Swimming World July 2021 Issue

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JULY 2021 • VOL 62 • NO 7 FEATURES 010 | TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES: READY FOR IMPACT

by Dan D’Addona, Matthew De George, John Lohn, David Rieder and Andy Ross As the United States was still selecting its Olympic swimming team in mid-June, most countries had already decided who would be competing at the COVID-19 pandemicdelayed Olympic Games this summer. Here are profiles of 10 swimmers from around the world who have been preparing to make an impact in Tokyo.

022 | TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: ICONIC MOMENTS IN OLYMPIC HISTORY

by John Lohn In October of 2019, nearly a year prior to the original date of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Swimming World designed a series that would pay homage to the history of the sport on its biggest stage. For our final installment of “Takeoff to Tokyo,” we offer a look at some of the most prominent moments in Olympic lore.

026 | AS GOOD AS IT GETS

by Dan D’Addona In our Olympic preview of artistic swimming, Swimming World notes that Russia is a perfect 10-for-10, winning every Olympic gold medal possible—duet and team—since the turn of the century.

Led by Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Russia will be tough to beat next month, Aug. 2-7, in Tokyo.

COACHING 20 | SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 3)— MINIMIZING THE ARM ENTRY PHASE TIME IN FREESTYLE AND BUTTERFLY

by Rod Havriluk The non-propulsive time in a stroke cycle consists of the time for the entry phase and the recovery phase. This article presents strategies to minimize the entry phase time for freestyle and butterfly so that a swimmer can decrease stroke cycle time, increase stroke rate and increase swimming velocity.

040 | A COACHES’ GUIDE TO ENERGY SYSTEMS (Part 2)

by Michael J. Stott Last month, Swimming World explored the concept of energy systems and how coaches can use them to maximize athlete development and performance. In Part 2, we examine how one incorporates his understanding of energy systems into a seasonal training plan.

042 | Q&A WITH COACH SID CASSIDY

by Michael J. Stott

043 | HOW THEY TRAIN MEGAN MORONEY AND ASPEN GERSPER

by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

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ON THE COVER

Best known for his prowess in the 200 meter butterfly, Hungary’s Kristof Milak is also the No. 4 performer in history in the 100 fly at 50.18. In the 200, he owns the three fastest times in history. His world record of 1:50.73 from the 2019 World Championships sits 78-hundredths clear of the previous mark of 1:51.51 set in 2009 during the tech-suit era by Michael Phelps, the only other athlete to eclipse the 1:52 barrier. As the Olympic Games are set to begin in Tokyo, it is not preposterous to suggest that Milak could threaten the 1:50 barrier. (See feature, pages 10-17.) [PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]

019 | DRYSIDE TRAINING: SUMMER SPEED

by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER 45 | UP & COMERS: KAYLA HAN

by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS 008 | A VOICE FOR THE SPORT 018 | THE OFFICIAL WORD

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027 | 2021 AQUATIC DIRECTORY 046 | GUTTERTALK 047 | PARTING SHOT

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SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0039-7431). Note: permission to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements. Microfilm copies: available from University Microfilms, 313 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Swimming World Magazine is listed in the Physical Education Index. Printed in the U.S.A. © Sports Publications International July 2021.

VOICE FOR THE SPORT

MOST DEMANDING MEET IN THE WORLD

BY JOHN LOHN

T

his assessment might be lost on the non-American crowd. See, it is kind of difficult to comprehend from afar, or without a true sense of what the United States possesses in the pool.

As this column is penned, the United States Olympic Trials are about to begin their fourth day at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb. Already, agony and ecstasy have appeared on deck, where there is a frequent intersection of conflicting emotions. From athletes to coaches to family members, there have been plenty of smiles and frowns.

The tears that Regan Smith shed after winning the 100 meter backstroke—and earning her first Olympic invitation—were a combination of joy and relief. Conversely, Kelsi Dahlia walked the same deck after finishing fourth in the 100 butterfly, her tears from the pain of missing out on a return trip to the Olympic Games. Countless others, too, have swayed in one direction or the other.

As much as the Olympic Games define the greatest athletes in the sport, and where the pinnacle performers seek to peak, they must get there first.

Qualifying to represent the United States can be considered a more difficult task than reaching the Olympic podium, such is the pressure that hovers over the pool. In no way is this opinion suggesting there is a lack of pressure at the Olympics. That would be a laughable take. Rather, American swimmers must successfully navigate a gauntlet like no other in the world to simply earn a spot on the Team USA roster.

“Going forward, I’m just excited to kind of have some of the pressure off my back and just enjoy the experience, enjoy being here, enjoy getting some more practice racing against some great girls,” Smith said, following her victory in the 100 backstroke at the U.S. Trials.

“I think it will be a lot of fun over these next couple of days, instead of a lot of stress like these past few days have been.”

Think about that quote for a moment. Smith is a world record holder, a world champion and one of the most gifted athletes in the sport. Yet, she admitted feeling the pressure of Trials and exhaled hugely after her work was done. The honesty of the Stanford recruit is refreshing, and proof that no one is immune to the squeeze Trials can place on an individual.

Here and there, other countries have events with impressive depth, such as Australia and its trio of sub-3:44 stars in the 400 freestyle. In the United States, though, there are very few events in which there are not multiple Olympic-final contenders. And with only two athletes selected for each event, medal hopefuls are routinely locked out, forced to watch the Games on television—if they can stomach it.

Through 1980, countries were allotted three berths in each Olympic event, only to have that rule changed to two-per-nation beginning in 1984. That guideline, for the record, is not going anywhere in the future. With that change, wiggle room at the U.S. Trials was severely limited and the pressure to earn a Team USA slot went up exponentially.

If there is a positive to the situation, it is the inarguable fact that when athletes wearing the Stars and Stripes reach the Olympics, they are sharpened warriors. While they must deal with formidable international foes, they have been tested and are typically more comfortable than they were at Trials. Little fazes them about the environment. Simply, they are ready to compete.

Future United States Olympic Trials will be no different than the most recent edition, or those that preceded it. There will be an equal share of feel-good stories and tales of heartache. An equal share of smiles and tears. For better or worse, it is a trademark of a meet that is the most demanding in the world.v John Lohn Associate Editor-in-Chief Swimming World Magazine

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Doctors say swimmers can’t be “allergic” to chlorine, but irritation is real, and BioOx® can mitigate it The American College of Immunology, Asthma and Allergy maintains that it is not possible to have a chlorine allergy, but swimmers can experience an irritation reaction to chlorine fumes in indoor aquatics facilities. Chlorine exposure can indirectly contribute to existing allergies and underlying asthma by sensitizing the respiratory tract.

Studies have suggested that frequent swimming in chlorinated pools may increase the risk of developing asthma and respiratory allergies, both in adolescents and in adults. This risk is increased for those with long-term exposure, including swim athletes, lifeguards and leisure swimmers, with more than 1,000 hours of exposure. Even though swim athletes are considered at the peak of human fitness, many have struggled with chlorine-triggered asthma, including Olympic swimmers.

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The BioOx® enzyme attracts toxic micro-particulates such as those produced by chlorine and its byproducts, as well as viruses, dust, gases and bacteria that constantly circulate in indoor spaces. A bioreactor unit containing the proprietary BioOx® enzymatic microbial media attracts these airborne toxins, causing an immediate bio-oxygenation process that fully DESTROYS odors and airborne contaminants. BioOx® fully decontaminates indoor air and enables athletes, lifeguards and leisure swimmers alike to avoid respiratory distress and ocular and dermatologic irritation, empowering them to deliver their best performance every single day and thrive in a healthy clean-air environment.

For a demo of the BioOx® technology, contact the BioOx® team at (301) 246-0151 or send an email through the website at http://www.bioox.us/contact_us.html

T O K Y O O LY M P I C G A M E S As the United States was still selecting its Olympic swimming team in mid-June, most countries had already decided who would be competing at the COVID-19 pandemic-delayed Olympic Games this summer. Here are profiles of 10 swimmers from around the world (listed alphabetically) who have been preparing to make an impact in Tokyo.

READY FOR

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[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

Age: 26 (Aug. 29, 1994) Height: 6-0 Records: 400 free (3:43.23-Italy), 800 free (7:40.77-European), 800 free relay (7:02.01-Italy/1:45.30 2nd leg) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): 2 bronze/1 gold, 2 bronze 2019 World Championships: Bronze: 400 free (3:43.23)

GABRIELE DETTI | Italy

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

Gabriele Detti has proved to be one of the top distance swimmers in the world. With the 800 meter free added to the Olympic program, the Italian has one more event to showcase his talent.

Detti won the 800 at the 2017 World Championships, and has been a mainstay on podiums across big meets for years.

It started in 2012 when he qualified for the London Olympics in the 1500 free, where he finished 13th.

It was just the beginning.

In 2014, he broke the European record in the 800 at the Italian Championships. He then earned the bronze in the 800 and 1500 free at the 2014 European Championships in Berlin, his first international medals.

Just as his career was starting to take off, Detti had to spend most of the following year out of the water while he battled an extremely painful urinary tract infection, missing the World Championships in Kazan, Russia.

That made the next year all the sweeter. Detti qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 400 and 1500 free, winning gold in the 400 free at the European Championships.

He won bronze medals in both the 400 free (3:44.01) and 1500 free (14:40.86) in Rio.

It wasn’t long before Detti was again at the top of the podium, winning the 800 free at the 2017 World Championships with a 7:40.77 and breaking the Italian and European records.

He claimed the bronze medal in the 400 free at the 2018 Short Course World Championships and again at the 2019 Long Course Worlds before the pandemic hit.

But with all of his success, the 800 free is still a bit of a mystery.

This year’s Games in Tokyo will be the first time the men will have the 800 on the Olympic program, giving Detti a chance to be a pioneer in the event.

He has proved to be in good form in the event recently, taking third in the 800 at the 2021 European Championships (7:46.10), behind Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Romanchuk (7:42.61) and Italian compatriot Gregorio Paltrinieri (7:43.62).

That trio will be in the mix for medals in Tokyo.

Detti also took fourth in the 400 (3:46.07), but did not swim the 1500 free.

