OK this is just speculation, but do you think it is possible Aaron Piersol will not make the USA Olympic squad in the 200 Back in '08? Phelphs just went 1:54.6 last night at National’s, and Lochte now has the world record. The three of them are clearly the 3 best in the world, yet Piersol might not make the event he has dominated for years. Its not like he is old, as he is 24
It seems like Piersol is also focusing on improving his 200 free. That is a good call IMHO, as the team take 6 guys for the 4x200 relay. What do you fish think? Could you imagine the '08 Olympics without Piersol in the 200 Back? Its probably going to be determined by whether or not Phelps decides to try to make it part of his meet program, although it would be equally possible Phelphs could be 3rd in that race at trials too.
3rd in the world and not good enough for the Olympics, that sucks!
Yeah…amazing. The swim I have been the most excited about was Vendt’s 1500. Either he had “retired” or taken some serious time off after the last Olympics. Getting back under 15 minutes bodes well for him for next summer. I would love to see him beat Larsen Jensen, but who knows. Vendt is one of those examples of someone who might not have quite the genetics of others, he’s just a brawler who works has ass off. He’s a short guy, but he 6-beat kicks the whole 1500.
3rd in the world and not good enough for the Olympics, that sucks!\
That happened to my old coach Steve Crocker. He had the bad luck to share his long career with Biondi and Jager. He had the best start and turn in the world, but lost out at the trials by a 1/100 or so…They had a 25yd pro race up in Nor cCal every year for $, and he would win that every year, but small consolation to being 3rd in the world, and watching the olympics on tv every year.
I think Phelps will opt out of the 200 back, it’s probably the most risky race for him to lose. He is so good at the others, but the 100fr is also sketchy…I believe he would like 8 events again, but he will either have to be very dominant, or very lucky. Forget about the rest of the world, his own team is going to be his toughest comp…And Ryan is not going to let him coast the IM’s any more either. He will really know what Spitz’s pressure was really like, it will be very exciting…
Crocker is an alum of my current school. WKU. I have heard all kinds of tales about him from the swimmers I teach. Some scary stuff about two diving boards and cliff diving at a quarry.
Crocker is an alum of my current school. WKU. I have heard all kinds of tales about him from the swimmers I teach. Some scary stuff about two diving boards and cliff diving at a quarry. \
They are all true, and ask him about the butterfly flip turn he invented, and used at masters nationals one year for a new record…I remember when he learned how to windsurf, he got so stoked, that he would drive 20 hours down Baja, surf for a day, and then drive straight home in time for work…
Not sure if it is on TV. I was going to mention Steve Crocker, but I couldn’t remember who the other guy was…Jager. Steve is a great guy. He was the head age group coach at North Coast Aquatics when I was in the Senior program with Jeff Pease. A silver lining to Steve not making the Olympic team was that he set the SCM 50 Free world record a few weeks later. Steve told a friend of mine that he would have focused on the 100 if he had it to do over again, because that is another event they take 6. Lochte is the real deal, and I am sure he would absolutely love to spoil Phelp’s little party also known as the Olympics.
The meet is being telecast on the web. Link available from the front page of USA swimming.
At least Piersol’s still in very good shape for top 2 in the 100M back, regardless of how the 200 shakes out. And he has swum the 4x200 FR in world competition IIRC.
Keep an eye out for Chris Dejong in the 200 free. He PRed by about two seconds in the 200 back last night in 1:56, had a 1:48 free in training a while back, and he’s got to know that a 4x200 relay spot is his best shot for China.
And speaking of third best in the world and his own country, it’s been nice to see Eric Shanteau repurpose himself as a 200 breaststroker. As good as he was as an IMer, I don’t think he was going to knock Phelps and Lochte out of the top two, and his 2:10 the other night is good enough for hardware at most international meets.
On the women’s side, it’s nice to see some real depth starting to emerge. Four women under 55 in the 100M free even with Coughlin and Joyce sitting out the meet, a whole bunch of girls at 2:11 or quicker in the 200 back, an emerging Kathleen Hersey and revitalized Mary Descenza in the 200 fly, and what had seemed to be a weak 200M breast field starting to look stronger with Rebecca Soni’s 2:23 and Caitlin Leverenz turning in consistent 2:25s.
