 minutes lift • Tuesday a.m.—active rest, usually forcing some IM and backstroke work • Tuesday p.m.—quality, depending on the time of year: lactate production early season, lactate tolerance midseason and VO 2 max late season...it’s always a blend • Wednesday OFF—90 minutes yoga and meditation • Thursday (choice of a.m. or p.m.)—aerobic development • Friday a.m.—90 minutes lift plus power racks, parachutes, drag sox • Friday p.m.—all kick...really a massive kick set • Saturday a.m.—quality, depending on the time of year: lactate production early season, lactate tolerance midseason and VO 2 max late season...it’s always a blend; plus 90 minutes lift “We will rest a week going into a December invite, and we expect to be close to our best times as a program,” says Armstrong. “Swimmers follow this with nearly three weeks on their own as they work through finals and holiday break. We give them detailed guidelines and expectations, but it’s crucial that individuals take ownership of their preparation. Noah is one of the most studious and consistent in taking care of business.

“From Dec. 29 through the first week of February, we are basically professional swimmers. There are no classes, and we have a lot of time to recover and train as a team. It’s really a fun time, but still important to keep things light because training can get overwhelming.

“When school restarts, we decrease our volume and up the quality. We start taking some mornings off and monitor sleep as much as possible. Noah does a good job of staying ahead of his schoolwork and asking for support/help before it’s too late. His focus on staying a step ahead really helps him manage the stress level of being a student-athlete in a very tough academic environment.

“This past year, we convinced Noah to do a threeplus-week taper. I really would have liked more like five weeks, as he added about 15 pounds of muscle.

Swimmer buy-in is crucial here.

“We track swimmer progress when we do 300s with less than 30 seconds rest and holding best average. The monitoring helps us set expectations on any aerobic development set. Noah started the year holding around 2:56 and could repeat 2:47s by midseason. Some

of Noah’s best aerobic development sets are similar to this, where we look for 40 minutes of threshold/ subthreshold swimming: • • • • •

5 x 100 on 1:15 4 x 200 on 2:15 3 x 300 on 3:15 2 x 400 on 4:15 1 x 500 on 5:15

“We would expect Noah to just keep it calm early and work his turns, descending the 3 x 300s to under 2:50.

On the 400s, we try to get 20 seconds rest and whatever is left in the tank for the 500.

“A good active rest set for Noah would be: • • • • • • • •

3 x 75 on :55 400 FAST on 4:30 3 x 75 on :55 300 FAST on 3:20 3 x 75 on :55 200 FAST on 2:10 3 x 75 on :55 100 FAST on 1:00

working on increasing peak lactate production.

“Midseason, we would shift to: • 15 x 100 every third ALL-out fast on 1:30 (we would expect Noah under :50 on all fast, and the easy would be close to 1:00) “Late season might be two times through: • • • •

“Take a high/low heart rate for 10 seconds, one minute apart. We are looking for a drop of 10 beats or more. With no extra rest, go into: • 10 x 100 free kick with a board, 1 on 1:40 /1 on 1:20 (we would expect Noah to be under 1:10 and get down close to 1:00) “We want him to keep moving on the 75s so there is not enough time to stand around on the wall. We are teaching his body to buffer the metabolites he is producing on the 400-300-200-100 during the 75s.

“On quality days, Noah also thrives on short, very intense sets. Often on a Tuesday, we will have swimmers warm up doing 1,500 or so and then going three to four 800-to-1,200-yard sets that are pretty much go-gogo-go with a good eight-to-10-minute easy swimming between short sets.

“In the early season, we would do something like 200-400 drills with breathing patterns and 3 x 50 all out on :20 rest, then a full five-minute rest afterward, really

200 breathing 4-3-2-1 breaths per length 8 x 25 ALL-OUT RACE on :20 50 kick for time on 1:00 Dive 50 free, 1 breath

“It is hard to say what the times would be, but we expect swimmers to have a hard time climbing out of the pool after this! We really base it more on facial expressions when they are doing this type of VO 2 max work. If they can respond to a question, they are not working hard enough,” says Armstrong.

“This type of work really knocks Noah down, and he needs some real recovery before we throw it at him again. When he is in shape and getting the recovery he needs, he can do a really good job about twice a week (Tuesday and Saturday).

“He does well with the aerobic stuff day-in and dayout, but can get stale, and his times stop progressing if he gets a head cold and is a little under the weather.

He is generally very healthy, but when we give him too much aerobic ‘meat and potatoes,’ we have noticed that he gets a nagging persistent congestion, and his progress flatlines.

“HOW he does the sets is the key. He does a great job when we tie them back to his real gifts and as long as he understands what we are asking of him,” says Armstrong. 

SWIM MART

REACH LONG

KICK STRONG

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PARTING SHOT

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games organizers unveiled the $523 million venue for swimming, diving and synchro that will seat 15,000 fans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. Construction is 90 percent complete at the four-story Aquatics Centre and is due to be finished on schedule by the end of February, officials told Associated Press’ Japan service. [Photo courtesy: Tokyo 2020]

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