With Detti’s focus on the 800, the world champion could make history in the very first Olympic race of the event with the entire world watching. — Dan D'Addona Age: 28 (July 9, 1993) Height: 6-2 Records: 100 back (52.11-Commonwealth), 200 back (1:53.17-Commonwealth), 200 IM (1:55.72-Commonwealth), mixed 400 medley relay (3:38.91-Commonwealth/53.08 backstroke leadoff) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): 1 silver, 1 bronze/3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze 2019 World Championships: Gold: 400 mixed medley relay (3:39.08/53.47 backstroke leadoff) Bronze: 100 back (52.77)

MITCH LARKIN | Australia The search for Australia’s next men’s swimming star is well into its second decade. It seems only fitting for how frustrating the quest has been that arguably the country’s brightest hope is, through a quirk of scheduling fate, facing a mid-career transition.

When most of the world met Mitch Larkin at the 2016 Olympics, it was as a backstroker, a 22-year-old standing on the medal stand in the 200-meter event. But five years later, Larkin won’t contest what was considered his signature event, opting instead for the 200 individual

medley.

For a men’s program that has won just five individual and three relay medals combined at the last two Olympics—or what Ian Thorpe once would’ve called a busy week all by himself—the swap of specialties is another sigh-worthy moment. For Larkin, though, the bold decision could be a chance at a second win on his career.

In Rio, Larkin almost passed as a veteran in the backstroke ranks, though he was just 22. But the Queensland native was surrounded by CONTINUED ON 12 >> JULY 2021

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“I’ve been looking at it for a number of months now, and I have never swum the medley at an Olympic Games, which gives me a lot of excitement,” Larkin said ahead of Trials. “It’s like coming back to my roots when I made my first (Australian) Junior team in the 400 IM, and also the depth (in both events) in terms of who’s going to win it and what times would win the 200 backstroke versus what time it’s going to take to be competitive in the 200 medley, and I think that was the deciding factor. It wasn’t an easy decision.”

Larkin has only dabbled in the 200 IM internationally. He won silver in the event in the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. But of his 28 medals in senior international competition, those are the only two not set in backstroke (50, 100 and 200) or on medley relays.

But the silver lining, as Larkin said, is in Larkin’s consideration of the bigger picture. With depth in backstroke, Larkin can pursue what would be, almost inconceivably, the first Australian medal in the men’s 200 IM, dating to its installation in the Olympic program in 1968. No Aussie man has won an IM medal since Rob Woodhouse’s bronze in 1984.

That’s a lot of pressure to foist on the shoulders of Larkin. But by now, it’s something he and his cohort of promising Aussies are accustomed to handling. — Matthew De George

[PHOTO BY MIKE LEWIS, ISL]

a pair of 20-year-olds in Ryan Murphy and Xu Jiayu and 19-year-old Evgeny Rylov. The American won gold that day in 1:53.62, short of Larkin’s pre-Olympics best time, with Larkin edging Rylov for silver by 1-hundredth of a second.

Since those Games, Xu has won consecutive World Championships in the 100 back, an event in which Larkin finished fourth in Rio (52.43), third in Gwangju (52.77), and whose best time this year is 53.04. Rylov has claimed consecutive 200 back titles. Murphy has two 200 back silvers, a 100 back silver and retains the world record in the 100.

Larkin was 15th in the 200 back in 2017, then scratched the event at 2019 Worlds, opting instead for the 200 IM, in which he finished seventh in 1:57.32. It was a far cry from the 100-200 back double he did in 2015 at Worlds in Kazan.

There’s a balance for Larkin, who declared just before Australian Trials that he wouldn’t swim the 200 back. In mid-June, he was ranked second in the world in that event with a very fast 1:54.38 set just in April at the Australian Swim Club Championships, though he hasn’t touched the personal best he set back in 2015 at 1:53.17 in quite some time. On the other hand, his 1:56.29 in the 200 IM from Trials, June 16, was the second fastest in the world—and his best time from 2019 is 1:55.72, a Commonwealth record and faster than anyone has swum so far this year.

Age: 24 (Feb. 28, 1997) Height: 6-1 Records: 200 free (1:44.65-Japan), 400 free relay (3:12.54-Asian/47.61 3rd leg) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/1 silver 2019 World Championships: Silver: 200 free (1:45.22)

KATSUHIRO MATSUMOTO | Japan Each Olympic cycle, the men’s 200 freestyle is often billed as one of the “can’t-miss” races of the swimming portion of the Games.

In 1988, three world record holders lined up behind the blocks in Seoul only for none of them to win the gold medal, that distinction going to Australia’s Duncan Armstrong in one of the greatest Olympic upsets in the sport.

In 2000, the Netherlands’ Pieter van den Hoogenband scored a monumental upset over Australian Ian Thorpe in front of the Sydney crowd, tying the world record from the night before. Thorpe, although just 17, was looked at as an unbeatable force, and no one expected him to lose in front of a home crowd, but Hoogie beat him to the wall, leaving the crowd stunned.

Four years later, those two lined up for the ultimate grudge match in Athens. Throw in a 19-year-old Michael Phelps, who wanted to challenge two living legends of the sport, and you have what was dubbed as “the race of the century.” Thorpe ultimately got his revenge in that race, while Phelps went on to dominate four years later in 2008.

Flash forward to 2021, and with questions surrounding reigning Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang’s status in the Games, the 200 freestyle seems up for grabs.

Enter Katsuhiro Matsumoto. The Japanese star didn’t make his senior debut until the 2017 Worlds, where the then-20-year-old finished 27th in the 200 free. He swam in two finals on relays, where he gained valuable experience racing on the global level. A month later, he was at the 2017 Summer Universiade, where he had another disappointing showing individually in the 200 free—a 19th-place finish and no second swim.

But Matsumoto rebounded later on to lead Japan to a gold medal 12

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in the 4x200 free relay at those Games, and he returned home with his first international medal.

A year later, Matsumoto was on the international podium for the first time individually, accepting the bronze medal in the 200 at the 2018 Pan Pacs in his home country for his 1:45.92, which put him ninth in the world that year. Ten days later at the Asian Games, he won silver in the 200 free and gold in the 4x100 and 4x200 free relays.

That international experience helped him break through in 2019, where he won the silver medal in the 200 free at the World Championships in Gwangju, setting a national record in the process at 1:45.22.

In the lead-up to the original 2020 Games, the 200 free looked to be up for grabs due to reigning world champ Sun Yang’s original eight-year suspension, leaving Matsumoto and Danas Rapsys (who touched first in that 200 free final in 2019 before getting disqualified) as the logical new favorites.

On April 5, Matsumoto lowered his Japanese record to 1:44.65 to briefly lead the world rankings in the event for two weeks— until Duncan Scott (1:44.47) and Tom Dean (1:44.58) went faster at the British Nationals. Matsumoto also qualified to swim the 100 freestyle and has dabbled in the 400 this year, but he has been all-in on the 200 freestyle for the home Olympics.

Will his efforts for the 200 result in Matsumoto being Japan’s first male gold medalist in freestyle since 1936? A home Olympics has given a boost to the host nation’s athletes, and Japan’s rich history in the pool will certainly be on full display in Tokyo. In a race as tactical and wide open as the 200, this could be the perfect moment for Matsumoto. — Andy Ross

[PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]

Age: 20 (July 12, 2001) Height: 5-9 Records: 50 back (27.16-Commonwealth), 100 back (57.45-world), 200 back (2:04.28-Commonwealth) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/3 silver 2019 World Championships: Silver: 200 back (2:06.26), 400 medley relay (prelims/59.44 back)

KAYLEE McKEOWN | Australia

[PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]

Anyone in the sport understands the grueling nature of training.

In the water. In the gym. In the mind. But no matter how difficult the sessions may be from day-to-day, Kaylee McKeown recognizes how they pale in comparison to the fight her father, Sholto, waged against brain cancer. In August, it will be a year since McKeown’s father lost his battle with glioblastoma, his life shortened to 53 years.

Now, McKeown is surging toward the pandemic-delayed Olympic Games with her father as an inspiration, and with the knowledge that her family’s patriarch passed along a powerful mindset. On the road to Tokyo, and under the guidance of Coach Chris Mooney, McKeown sees the importance of seizing the moment and fighting to the end.

“Dad was taken from us too soon by something so cruel,” McKeown said at the time of her father’s death. “But the love, the memories and the laughter will forever be cherished in our hearts.

He was so unbelievably strong and wanted to defy the odds that were stacked against him. With no time to waste, we buckled up for a hell of a journey and held each other’s hands every step of the way. The heavens above have gained another beautiful angel to watch over us.”

Since COVID-19 emerged and pressed the pause button on the 2020 Olympic Games, athletes around the world have responded differently in their returns to the water. Some have looked sharp.

Others have yet to regain their pre-pandemic mojo. Still others are floating somewhere in between. Count McKeown in the top 1% of performers.

Entering the Olympic summer, McKeown’s greatest international achievement is the silver medal she claimed in the 200 meter

backstroke at the 2019 World Championships. But by the time Tokyo comes to a close, there is a chance the just-turned 20-yearold (July 12) will own a fistful of medals from the biggest stage her sport has to offer.

At seemingly every stop ahead of the Australian Olympic Trials, June 12-17, McKeown was in statement-making mode. In the 100 backstroke at the Sydney Open, she just missed the world record with a Commonwealth standard of 57.63. There have been 2:04 markers in the 200 backstroke. And in the 200 individual medley, McKeown has been sub-2:09 to earn podium-contender status for the Games. (As SW was about to go to press, McKeown set a world record at the Australian Olympic Trials with a 57.45 in the 100 back and won the 200 back in 2:04.28 and 200 IM in 2:08.19.)

In an era in which the Australian women do not lack for starpower, thanks to the presence of Cate Campbell and Emma McKeon, it can be argued that McKeown has the potential for the greatest fireworks in Tokyo. With considerable momentum behind her, McKeown could be a disruptive force to the United States’ backstroke battalion—a unit powered by Regan Smith.

McKeown, too, has a chance to make history for her country.

Despite Australia’s longstanding greatness in the pool, no Australian woman has ever won gold at the Olympic Games in a backstroke event. The closest it has come are silver medals from Bonnie Mealing (1932) and Emily Seebohm (2012) in the 100 backstroke.