This happens regularly in swimming (and I presume it happens in other sports as well). In any given finals heat of 8 swimmers in the Olympics there are usually at least 2 or 3 swimmers sitting at home who could have made the finals if they only could have made their home countries olympic team.
The Olympics, at least in swimming, is not a very “deep” meet. I know back when I was swimming, I was not even close to making an Olympic Trials cut much less the US team but if I could have switched my citizenship to some obsure African or South American country, my best time would have cracked the top 20 at the 1984 games in the 1500m free
The toughest swim meets in the world in terms of top to bottom competition are the USA Nationals and the NCAA Div I meet since they have the highest percentage of the top swimmers in the world in each event.
There are always US swimmers that should make the Olympics, but don’t because of the trials format and because there are only two swimmers per event (used to be three until the 1984 games). In 1984, the world recorder holder in the mens 200 fly did not make the team because the second place finisher swam the best 200 fly of his life at trials while the world record holder was probably not fully peaked for trials. Michael Phelps could have a bad meet and miss the games.
I would also keep your eyes peeled for Jessica Schmidt for the 200 Breast. She from my old club in San Diego (North Coast Aquatics–NCA). I think she got 6th, and she is 15, perhaps 16. She is such a workhorse. Some of the stuff she does in practice is amazing! She recently didn’t want to swim the 800 at a meet, so Jeff (coach) told he she could do it IM. I believe she went something like 10:10 for the 800 IM LCM.
When I was home in May they were doing 10x(400 Free + 400 IM). She was going 5:10s on all of the 400 IMs for the whole set. I believe that is under the Women’s Jr Nats cut. If she could just get a little more speed she would be amazing. I honestly think she could be a phenom at triathlon. She looks like a runner…you never know…
I’d say to keep a close eye on both the 400 free’s tonight. The men’s field is absolutely stacked with talent. On the women’s side, Katie Hoff and Kate Ziegler will undoubtedly push each other right down to Janet’s AR and potentially score a WR. With the way those two went stroke for stroke in the 800, it should be a thrilling race.
And men’s butterfly just keeps getting faster. 4 Americans under 53 seconds in prelims is insane. 61 people made the trials cut this morning in the 100.
On a side note, I’d like to say that the IUPUI facility is the greatest racing facility around. With that ridiculously fast pool, a nice diving well and a 50m warm-up pool at the other end, it’s hard to imagine a better place to race or train.
3rd in the world and not good enough for the Olympics, that sucks!
Happens to Kenyan distance runners regularly.
Nope, in running you get to send a maximum of 3 people per country per event… not two. It still sucks for the forth place finisher, but at least the third place girl/guy isnt sitting at home thinking he/she could be at the Olympics taking home some hardware.
And for track World Championships, there’s a previous champions provision (also known as the American sprinters and Kenyan distance runners provision) that allows a country to send four representatives if one of them won the event the last time they held the meet.
If you have ever been to the Olympic Swimming Trials it is the saddest meet you’ll ever attend. Four years of preperation and all that matters is first or second (with the exception of relay swimmers taken from the 1 and 2 free), PR’s don’t matter.
If you have ever been to the Olympic Swimming Trials it is the saddest meet you’ll ever attend. Four years of preperation and all that matters is first or second (with the exception of relay swimmers taken from the 1 and 2 free), PR’s don’t matter.
I guess some people look at the world in a “glass half empty” type of way…
**On a side note, I’d like to say that the IUPUI facility is the greatest racing facility around. With that ridiculously fast pool, a nice diving well and a 50m warm-up pool at the other end, it’s hard to imagine a better place to race or train. **
Its a great place for a rinky dink age group meet too My kids swim a meet there every winter. Its the only pool I actually enjoy going to to watch a meet. Somehow they have figured out how to keep the swimmers warm without roasting the spectators. Its not hot and humid like other pools. The meet we go to is well attended but there are still several thousand fewer spectators than the place is made for so you can actually find room to lay down in the bleachers and watch the meet with your head proped up on you elbow. Its almost like watching your kids swim from your own living room. It really is a fast pool. Even little kids swim fast there.
