SO one thing first, I really think this pool is slow. They talked about it pre swim as being shallower than others like this, but man all those times seemed really slow to me. Especially for the 400’s where you only get one shot to qualify. It just looked like the longer the race went, the more the slow pool dragged on the swimmers.
I mean women only going 4;02 and up? And the men only 3;44 and up from there?? What do you all think??
Anyway good races for the US thus far, although Aussies look to dominate the 4x100 once again. I really now dont think that mens 400 record is going down like I did after everyones trials. Hardly anyone swam close to their trials times, but the one American did equal his to make the final, so that was a surprise…
Fly was ok, lots of 56’s and to be expected in the first round. Guess we will know for sure today with the finals on tap if that pool really is a dog…
Man it looks really good for our women fliers, 1st and 2nd going into final, and by a lot too. Walsh and Huske are killing it, and that bodes really well for that ladies 4x100 medley later. Aussies seem to be off a bit thus far, but still early and no finals as of yet. Getting a second+ on one leg will be critical for that last free leg…
Well first medals are in, Germany takes the first gold. Really sorry to see Sam Short just miss the podium, but his teammate did get in for a medal.
I really think this pool is slow, hardly anyone bettering trials times, and no one close to WR after being up a lot at the 300 and still .7 at the 350. It looks to me like the early speed can overcome the slowness, but it catches up, and seems like with everyone. I mean Sam swam sick at his trials and still did a 3;43…
Next up the race of the decade, or a big nothing burger with Titmus running away with it?
Good race for Titmus and Summer, Katie was out of the finishing shot. Pool is definitely slow, so going for places in this meet now…
Kind of getting tired of Rowdy being so US centric, he is actually making excuses and puffing up where it is obvious that others have backed off. I mean watching that prelim it was painfully obvious Titmus just went 200 at race pace and shut it down, all the while Rowdy and crew got so excited about Katie running her down and dominating the heat. And of course Summer doing the same thing, holding back a lot for the final, she is just outclassed in this race…
No I get that part of it, but Rowdy usually does not go out of his way to ignore obvious happenings we can all see happening. It is like Katie was the only one in the race, and up until the last 3 strokes she had a chance to win it… She was out it at the 100 and was never looking like she would get back in it.
He also mentioned the US man in the final a lot too, who bombed last place and swam over 2 seconds slower than the prelim. I get what he is trying to do for the US audience, but it is not usually this bad…
All fair points but I think we (USA fans) have been spoiled for quite some time with almost every single event having an American as a favorite. We don’t have the dominance that we used to so the average fan watching needs some commentary about the Americans regardless of where they are placing. While people who follow swimming (like you and me) can appreciate swimming regardless if our countrymen or countrywomen are in the race or not.
And what about Rowdy having said at least a half dozen times, that the swims thus far have been well under what they should have been and expected?? Will he ever just say the obvious, the friggin olympic pool is just slow!!!
And I guess I’m just harking back to the Rowdy of the NCAA’s, where he called the races like they were and not how he wants then to be…
kind of annoying to hear the announcers say stupid shit like “the americans made the australians earn that gold”…
umm, not really. they won by over a second and the usa was in 3rd or worse for most of that race… gtfoh with that stupid nationalistic commentary. that was a dominant australian performance.
So did the Aussie men get credit for making the US win honest too?? Great race but once again a certain WR should have been had here…Great race to pop cherry for US, now Rowdy has something to really crow about… Really glad for the guys, should help motivate the team going forward. And super swim by the Aussies to just barley hold off china, who nearly had a WR on the lead off leg. In this pool, 46.9 is absolutely crazy. Dont see anyone beating him in the 100 if he swims that time again…
Having only started triathlon, and thus swim training, between the last Olympics and now I really have a much deeper appreciation for what these swimmers can do. They are so fast that what they do in the water is a different sport to what I do when I train in the pool. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to pull so much water you can go 100m in 46 seconds.
It’s a US centered broadcast so what do you expect? That’s like asking an Australian broadcast not to be biased toward Team Australia.
You see it here on ST too. ST is a USA media company. Its only natural for the majority of the topics be about triathlon’s in the US.
No its different at least here in Canada. We see our good athletes but also we see the top ones from other nations too. Not having watched an Australian broadcast cannot comment on that. NZ had an athlete that was 4th in the 400 pretty cool for that tiny nation.
Having only started triathlon, and thus swim training, between the last Olympics and now I really have a much deeper appreciation for what these swimmers can do. They are so fast that what they do in the water is a different sport to what I do when I train in the pool. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to pull so much water you can go 100m in 46 seconds.
If you came from a running background an equivalent context of the power, undurance, timing and execution to do the 100 free in 46 would be like the 400m hurdles record in 45.9 (maybe closer comparison would be Dressel’s 47.78 100 fly world record in scm with all the turns and doing a different variant of the fastest version of the sport) but you get the picture.
Okay how much of an effort is it too swim Olympic competition. Like swimmers swim 30k a week and lift weights to swim 100m race. It get it, it is an all out effort but is it pretty easy to recover. It isn’t like running a 5K for instance where the pounding coming in. Swimming is a non weight bearing sport?
For me for instance I swam a 5 K race a few weeks ago on 8-9 km of swimming a week. A day or two later I am back in the pool maybe a bit sore but good to go.
A half marathon run (I consider same time I’d say world class half marathon about same as world class 5K swim) I am really hurting.
How hard is it for instance for Summer MacIntosh to swim 7 events at the Olympics.
Okay how much of an effort is it too swim Olympic competition. Like swimmers swim 30k a week and lift weights to swim 100m race. It get it, it is an all out effort but is it pretty easy to recover. It isn’t like running a 5K for instance where the pounding coming in. Swimming is a non weight bearing sport?
For me for instance I swam a 5 K race a few weeks ago on 8-9 km of swimming a week. A day or two later I am back in the pool maybe a bit sore but good to go.
A half marathon run (I consider same time I’d say world class half marathon about same as world class 5K swim) I am really hurting.
How hard is it for instance for Summer MacIntosh to swim 7 events at the Olympics.