From her individual schedule to the role she will play in Australian relay duty, McKeown has the opportunity to emerge from the Tokyo Games as a global star. And as she pursues that success, there is no doubt she will have support from above. — John Lohn Age: 21 (Feb. 20, 2000) Height: 6-3 Records: 100 fly (50.18-Hungary), 200 fly (1:50.73-world), 400 medley relay (3:32.13-Hungary/50.97 fly), 800 free relay (7:07.67-Hungary/1:44.86 anchor) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/1 gold, 1 silver 2019 World Championships: Gold: 200 fly (1:50.73)

KRISTOF MILAK | Hungary It is not a large country, but Hungary knows a thing or two about producing big results in the pool. From the days of original superstar Alfred Hajos to the modern-day excellence of Krisztina Egerszegi and Tamas Darnyi, Hungary is proud of its rich tradition in the sport.

And now, as the Olympic Games are set to begin in Tokyo after a yearlong delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristof Milak is the latest Hungarian to carry his nation’s banner.

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[PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU, ISL]

recognized at an early age and generating high expectations. While World Junior and Youth Olympic titles dot his résumé, it was a silver medal in the 100 butterfly as a 17-year-old at the 2017 World Championships, behind American Caeleb Dressel, that proved he would be a factor on the biggest stage. And since that day arrived in his hometown of Budapest, Milak has not let up.

These days, Milak is best known for his prowess in the 200 butterfly, arguably the most grueling event in the sport. In a discipline where each stroke saps the body of energy, and the brain begs for the wall to appear, Milak can stay powerful and fend off the proverbial piano. Never was that ability more evident than at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

En route to a 1:50.73 world record, Milak charged home in 29.16, a split that was more than a second faster than six of the other seven finalists. And that closing leg came after Milak pressed the first 150 meters to build an insurmountable edge. The silver medalist in that race, Japan’s Daiya Seto, finished in 1:53.86, more than three seconds in the rearview mirror.

What Milak is doing in the 200 butterfly is comparable to the dominance that Great Britain’s Adam Peaty has shown in the 100 breaststroke and what American Katie Ledecky has enjoyed in the

distance-freestyle events. Simply, he is racing in his own realm, his primary competition the clock. Heading into the Tokyo Games, Milak owns the three fastest times in history, with his world record from Gwangju sitting 78-hundredths clear of Michael Phelps’ career best of 1:51.51, which stood as the world record for a decade.

It is not preposterous to suggest that Milak could threaten the 1:50 barrier at the Olympics, a threshold that is difficult to digest.

Some context for what Milak is chasing? Phelps is the only other athlete to eclipse the 1:52 barrier in the 200 fly, and that performance was delivered in 2009—during the tech-suit era.

As much as the 200 butterfly is Milak’s prime event, he recently claimed the European title in the 100 butterfly, his time of 50.18 making him the No. 4 performer in history. More, he has established himself as one of the world’s elite swimmers in the 200 freestyle, with an Olympic medal not out of reach. Simply, Milak continues to develop into a multidimensional force.

Years down the road, when greats of the sport are discussed, it would not be a surprise if the name of Kristof Milak is part of the conversation. He is, after all, headed in that direction, and further enhancing his nation’s aquatic excellence. — John Lohn

Age: 25 (Oct. 18, 1995) Height: 5-8 Records: 200 IM (2:07.91-Japan), 400 IM (4:30.82-Japan), 800 freestyle relay (7:48.96-Japan/1:58.10 anchor) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/1 silver, 1 bronze 2019 World Championships: Bronze: 400 IM (4:32.33)

YUI OHASHI | Japan There is nothing quite like earning the right to represent your country at the Olympic Games.

But even rarer is the opportunity to represent your country on home soil for the Olympics.

Japanese swimmers have worn that as a badge of honor the past four, now five years, since Tokyo became the host of the next Olympic Games.

Yui Ohashi is one of those swimmers ready for the opportunity to dive into the pool in her home country with the entire world watching.

But outside of Japan, she is an under-the-radar contender who could be poised to make her big breakthrough in Tokyo.

Ohashi burst onto the swimming scene at the 2017 World Championships, becoming the first Japanese woman to go sub-2:08 in the 200 IM, finishing with the silver medal in the event at her first Worlds, trailing only Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu.

That race put Ohashi on the map in the swimming world and proved that she belonged among the world’s best. It would only get better.

That silver would turn to gold multiple times in 2018.

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At the Pan Pacific Championships that year, she won the gold medal in the 400 IM (4:33.77), then claimed the 200 IM in 2:08.16, which, though not her best time, broke the Pan Pacific Championships record.

Ohashi then headed to Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games, where she won the gold medal in the 400 IM as well as silver in the 200 IM. Looking for redemption after missing out on gold in the 200 IM, her next international swim in the event was even worse. Ohashi was disqualified in that event at the 2019 World Championships, missing out on a chance to earn another medal.

Ohashi bounced back to take the bronze medal in the 400 IM, but that DQ in the 200 left Ohashi wanting, and that should be huge motivation for her in Tokyo.

It has been nearly two years since Ohashi has competed on the world’s stage. The world has been waiting to see what she is capable of, and Ohashi will be ready to prove it. If she can return to form and put together her best race, she might just be in even rarer company, listening to her national anthem being played at the Olympic Games in her own country. — Dan D'Addona

[PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT ]

Age: 22 (Dec. 18, 1998) Height: 5-7 Records: 800 free (8:14.99-Italy), 1500 free (15:40.89-Italy) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze 2019 World Championships: Gold: 1500 free (15:40.89) Silver: 800 free (8:14.99)

SIMONA QUADARELLA | Italy

[PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU/ISL ]

Every Olympic Games is not just a culmination, but a new beginning. The moment the Games finish, the next cycle of four years (or, in this oddity, five then three) kicks off, ushering the stars of the moment toward their lives of post-Olympic glory and clearing room for the next generation.

Since swimming departed Rio in 2016, few swimmers new to the world scene have had as productive a journey as Simona Quadarella. She didn’t qualify for the last Olympics, held when the native of Rome was just 17. Now 22, she’s emerged as one of the top claimants to Katie Ledecky’s distance throne. Quadarella was tabbed as a star for the future from her mid-teens. She won gold in the 800 free at the 2014 Youth Olympics and nabbed gold in the 1500 and silver in the 800 at the 2015 World Junior Championships.

Her introduction to the senior ranks came in 2017, with bronze in the 800 free at the European Championships (short course) and bronze in the 1500 at Worlds in Budapest. But her breakout meet was the 2018 European Championships, where she left Glasgow with gold in the 400, 800 and 1500 frees.

The 2019 World Championships brought silver in the 800 free behind Ledecky by a second-and-a-half in an Italian record, erasing a mark that had stood since the super-suited 2009 Worlds. She was second to Ledecky in prelims of the 1500 before Ledecky withdrew from Gwangju, helping Quadarella turn in a time of 15:40.89 in the final, another Italian record that bested the field by a Ledeckian margin of eight seconds.

The changes to the Olympics mean that there’s more on offer for Quadarella in Tokyo. Added to the program for the first time is the 1500 free, which she labels her favorite event. It may push her away from the 400, a relative sprint for her, though it didn’t prevent her

from doing the 400-800-1500 triple at the European Championships in May. Quadarella is the heir to the crown of outstanding Italian freestylers in recent years, a lineage that traces through the middistance dominance of Federica Pellegrini to the reign of Gregorio Paltrinieri and Gabriele Detti on the men’s side.

But Quadarella is also at the crest of a wave of rising Italian talent that makes the nation one to be reckoned with in Tokyo. The Italians led the way at the European Aquatics Championships with 44 total medals across all disciplines, and they scored the most points in the pool and open water swimming. With breaststroker Benedetta Pilato and backstroker Margherita Panziera, the Italians will field a roster with multiple medal threats.

“I think swimming in Italy is improving so much in the last few years,” Quadarella told Swimming World last year. “I think there is a generation changing because there are so many younger swimmers in Italy.”

The race to the distance podiums is crowded. Germany’s Sarah Kohler, while she didn’t swim at Euros, remains a significant contender. Like Quadarella, the extra year of experience will only help Ariarne Titmus, the 20-year-old Australian phenom who outdueled Ledecky in the 400 free in Gwangju, something that not many can say.

Quadarella’s times remain well shy of Ledecky at her best. Her best time in the 800 (8:14.99) is 10 seconds shy of Ledecky’s world record. In the 1500, it’s a 20-second spread from Quadarella’s best (15:40.89) to Ledecky’s world record from 2018.

But with the extra year of preparation, Quadarella is looking to write her name into the next generation of stars. — Matthew De George

Age: 24 (Sept. 23, 1996) Height: 6-1 Records: 100 back (52.12-Russia), 200 back (1:53.23-European), mixed 400 medley relay (3:28.81-Russia/52.57 backstroke leadoff) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): 1 bronze/2 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze 2019 World Championships: Gold: 200 back (1:53.40) Silver: 50 back (24.49), 100 back (52.67), 400 free relay (3:09.97/47.02 anchor) Bronze: 400 medley relay (3:28.81/52.57 backstroke leadoff)

EVGENY RYLOV | Russia CONTINUED ON 16 >> JULY 2021

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READY FOR IMPACT / Continued from 15

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

Over the past several years, no swimmer has been more prolific in the men’s backstroke events than Evgeny Rylov. Back in 2016, Rylov was just 19 when he won a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke at the Rio Olympics, and he has expanded his résumé extensively in the years since. Rylov has won gold medals in the 200 back at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, and he took down Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy on both occasions. And he has improved markedly in the 100 back as well. In 2019, he won silver at the World Championships, and he later swam a 51.97 mixed medley relay leadoff (which does not count on the all-time rankings) that only four other men have ever eclipsed.

Rylov got his Olympic year off to a rousing start by swimming a 52.12 in the 100 back and a 1:53.23 in the 200 back at Russia’s Olympic Trials in April, and that 200 back took down his own European record. Rylov’s mixed medley relay leadoff split from 2019 does not count as an official record, so he traded the Russian 100 back record with countryman Kliment Kolesnikov earlier this year at those Trials. Rylov emerged victorious in the final with a 52.12, just 1-hundredth off Camille Lacourt’s European record.

At the European Championships, Kolesnikov swam a 52.09 as a mixed relay leadoff, also unofficial, and then a 52.13 as a men’s medley relay leadoff, just missing Rylov’s record.

Rylov and Kolesnikov will head to the Tokyo Olympics on the short list of contenders for the gold medal in the 100 back, and Rylov is the clear favorite in the 200 back. And while Rylov did not swim at peak form at the European Championships in May, he still added a second straight continental title in the 200 back.

Rylov has some impressive skills in sprint freestyle as well, and he could contribute to Russia’s 400 free relay at the Olympics.

At the 2019 World Championships, he anchored the silver medalwinning squad in 47.02.

In Tokyo, Rylov will be a central cog to a Russian men’s squad that has gained clout in recent years. Although Russia is technically “banned” from the Olympics for anti-doping violations (its flag and national anthem will not appear, but most of its athletes can compete), the country’s swimmers appear to be on track for a signature performance.

In Olympic history, Russia and the Soviet Union have won just 12 individual golds in men’s swimming, half of which were at the 1980 Games that the United States and other countries boycotted.

No Russians have topped the Olympic podium since Alexander Popov (50 and 100 free) and Denis Pankratov (100 and 200 fly) in 1996, but this time, Rylov, Kolesnikov and 200 breast world record holder Anton Chupkov will all head to Tokyo with a great chance of winning gold. — David Rieder

Age: 20 (Sept. 7, 2000) Height: 5-10 Records: 200 free (1:53.09-Commonwealth), 400 free (3:56.90-Commonwealth), 800 free (8:15.57-Oceanian), 800 free relay (7:41.50-world/1:54.27 leadoff) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze 2019 World Championships: Gold: 400 free (3:58.76), 800 free relay (7:41.50/1:54.27 leadoff) Silver: 200 free (1:54.66) Bronze: 800 free (8:15.70)

ARIARNE TITMUS | Australia When Ariarne Titmus made her senior international debut at the 2017 World Championships, she was just 16, and a fourthplace finish in the 400 free plus contributing to an 800 free relay bronze medal hinted at some significant potential in the years to come. Over the next two years, Titmus would see her career take off, and quickly, she became the first real international rival to American distance stud and five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky in an event 400 meters or longer.

In 2018, Titmus began accumulating international medals.

She won four medals, including individual golds in the 400 and 800 free, at the Commonwealth Games, and at the Pan Pacific Championships, she became just the second woman ever to break 4:00 in the 400 free in a textile suit while finishing just over a second behind Ledecky. She capped off her year by winning gold medals in the 200 and 400 free at the Short Course World Championships in December and taking down the world record (short course) in the 400-meter event.

All that was a prelude to the stunning moment that Titmus 16

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produced on the opening day of the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. This time, not only did Ledecky never establish an early advantage, as she had in every single international 400 free to that point in her career, but even when the American did take the lead, she could never break away from Titmus. Ledecky led by 6-tenths at the final turn, but Titmus exploded with a 29.51 finishing split to pass and then pull away from Ledecky, leaving the collective swimming world in total shock.

Afterward, Titmus claimed to have felt no pressure, hoping only to fight as hard as possible to the finish, but even she recognized the landmark achievement of ending a win streak in distance events that had carried on for six years.

“It’s crazy to think she has been dominating distance freestyle since 2012,” Titmus said. “Now, hopefully she is excited that she now has a battle with me. Katie is a true champion. To do something like this, I suppose every girl dreams of doing it.”

In the next few days, the world learned that Ledecky had actually been sick, and she pulled out of several events at that

[PHOTO BY XINHUA/YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES ]

meet. Meanwhile, Titmus ended up winning three more medals, a silver medal in the 200 free, gold (in world-record time) in the 800 free relay and a bronze in the 800 free. Her star was set for the Tokyo Olympics, her status as Ledecky’s first real rival in a longer event now confirmed.

Now, almost two years later, the two will finally reconvene for one of the most anticipated races of the Olympics. And Titmus wants to race Ledecky in top form, when the American is not sick, a chance which will come in Tokyo. Titmus actually had setbacks of her own this year, including undergoing shoulder surgery in December, but she was back in the pool and back in form for April’s Australian Swimming Championships, where she recorded impressive times (1:55-mid 200 free, 4:01.3 400 free and 8:23.1

800 free) that set her up beautifully for the summer.

Just like Titmus won four medals at the World Championships in 2019, that seems like a reasonable target for these Olympics as well. She will contend for gold medals in the 200 and 400 free and for a medal of some color (likely behind heavily-favored Ledecky) in the 800 free. She will also again play a key role on Australia’s 800 free relay team, which has legitimate gold-medal aspirations.

Titmus has been able to get to this point of sustained success and close the gap that so many distance swimmers were unable to close over the last nine years. But Titmus was never fazed by the thought of racing Ledecky. Titmus has been fearless and at her best in the biggest moments, so expect to see a huge fight out of the 20-year-old Australian in Tokyo. — David Rieder

Age: 23 (April 19, 1998) Height: 5-9 Records: 100 free (52.90 twice-China), 100 fly (55.62p-Asian), mixed 400 medley relay (3:38.41p-world/55.32 fly) Medal Count (Olympics/LC Worlds): none/3 bronze 2019 World Championships: 5th: 400 medley relay (3:57.11/56.44 fly) 12th: 50 fly (26.18sf) 13th (tie): 100 fly (57.93sf) 26th: 200 fly (2:14.20p)

ZHANG YUFEI | China Over the last 15 years, the Chinese women have had a rich history in the butterfly events.

At the 2008 Olympics, Liu Zige and Jiao Liuyang went 1-2 in the 200 butterfly in front of a home crowd in Beijing, which remains the last time a country swept gold and silver in a women’s swimming event at the Games. Jiao elevated to gold in the 200 fly in 2012, while she and Liu traded World titles in 2011 and 2013.

When those two retired, Zhang Yufei looked to be the one to continue their legacy: In 2014 at the age of 16, Zhang won two silvers in the 100 and 200 fly at the Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing.

A year later at the 2015 Worlds, she broke the world junior record in the 200 fly en route to a bronze medal at 2:06.51, and looked to be an outside shot for a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Instead, she finished sixth in the Rio final, about two seconds away from the podium.

For the next two years, Zhang remained near the top of the world rankings. With her junior career officially over, she finished fifth in the 200 fly final at the 2017 Worlds, and in 2018, she had the third fastest time globally with her gold from the Asian Games at 2:06.61.

But she still hadn’t been faster than her 2:06.5 from 2015 when she was 17.

Her break on the senior level finally came last September at the age of 22. Swimming at China’s nationals, Zhang blasted an Asian record in prelims of the 100 butterfly with a 55.62, rattling Sarah Sjostrom’s 55.47 world record in the process.

The swim seemingly came out of nowhere for Zhang, who had

only managed a 57.41 the year before, when she was ranked 11th in the world and had been better known as a 200 flyer. But even her 200 fly that year was forgettable: At the 2019 Worlds, she could only muster a 2:14 that placed her 26th overall and out of the semifinals.

But in the pandemic year, she emerged as just the fourth woman to break 56 seconds in the 100 fly, and also was on the lone world record-setting relay of 2020, splitting a 55.32 on China’s mixed medley at the Chinese Championships in October. Her sprint free times also were stellar—a 52.90 in the 100 free put her third in the world for the calendar year.

She had shied away from the 200 fly during the pandemic months of 2020, admitting she was afraid of the grueling event, but in 2021 she went 2:05.44 at nationals and finally broke through from her best junior career times.

Zhang’s 55.73 100 fly at Chinese Nationals, May 2, put her atop the world rankings until Torri Huske went 55.66, June 14, at U.S. Trials. With a lot of talk around Americans Huske and Claire Curzan, Australian Emma McKeon and reigning World champ Maggie MacNeil of Canada, Zhang seems to get lost in the conversation among gold medal favorites for Tokyo.

Zhang has been on a tear the last two years, and besides her butterfly success, she’s swum a 24.32 in the 50 free (eighth in the world) and 52.90 in the 100 free (third globally).

She’ll definitely have some decisions to make if she is to tackle all four of those individual events, but one thing is for certain: Zhang should not be taken lightly in either the 100 or 200 butterfly come Tokyo...and she just may be the person to beat. — Andy Ross v JULY 2021

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PRODUCING THE USA SWIMMING ONLINE TESTS

BY BILL ROSE (SN)

T

he Online Test Committee, a sub-committee of the National Officials Committee, is being led by Bill Rose (SN), senior editors Paul Jones (MI) and Joe Woo (PC) and category editors to keep the USA Swimming online tests aligned with the current rulebook.

The category editors cover the following: • Phil Barnes (IA), administrative category •

David Coleman (HI), referee category

•

Trey Prinz (ST), strokes and Masters swimming categories

•

Judy Sharkey (NJ), YMCA test editor

•

Wayne Shulby (NC), clerk of course and timing judge categories

•

Mike Urbanowicz (CO), open water conduct, national and venue open categories

•

Lisa Vetterlein (PN), starter and disability categories

When the new rulebook is compared to the prior years, new questions are written and sent to the Rules and Regulations Committee. Once approved, they receive a master question (MQ) number, and only questions that have been missed more than 25% of the time, or that have to be updated, will be reviewed.

As a comparison, 179 MQs were edited for 2020. This year, 90 MQs were edited, most of them dealing with where renumbering took place.

Each year, beginning April 15, the tests go offline to allow the category editors a chance to balance the test as it was the previous year. Duplicate questions are eliminated, and questions are combined whenever possible. Part 2 of the test—looking for the exact technical reference found in the rulebook—has been eliminated and replaced by hints for each question. There are now more MQs than ever, so no test taker will have an identical test.

When all the tests have been balanced, we are good to go live again. To finish the review, the team lead takes all of the tests to make sure they all look good for our test takers. Tests go live again on May 1.

Another document is compiled for the YMCA editor so updates can be made to the questions used on their tests. The YMCA uses our questions, but they only use specific questions with no randomization.

The NCAA adopts a new rulebook every two years. The year that the rules change, the NCAA questions are reviewed to see if any of them need to be replaced or corrected. We have been helping this organization the last six years, but they write and correct all of their own questions. The NCAA likes to have their tests ready for a Sept. 1 start.v 18

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EXCELLENCE AWARD

BERT HEWITT Bert Hewitt has been one of the Middle Atlantic’s most dedicated senior officials. He will be retiring this spring after serving as a national YMCA and LSC official for decades.

Bert has served as a national YMCA trainer and has worked for years at YMCA Nationals.

As a member of the Middle Atlantic Officials Committee, he took on the responsibility of OTS as well as being the LSC’s national evaluations coordinator.

He’s been a mentor for literally hundreds of officials. Bert is that welcoming face who you can find on pool decks nearly every weekend. Without asking, he is the person you can count on to be at every one of the Middle Atlantic championship meets, working every session in any capacity without ever having a bad word to say about anyone or anything. He is an extremely humble individual who will be truly missed. The LSC will find it immensely impossible to fill the void that will be left with his departure.

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE HASTY EXCELLENCE AWARD

Hastyawards.com | 800.448.7714

TRAINING

DRYSIDE TRAINING

SUMMER SPEED

2

BY J.R. ROSANIA • DEMONSTRATED BY NORIKO INADA • PHOTOS BY EMMI BRYTOWSKI

With the summer months upon us and the pandemic slowing, swimmers around the globe are “fixing to get faster.”

Things slowed down for past year as we scrambled to keep our fitness. No racing left us without any chances to improve upon our live racing speed. As meets resume, swimmers now need to prepare for competition and make sure they have the speed they need.

In this month’s article, let’s look at exercises that can enhance one’s swim speed. Perform each exercise two to three times a week. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions, focusing on speed of movement over weight. Use your perceived effort resistance of 75% where you can perform six to 10 repetitions without failure.

As usual, discontinue weights 1 to 2 weeks prior to a major competition.

As you work through these exercises, you will feel an increase in strength and speed after six to eight weeks.

1 ) JUMP ROPE (FOR LEG SPEED) Perform three rounds of two minutes with 4 x 15-second all-out efforts per 30 seconds. Over time, increase effort related to speed.

2 ) ALTERNATING DUMBBELL BENT-OVER ROW (BACK STRENGTH) While standing, bend over until until your shoulders are parallel with the floor. Perform a single arm row motion, alternating arms, while staying in a horizontal position.

3

3 ) PRONE PLANK WITH ARM EXTENSION (CORE STRENGTH) Establish a prone plank position, keeping your back flat and horizontal with the floor. Extend one arm forward and overhead, and hold for three seconds. Alternate to the other arm.

4 ) DUMBBELL SQUAT JUMP WITH OVERHEAD PRESS (LEG POWER) Standing straight and holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, perform a squat. When standing up, press the dumbbells overhead, keeping your arms straight. Repeat.

5 ) STABILITY BALL ALTERNATING DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS (SHOULDER STRENGTHENING) While lying supine with your back and shoulders on a stability ball, perform an alternating bench press movement.

4

1

5

MEET THE TRAINER J.R. Rosania, B.S., exercise science, is one of the nation’s top performance enhancement coaches. He is the owner and CEO of Healthplex, LLC, in Phoenix.

Check out Rosania’s website at www.jrhealthplex.net.

MEET THE ATHLETE Noriko Inada, 42, swam for Japan at the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She now swims Masters for Phoenix Swim Club, and owns Masters world records in the women’s 25-29, 30-34, 3539 and 40-44 age groups.

NOTICE All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.

JULY 2021

SWIMMINGWORLD.COM

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COACHING

SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS

BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.

MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 3):

MINIMIZING THE ARM ENTRY PHASE TIME IN FREESTYLE AND BUTTERFLY

T

he previous article (SW June 2021) in this series showed that with an increase in swimming velocity, there was a decrease in the time duration of all four phases of the stroke cycle for all four strokes.

However, even at the fastest velocity, there was still a substantial amount of non-propulsive time in every stroke cycle, as shown in the data from four studies (Fig. 1): butterfly (Chollet, Seifert, Boulesteix, Carter, 2006), backstroke (Chollet, Seifert & Carter, 2008), breaststroke (Leblanc, Seifert, Baudry & Chollet, 2005) and freestyle (Seifert, Chollet & Bardy, 2004).

The non-propulsive time in a stroke cycle consists of the time for the entry phase and the recovery phase. This article presents strategies to minimize the entry phase time for freestyle and butterfly so that a swimmer can decrease stroke cycle time, increase stroke rate and increase swimming velocity.

FREESTYLE ENTRY PHASE To swim fast, swimmers must minimize the entry phase time. However, even when sprinting, there is usually at least 2-tenths of a second of non-propulsive time before the arm begins to generate propulsion.

The graph in Fig. 2 shows the consistency in the entry phase time for 10 groups of elite swimmers from eight studies (only the first author is listed: Chollet, 2000; Guignard, 2020; Millet, 2002; Potdevin, 2006; Seifert, 2003, 2004; Schnitzler, 2008, 2010).

The non-propulsive time on the arm entry is primarily due to the time required to move the arm from the position when it submerges to the position when it begins to generate propulsion. Research shows that when sprinting, male swimmers typically complete the arm entry parallel to the surface with the hand level with the shoulder, as shown by the male position in Fig. 3 (Havriluk, 2014). Female swimmers typically complete the entry with the hand above the shoulder, as shown by the female position.

With either a typical male or female arm entry, time is required for a swimmer to move the arm below the shoulder to a position where propulsion can begin (i.e., the optimal position). If, instead, the arm submerged below the shoulder to the optimal position as it entered, the entry phase time would be minimized.

FIG. 1 >The graph shows the time duration of propulsive and non-propulsive phases of the stroke cycle for all four strokes.

FIG. 2 > The graph shows the entry phase time for swimmers from eight studies. The letters above the bars indicate the sex of the study participants (M = males, F = females, MF = males and females).

BUTTERFLY ENTRY PHASE Similar to freestyle, there is usually considerable excess time in the butterfly arm entry phase. For example, a typical butterfly arm entry for an elite swimmer is shown in the left image of Fig. 4.

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The swimmer’s hands are just below the surface, and her shoulders are submerged far below her hands. She required almost 2-tenths of a second of entry phase time to submerge her hands below her shoulders to a position where she could begin to generate propulsion, as shown in the right image.

The butterfly entry phase time was evaluated in a study of 23 university female swimmers (Becker & Havriluk, 2010). The group

FIG. 3 > The model shows the position of the arm at the completion of the typical male and female freestyle arm entries, as well as the optimal entry.

FIG. 4> An elite swimmer with a typical butterfly arm entry (left image). She required almost 2-tenths of a second to submerge her hands below her shoulders to a position where she could begin to generate propulsion (right image).

required an average of over 3-tenths of a second to submerge the hands below the shoulders to a position where they could begin to generate propulsion.

STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE ENTRY PHASE TIME Strategies to minimize entry phase time are similar for freestyle and butterfly. For both strokes, it is important to: 1.

Position the elbow above the hand when the arm is above the surface and about to submerge (Fig. 5, top panel)

2.

Angle the arm downward as the arm submerges (middle panel)

3.

Complete the arm entry with the hand below the shoulder (bottom panel).

4.

If the hand is below the shoulder when the arm straightens (Fig. 5, bottom panel), a swimmer can immediately begin to generate propulsion. An effective arm entry for freestyle or butterfly requires no more than 1-tenth of a second and would eliminate at least 50% of the typical non-propulsive entry phase time. v

FIG. 5 > An effective arm entry for freestyle (left panel) and butterfly (right panel).

Dr. Rod Havriluk is a sport scientist and consultant who specializes in swimming technique instruction and analysis. His newest ebooks in the “Approaching Perfect Swimming” series are “Optimal Stroke Technique” and “Swimming Without Pain,” and are available at swimmingtechnology.com. Contact Rod through info@swimmingtechnology.com. All scientific documentation relating to this article, including scientific principles, studies and research papers, can be provided upon demand.

SUMMARY

An effective arm entry in either freestyle or butterfly can substantially decrease the time of the entry phase. A reduction in nonpropulsive, entry phase time decreases the stroke cycle time, increases the stroke rate and increases swimming velocity.

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT JULY 2021

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21

TAKEOFF TO TOKYO ICONIC MOMENTS IN

OLYMPIC HISTORY

>> ALFRED HAJOS, HUNGARY (1896)

THE INAUGURAL CHAMP (1896) In 1896, when the Modern Games debuted in Athens, Hungarian Alfred Hajos earned a distinction that will never be removed: First swimming champion. Jumpstarting what has been a rich history for Hungary in Olympic waters, Hajos captured gold in the 100 meter freestyle, a title that was later complemented by another gold medal in the 1200 freestyle. (It wasn’t until 1908 that the event was contested over 1500 meters.)

In the more than a century that has elapsed since Hajos raced to victory in the Mediterranean Sea, Hungary has produced legends such as Tamas Darnyi, Krisztina Egerszegi and Katinka Hosszu. But Hajos will always be his nation’s first Olympic champ and viewed as the athlete who set the stage for future success.

THE FIRST LADY (1912) Sixteen years after the Olympic Games were first held in their modern form, women competed in the sport of swimming at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. There, Australian Fanny Durack etched her name in the history books when she won the 100 freestyle and opened the door for fellow female athletes to show their skills.

This summer in Tokyo, 109 years after Durack broke a gender barrier, the swimming schedule at the Olympics will be identical for men and women.

THE BREAK OF DAWN (1956, 1960, 1964) At the 1964 Olympics, Australia’s Dawn Fraser was already a legend, having won the 100 freestyle at back-to-back Games in 1956 and 1960. The sprint star, however, elevated her status even further in Tokyo, as she secured a third consecutive gold medal in the 100 free, this achievement despite Fraser nursing a neck injury from a car accident several months earlier that also claimed the life of her mother.

Fraser remained the only member of the three-peat club until 1996, when Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi won her third straight Olympic crown in the 200 backstroke. Michael Phelps finally gave the male gender inclusion at the 2012 Olympics, when he three-peated in 22

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>> FANNY DURACK, AUSTRALIA (1912)

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

I

n October of 2019, nearly a year prior to the original date of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Swimming World designed a series that would pay homage to the history of the sport on its biggest stage.

Dubbed “Takeoff to Tokyo,” the series would feature some of the mostintriguing storylines from the more than 100 years of the Games.

Sometimes, plans do not go according to plan, and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and forced a one-year delay of the Olympics, “Takeoff to Tokyo” saw its life expectancy extended. The series ultimately grew into nearly a two-year endeavor, one that featured pieces on legendary figures, epic races and dark moments. Now, with the Olympics set to take place, it is time to say farewell to this project.

For our final installment, we offer a look (in chronological order) at some of the most prominent moments in Olympic lore. While some of these entries have been explored in deeper profiles during the series, several are new additions to the TTT vault.

We hope you enjoy this final chapter, and what has come before.

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

BY JOHN LOHN

[SWIMMING WORLD PHOTO BY DON CHADEZ]

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

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both the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. Four years later, at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Phelps made it four in a row in the 200 medley.

“I put myself under a lot of pressure by deciding to go to Tokyo, and I also put myself under a lot of pressure to compete in the same event in three Olympics,” Fraser said. “I had, at the back of my mind, that this was for my mother because we were saving up for my mother to go to Tokyo with me. I just imagined that she was there and that I was doing it for her.”

>> DAWN FRASER, AUSTRALIA ( 1956, 1960, 1964)

>> DEBBIE MEYER, USA (1968)

>> MARK SPITZ, USA (1972)

FREESTYLE QUEEN (1968) So much is made of what Katie Ledecky has accomplished, and rightfully so. A case can be made for Ledecky as the finest female swimmer in history, and her gold-medal trifecta at the 2016 Olympics might be the best evidence for that claim. But before Ledecky came along, American teenager Debbie Meyer provided targets for all to chase.

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Meyer won the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle. It is tough enough to pull off three wins in a single Olympiad, but Meyer also had to overcome asthma while racing at high altitude. More than a half-century later, Meyer’s trifecta is still revered, and can be considered a motivational force as Ledecky replicated the feat at the 2016 Games.

SEVEN FOR SPITZ (1972) To this day, what Mark Spitz pulled off at the 1972 Olympics in Munich remains one of the greatest accomplishments in the sport. With victories in the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly and three relays, Spitz set a single Games record for gold medals with seven. It was a mark that endured for 36 years until Michael Phelps did his thing.

Enhancing Spitz’s week was the fact that all seven of his wins arrived in world-record time and in dominant fashion. The closest finish Spitz had was his triumph over countryman Jerry Heidenreich in the 100 freesstyle by 43-hundredths of a second. By winning seven gold medals, Spitz established a bar for all to chase, including the likes of Matt Biondi and Michael Phelps.

“I set a record that lasted 36 years until Michael Phelps broke it,” Spitz said. “It’s amazing that I was an inspiration to someone not even born yet to achieve and excel in my sport.

That’s the greatest accolade I could leave for my sport and the Olympic movement. What is a higher regard?”

AN IMPOSSIBLE GOLD (1976) By the time the women’s 400 freestyle relay rolled around at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, East Germany had won 11 of the 12 events contested. Led by Kornelia Ender, the East Germans seemed unbeatable in the last relay, especially since Ender and Petra Priemer won gold and silver in the 100 freestyle.

More, the United States was facing an opponent that was benefiting from the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Although the suspicion was just that at the time, the cheating ways of the East Germans were confirmed years later.

But the last gold in Montreal did not find its way back to Europe. Rather, the United States pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever, as the foursome of Kim Peyton, Wendy Boglioli, Jill Sterkel and Shirley Babashoff set a world record of 3:44.82 and guaranteed the American women would not go home without a gold medal.

“We got together before the relay and sat there and did this mental thing where you swim the race over and over, see where you are and the time you want to do,” Babashoff said. “We did the swim over and over in our head. This is how we’re going to win. We’re going to train our brains to make us win.”

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN? (1980) Part of the beauty of sports is taking a cross-generational look at various stars. How would Babe Ruth have fared against Roger Clemens? What would Wilt Chamberlain have done in today’s NBA? In the sport of swimming, politics got in the way of what might have been one of the greatest rivalries.

At the 1976 Olympics, American Brian Goodell was sensational en route to gold medals and world records in the 400 freestyle and 1500 freestyle. Four years later, the Soviet Union’s Vladimir Salnikov pulled off the same double, and delivered a world record in the longer event.

>> WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE RELAY, USA (1976, FROM LEFT, KIM PEYTON, WENDY BOGLIOLI, JILL STERKEL AND SHIRLEY BABASHOFF)

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SIX IN A ROW—TWICE (1996) While the United States has long been the world’s superpower in the sport, the backstroke streaks the United States carries into this summer’s Olympics is difficult to fathom. In both the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, Team USA has won the last six Olympic titles!

In the 100 back, the streak started in 1996 when Jeff Rouse prevailed in Atlanta. He has been followed as Olympic champ by Lenny Krayzelburg (2000), Aaron Peirsol (2004, 2008), Matt Grevers (2012) and Ryan Murphy (2016). As for the 200 backstroke, Brad Bridgewater started the run in 1996 and has been followed by Krayzelburg (2000), Peirsol (2004), Ryan Lochte (2008), Tyler Clary (2012) and Murphy (2016).

WILL HE MAKE IT? (2000) At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the prelims of the men’s 100 freestyle were not about qualifying order, but the question of whether Equatorial Guinea’s Eric Moussambani would finish his race. Competing alone, Moussambani posted a time of 1:52.72 (slower than the winning 200 freestyle time) while looking like he was going to drown at the Sydney Aquatic Centre.

From a country without a long-course pool, Moussambani was clearly out of his element, but received an invitation to the Games as part of an initiative to grow the sport in smaller nations. Given the nickname, Eric the Eel, Moussambani might have been overmatched, but his determination to reach the wall is now regarded as a show of perseverance.

“The time wasn’t good, but I did it,” Moussambani said. “The experience of the Olympics is not just about competition. It’s also about participation and the spirit (of doing your best). I think that’s what made me famous. When I got out of the pool, people came up

FLY WITH VELOCITY

>> BRIAN GOODELL, USA (1980)

>> VLADIMIR SALNIKOV, SOVIET UNION (1980)

>> ANTHONY NESTY, SURINAME (1988)

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>> JEFF ROUSE, USA (1996)

[PHOTO BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME]

A BARRIER BREAKER (1988) These days, Anthony Nesty is known as the highly successful coach of the University of Florida. Yet, before he began to flourish in that role, Nesty became the first Black man to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Games. The feat by the Suriname native was achieved at the 1988 Games in Seoul and required an awe-inspiring finish.

Trailing United States star Matt Biondi in the 100 butterfly for the majority of the two laps, Nesty perfectly calculated his finish while Biondi was caught between strokes. The outcome of that scenario was Nesty touching the wall in 53.00, just 1-hundredth faster than his American foe. By the slimmest of margins, Nesty delivered a breakthrough for his race and became a national hero.

“I don’t think of it much, but I know my place in history,” Nesty once said. “My philosophy is that I had a great career as an athlete, but my goal now is to be the best coach I can be for the athletes (at the University of Florida). That said, it’s obviously a great honor, especially when I go to Suriname. They’re still celebrating after 25 years, and it’s such a sense of pride for a small country like Suriname, and everyone who had a hand in my success should feel a sense of pride.”

[PHOTO BY LADISLAV PERENYI ]

The men were expected to clash at the 1980 Games in Moscow, but Goodell’s participation was squashed when the United States boycotted the Olympics in response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

With Goodell in his early 20s in 1980, and Salnikov obviously in peak form, the distance events could have produced some of the finest races of all-time. Instead, we are only left to wonder about what might have been.

[SWIMMING WORLD PHOTO BY DON CHADEZ]

TAKEOFF TO TOKYO / Continued from 23

SPONSORED BY

[PHOTO BY TIM MORSE PHOTOGRAPHY]

to me and gave me congratulations. When I was walking around the Olympic Village, people were asking for my autograph. It changed everything in my life. People knew my name and my country. It let me try to grow the sport in my country.”

>> BRAD BRIDGEWATER, USA (1996)

A RECORD GOING NOWHERE (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) The truth is, we could have included Michael Phelps throughout this “Takeoff to Tokyo” finale. But it seemed most appropriate to conclude the piece with what Phelps managed as a five-time Olympian. From his debut as a 15-year-old in Sydney in 2000 to his farewell in Rio in 2016, Phelps occupied the Olympic spotlight in a way that will never be matched.

For his career, Phelps collected 28 Olympic medals, with 23 of those medals of the gold variety. He twice won eight medals in a single Olympiad, including eight gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing, where he broke Spitz’s record and tied him with seven world records.

The Tokyo Games will mark the first time since 1996 that Phelps is not a member of a Team USA Olympic team, and it will feel strange not to see him on the starting blocks. But Phelps will forever be part of history, his stature as the Greatest of AllTime (GOAT) firmly established.

“This all started and began with one little dream as a kid,” Phelps said. “I wanted to try to change the sport of swimming and do something no one else has ever done—and it turned out pretty cool.” v

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>> ERIC MOUSSAMBANI, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (2000)

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>> MICHAEL PHELPS, USA (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016)

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OLYMPIC PREVIEW: ARTISTIC SWIMMING

AS GOOD AS IT GETS

S

happy with that.” ynchronized swimming first became an Olympic sport in 1984.

In the early years, competition was DESTINED FOR GREATNESS held for solo, duet and team events, Both Romashina and Kolesnichenko with the United States, Canada and have accumulated a stockpile of gold Japan winning all the medals. In 1996, medals throughout their careers. solo and duet were dropped from the Romashina’s five Olympic gold Russia is a perfect 10-for-10, winning program, with the USA winning the medals (three team and two duet since team gold. every Olympic gold medal possible in 2008) ties her for the most in her By 2000, duet was reinstated and sport with Anastasia Davydova and artistic swimming—duet and team— has remained with team as the current Natalia Ishchenko, also from Russia. since the turn of the century. program. Then in 2017, synchronized The 31-year-old also has won 21 gold swimming changed its name to artistic medals at the World Championships

BY DAN D’ADDONA swimming. dating back to 2005 and has 12 One thing, though, that hasn’t first-place finishes at the European changed since the turn of the century Championships since 2006. is the domination of Russia, which has Kolesnichenko, 27, has won only one Olympic gold medal—as won every gold medal possible. And Russia is poised to keep it that a member of Russia’s winning team in 2016—but she has 26 gold way in 2021. medals between Worlds (16 since 2011) and Europeans (10 since Leading the way are Svetlana Romashina and Svetlana Kolesnichenko, who have never won a medal of any other color at 2014). She teamed with Romashina to win the duet competition the Olympics, World Championships or European Championships. at the 2013 and 2019 World Championships, and the duo will be Most recently at the Europeans in May, the duo continued to favored to win in Tokyo. dominate, earning one perfect mark in their duet free final, the only The two seemed destined to compete together from the very perfect score of the competition. The last time any judge handed out start: “I vividly remember that day,” Kolesnichenko told FINA, a perfect score came in 2010! referring to when Romashina first asked her to join her in duet. “I “It was such a happy moment when we saw the 10, because it is was driving a car and received a text message from Sveta: ‘Would not so usual you can see that mark,” Kolesnischenko said. “It was so you like to join me in the duet? It’s not a joke.’ great. Seconds before Svetlana said to me, ‘Maybe 10’—and when “I was shocked, surprised and flattered by the attention paid to I realized there was a 10 on the scoreboard—I said, ‘Look at this, me. I knew that to be a part of the first-ranked Russian synchro duet Svetlana, there is a 10.’ is a huge responsibility. But I could hardly refuse such an offer.

“We hope to see more 10s in the future and, of course, we try to Many thanks to Sveta and Tatiana Danchenko for their choice.” work harder, but now we are happy for the score, for our performance Romashina, who gave birth to a daughter following the 2016 Rio and our routine. And our coach, Tatiana Danchenko, told us the duet Olympic Games before returning to win three gold medals at the was good, so we are really satisfied.”

2019 World Championships, spoke to The Olympic Channel about They also dominated the duet technical final and helped Russia her artistic swimming success: “I love synchro. It’s my life. It’s my win the team technical gold medal, beating Ukraine and Spain. job,” she said. “I know that I will do anything to win.”

“It was good enough for this win, only,” Romashina said. “Our And as they have proved so often, these two Golden Girls—as coach saw some mistakes that we need to correct if we want to well as their Russian teammates—will be tough to beat next month, win at the Olympics. This was a strong performance, but we need Aug. 2-7, in Tokyo.  to improve. This gold medal is what we came here for, so we are > PICTURED ABOVE (From Left) Even though the two are separated in age by four years, their actual birthdays are only one day apart: Svetlana Romashina, Sept. 21, 1989; Svetlana Kolesnichenko, Sept. 20, 1993. [ PHOTO BY JOAO MARC BOSCH ]

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SWIMMING WORLD PRESENTS

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2021 AQUATIC DIRECTORY / Continued from 27

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COACHING

A COACHES’ GUIDE TO

ENERGY SYSTEMS ( PART II )

Last month, Swimming World explored the concept of energy systems and how coaches can use them to maximize athlete development and performance. In Part 2, we examine how one incorporates his understanding of energy systems into a seasonal training plan.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

O

ver the years, various coaches and organizations have altered the categories and subsets to suit their training modes and preferences. Grandfather to the codification of the zone system is the University of Michigan’s Jon Urbanchek, who introduced energy category color-coding for ease of understanding and communication with his athletes.

His original chart consisted of seven categories that he has since modified to five for ease in training. In practicality, the number may be reduced to three: aerobic, anaerobic threshold and highperformance endurance with subsets (anaerobic race pace and highvelocity overload) found under the high-performance category.

Josh White, associate head swim coach at the University of Michigan and an Urbanchek disciple, has a Ph.D. in kinesiology.

Chart 1 - top (page 41) is a more intricate version he uses with Wolverine swimmers.

“We use energy system training for several reasons,” he says. “First, it is a great tool for our coaches to systematize our training. We quantify training loads so that we can get the desired physiological adaptations. We keep track of our volume in the most important energy systems and manipulate those over our macro, meso and micro cycles. Having some quantitative record of it also allows us to accurately adjust our training after seeing the results throughout and at the conclusion of each season.

“Secondly, we use energy systems as our primary form of communication between both coaches and athletes. With six staff coaches and a lot of different training groups, our energy systems form a basis of communication so that we all stay on the same page.

We also use our color-coded energy system to communicate with our athletes on workouts. Almost everything on a written workout has a color associated with it. The color goes beyond communicating effort level. Our energy system color chart allows our athletes to understand the PURPOSE of their set or workout and gives them information to approach the set in a way that they will get the most out of it,” says White.

“Our middle distance and distance groups follow a traditional periodized training plan focusing on aerobic development initially and moving into speed and anaerobic development as the season goes on. Our sprinters are in a sense reversed periodized, starting with a focus on speed and then working to extend the duration of the speed. We have a weekly cycle of practices that rotates an emphasis on different energy systems.

“While energy system training is typically associated with 40

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>> Dr. Josh White

independent development of aerobic and anaerobic systems, we find that perhaps the most crucial part is understanding how these systems can work together. We have all seen the miler who crashes and burns on the last 50 of a 200. Anaerobic activation can inhibit aerobic activation and vice versa. So we spend time training in ways that encourage both systems to activate and work at their peak simultaneously.”

URBANCHEK’S UPDATED ORIGINAL CHART Urbanchek’s energy system color codes are based on heart rates (see Chart 2 - bottom, page 41). He has recently revisited the original and updated it with explanations shown as follows: WHITE (G1*). Lowest intensity, continuous or 10-15 sec rest; HR 120-130. Basic training, recovery AND technique work. * G stands for Gear, a nomenclature being considered by USA Swimming PINK (G2). 5% below threshold, low intensity, short rest 10-20 sec rest; HR 130-140. Basic aerobic training.

RED (G3). Optimal intensity for aerobic capacity, 10-20 sec rest, 20-30 min durations, HR rate 150-170. Use 100s, 150s, 200s, 300s—optimal aerobic training.

BLUE (G4). Anaerobic threshold, 15-30 sec rest, 15-20 min duration. Uncomfortable race pace for 800 to 1500, HR 170-180.

PURPLE (G5). Ideal race-pace training for 200 to 1500 races, 7% faster than (G3, Red). Threshold pace, 30-60 sec rest—high intensity, duration 800 to 1500 total, HR 180-190. Use 50s, 75s, 100s, 125s and 150s—race pace ( Max + VO2 ) training.

GREEN (G6). Use % chart training for 100 6 x 50 at 6:00, 92% best time training for 200 6 x 100 at 6:00, 92% best time training for 400 4-6 x 200 at 6:00, 94-96% best time. Maximum lactate production/ buffering, maximum heart rates above 190.

ALACTIC/SPEED TRAINING. Short, fast, explosive sprints, 15-25 meters, 6-12 sec duration, 6-10 repetitions, 30-40 sec rest. Lactate buildup is moderate. Ideal for 50-100-200 swimmers at any time of the season. *** Given a typical 30-week college season (10 workouts per), Urbanchek mentored his Michigan swimmers through macro cycles of 12, 15 and three weeks (taper), consisting of: September-November • 6 weeks capacity training/skill - development/heart rate < 150 White & Pink, Red •

6 weeks capacity - VO2 max - lactate White Pink Red Blue Purple (Rainbow)

Energy Systems and Effort Levels COLOR

HR (BPM)

DESCRIPTION

CONCEPTS

Platinum

NA

All Out, very short duration, speed 6 sec

ATP/CP neurological speed

Gold

NA

All Out, very short duration, power 6 sec

ATP/CP muscular power (often resisted)

Green

NA

All Out, short duration, 10-35 Sec

Lactate production

Purple

>200/Max

All Out, unpaced, short to moderate duration

Lactate tolerance for 100 Work

Brown

>200/Max

All Out, paced, moderate duration

200 Pace

Blue

180-200/Max

Paced, but very hard, longer duration

VO2 max or 400/500 pace

Red

160-180

Hard paced effort, any duration

Threshold work

Pink

150-160

Moderate/Hard

Moderate aerobic (3000 for time pace)

White

135-150

Moderate

Low-moderate aerobic

Orange

120-135

Easy/Moderate

Low Aerobic with proper technique

Yellow

<120

Easy

Warm up/Warm Down

Rest

These two charts illustrate how different coaches use the energy system concept in a way that fits their thinking and their systems. Jon Urbanchek’s (Chart 2 - bottom) is more focused on communicating with coaches, while Josh White’s (Chart 1 - top) is more focused on communicating with athletes.

December-February • 3 weeks aerobic capacity training •

10 weeks all training zones and more emphasis VO2 max and race pace Green

•

Includes 2-3 short course dual meets per month

SWIMMING On The Wall

.com

Major competition (one-week taper)

www

•

March (taper period) • Dryland reduced to maintenance and dropped 7 days out •

Training distance gradually reduced from 70,000-60,000 per week to 30,000-20,000 meters per week

•

Mid and distance swimmers do three-week taper

TRAINING TODAY With the vast resources available, it is instructive to remember that coaching remains an art and a science. Notes White, “As with any paradigm, energy system training has its flaws and is not the entire picture. I believe that it is always important to bear that in mind. Energy systems are our way of understanding what is happening in the body.

If we start to think of any training paradigm as the ‘truth’ or the ‘right way,’ then I think we lose the opportunity to grow and get better as coaches.”

And no coach wants that.

(In Part 3 of this series, several age group coaches share how they inform and guide their younger athletes through energy system training.)  Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer.

His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

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COACHING

Q&A

SID

[PHOTO BY MIKE JURUS PHOTOGRAPHY]

CASSIDY

Jovial and dedicated Sid Cassidy has given his life to his family, teams and all forms of swimming— especially open water.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

Q. SWIMMING WORLD: Is it fair to say Bob Mattson influenced your life?

A. COACH SID CASSIDY: Without question and in many ways. We swimmers stood in awe of his prodigious work ethic fueled by an incredible passion to explore, experiment and achieve. He was at the cutting edge of many technical breakthroughs, including experimentation with the wave breaststroke and other drills that truly solidified him as a coaching legend. Bob is still very much in my life on many levels. I just hosted a Zoom celebration for his 90th birthday!

SW: These days, coaching is a family affair, is it not?

SC: Absolutely. Our children, Quinn and Kate, have enjoyed collegiate aquatic success, and we have been able to grow the program at Saint Andrew’s School into a competitive force. Presently, two of my coaches are Quinn and Ramon Walton, who I call my “second son.” My wife, Kara, has built an incredible Florida Swim School business housed in our own indoor pool, which has been integral to our success for 20-plus years, so it really is a family enterprise.

SW: How did NCSU coach Don Easterling advance your swimming career?

SC: He was an incredible motivator and knew how to squeeze every last bit of effort out of you in a training session. His old school methods may not transfer into modern aquatic times, but he did pour a bucket of passion into his daily coaching.

Those years were formative for me.

SW: What’s the best thing you learned from coaching?

SC: Joyfulness: joy at watching an athlete like Aspen Gersper shed tears of joy at getting her first Olympic Trials cut or see Megan Moroney exhausted with joy upon completing a crazy practice session.

SW: How did you get into coaching in the first place?

SC: After agreeing to split ways with Coach Easterling in 1977, I transferred to UCLA, where I spent one season training under the legendary George Haines.

Ultimately, I ended up at UC San Diego, where I got into ocean swimming and beach lifeguarding. And I really honed my open water racing tactics as a member of the famed Ocean City (N.J.) Beach Patrol under Captain George Lafferty. In the summer of 1979, I got a desperate call from Bob Mattson, who pleaded with me to just try coaching for a year with his club program. I felt a certain calling, and as a result, fell in love with coaching.

SW: You’ve coached college, club and high school programs.

SC: Each position has unique challenges, but the rewards are always the same: gratification upon seeing an athlete complete a challenge set or achieve a breakthrough competitive experience.

SW: Your club team had some pretty swift relays at this spring’s NCSA meet.

SC: Our boys 200 free relay nearly broke 1:20, and the 400 free quartet tied for first, clocking a 2:59.46. (The video can be found at the 2:17.30 mark of Day 4 finals: http://takeitlive.tv/events/21t1007) SW: You won 11 ACC titles, were a threetime All-American and competed in the La Tuque 24-hour swim. Any tough moments?

SC: My toughest in the pool were just training days. The 24-hour swim in LaTuque was always the most grueling marathon. Getting in and out of the water all day and night to race a one-third-of-amile circuit course in bone-chilling water is something I’ll never forget. I learned so much from John Kinsella during those years on the WPMSF circuit...and we had a good bit of fun.

SW: Coach Mattson introduced you to quarry swimming, but how did you become an open water coach and then administrator?

CONTINUED ON 44 >>

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Coach Sid Cassidy Aquatic Director/Head Coach St. Andrew’s School Boca Raton, Fla.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

University of California, San Diego, B.A., mass communications/media studies, 1979 3x CSCAA All-American, 11x ACC champion, North Carolina State University Professional marathon swimmer, worldranked fourth, 1979 Aquatic director/head coach, Saint Andrew’s School, 2005-present Aquatic director/head coach, Atlantic City, 1998-2005 Head coach, University of Miami, 1993-98 Men’s head coach, James Madison University, 1992-93 Assistant coach, Florida State, 1985-92 Assistant coach, University of Tampa, 1983-85; head coach, Greater Tampa Swimming Association U.S. open water national team coach, 1991-96; coached and swam on recordsetting USA Swimming National Team English Channel double crossing Board member of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame 5x Florida High School coach of the year Halls of Fame inductee: International Marathon Swimming, North Carolina Swimming, Ocean City Beach Patrol, Delaware Museum and Sports Recipient of USA Swimming Award plus Paragon, Glenn S. Hummer and Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial awards

Coach Sid Cassidy has been an international open water steward for more than 40 years, serving as athlete, coach, race director, promoter, administrator, referee, lecturer and the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee chairman. With FINA, he has organized and run the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuit.

[PHOTOS BY MIKE JURUS PHOTOGRAPHY]

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Here’s a typical Gersper SCY training set: 3x the following:

>> MEGAN MORONEY

>> ASPEN GERSPER

HOW THEY TRAIN

MEGAN MORONEY AND ASPEN GERSPER

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

W

hile not mirror images, the traits of two of Sid Cassidy’s more successful swimmers are strikingly similar: versatile (breaststroke-challenged), uber competitive, won two Florida high school titles as ninth-graders, national-level abilities, terrific relay swimmers and great students who survived disruptive health issues. One, Megan Maroney, graduated from college in 2020; the other, Aspen Gersper, is still in high school.

MEGAN MARONEY

Moroney got her first Olympic Trials cut at age 14 in the 100 backstroke and contributed heavily to Saint Andrew’s 2011 junior national title (with only four girls). She completed her college career at the University of Virginia as a 17-time CSCAA All-American and 11-time All-ACC honoree, and is listed on the Cavaliers’ top 10 times list in the 50-100-200 free and 100200 back.

During her early teens, Moroney’s training was aerobically focused. In high school, Cassidy began refining her speed: “At 14, I remember her racing a set of LCM freestyle 400s. We had a group of decent older males who had not yet been challenged by her. She crushed the set, and the boys never took her lightly again. She made our team so much better.”

Says Moroney, “I’m so thankful for the time I had at Saint Andrew’s. I don’t think I would have had the college career I did without it. Saint Andrew’s is filled with amazing people who had such a positive impact on the person and athlete I became. Every friend I made, every race I swam, every practice I grinded through, every 5 a.m. alarm, every lesson I learned—I am grateful for every single memory.”

• 2 x 125 free/stroke/free/stroke/free @ 1:40 • 2 x 75 @ 1:20 (hold best average) • 2 x 125 free/stroke/free/stroke/free @ 1:40 • 4 x 50 stroke at 200 pace @ 1:00 • 2 x 125 free/stroke/free/stroke/free @ 1:40 • 8 x 25 at 200 pace @ :25 (hold stroke count) • 1 x 100 easy

After Round 3: • 200 all-out race for time!

“Most Saturday mornings, we do a LCM test set and bring in the Gold with our Platinum swimmers, treating it like a meet simulator,” says Cassidy. “We typically assign a meet-type warm-up and then dive anywhere from four to eight all-out races, keeping it festive, and finish each week FAST,” says Cassidy.

“We generally cycle in our LCM training MWF mornings 5:30-7:30 a.m. and Thursday afternoons 4-6 with Saturday mornings during the school year. We go to all LCM mornings in summer: 2.5 hours. We follow up with doubles Monday through Thursday, keeping our Saturdays open for test sets or meets.” Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO SEE MEGAN MORONEY’S AND ASPEN GERSPER’S PROGRESSION OF TIMES.

ASPEN GERSPER

Aspen Gersper just competed in Wave 1 of the U.S. Olympic Trials. Her swims in the 100 free and 100 back were a continuation of an outstanding COVID-influenced season in which she won FHSAA titles in the 100 yard back (54.51) and 100 fly (54.28) and an NCSA 13-14 age group crown in a meet record 50 back (26.00).

“We were thrilled to see Aspen gain so much experience at Wave 1 Olympic Trials,” said Cassidy. “I was quite happy to see her moving up the ranks, holding her own and competing so well with so many older female swimmers. It was a good step forward and will prove quite valuable in the years to come.”

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43

Q&A / Continued from 42

SC: The quarry taught me how to swim 200 meters in a straight line. Those lessons served me well in all of my open water racing and especially during my fouryear streak of winning the South Jersey lifeguard events.

While coaching with Bob (Mattson), he encouraged me to represent Middle Atlantic Swimming as an athlete rep at the 1981 Snowbird USAS Convention.

I wandered into a meeting listed only as “Long Distance Swimming” to see what that was about. Dale Petranech and Penny Dean welcomed me. From that moment, I have served USA Swimming as an open water volunteer.

While I was at Florida State University, I coached Jay Wilkerson in the pool. His true-grit training habits led me to believe he would be able to compete in the 1991 FINA Open Water World Championships (25K) in Perth, Australia. He became a national champion and was a part of the first USA Swimming Open Water World Championship team. That experience as a national team coach solidified my commitment to USA OW Swimming.

When Dave Thomas, Rick Walker and Carol Zaleski came to me six years later with a request to replace Dale Petranech on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, I reluctantly gave up the position of national team head coach to enter the world of FINA and

international politics.

SW: Your OW accomplishments as an administrator are legion. Is morphing 10K for the USA into a sanctioned Olympic Games 10K near the top of the list?

SC: Putting on that event in the back bays of Atlantic City, Margate and Ventnor was a labor of love for both my wife, Kara, and me. Seeing that event serve as a precursor to the eventual Olympic marathon event gives me a sense of pride.

Along with Australia’s Chris Guesdon and Fiji’s Dennis Miller, we formed a pact in 1996 as the youngest FINA members to make Olympic inclusion our No. 1 goal.

There were some dark days on the road, and yet there were some strong advocates in our corner.

I do remember addressing the Olympic International Operations Committee in the mid-90s, saying we would have open water in the Olympic Games. That comment was met with audible laughter. Luckily, we had great support from some key leaders, including Jim Wood and Denny Pursley.

SW: Your podcast, “Stories with Sid”— how did that come about?

SC: That was a byproduct of the COVID quarantine and a spinoff from the “Swimmer Joe Show,” a decade-long venture with good friend, Joe Auer.

SW: Izaak Bastian and Lauren Hew are just some of the Caribbean swimmers who have found a home at Saint Andrew’s.

SC: Izaak and Lauren are two of the best.

The migration really started with my assistant coach, Ramon Walton, coming from Jamaica as an 11th-grade student in the fall of 2007. He went on to become a record-breaking student-athlete at the University of Kentucky, and we stayed close when he returned to south Florida to train.

He inspired me to attend the CARIFTA age-group championship meet, where I was truly blown away by the enthusiasm and excitement the Caribbean Federation countries brought trying to best one another in team spirit. I became hooked, and my annual pilgrimage to the Games to support our own Caribbean athletes has only led to more families following.  Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO READ MORE Q&A WITH COACH SID CASSIDY. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

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JUNIOR SWIMMER

UP & COMERS AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH

BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER | PHOTO BY DANIEL HAN

L

a Mirada Armada’s (Calif.) Kayla Han just turned 13 years old, but she’s performing with the skill of a much older swimmer. At the U.S. Olympic Trials (Wave I), June 4-7, Han came from behind to win the B-final of the 400 meter individual medley in an exciting race that saw her trailing the field until the final 50 meters when she turned fourth, but touched first in 4:51.08.

With the next Olympic Trials only three years away, it will be exciting to see what this young swimmer can accomplish.

Just weeks before her Olympic Trials debut, Han smashed the 11-12 national age group record in the 400 meter IM by nearly five seconds with a 4:50.70 at the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine, Calif. Elizabeth Beisel, a three-time Olympian and the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, set the previous record of 4:55.35 in 2005.

The day before, she also took down Claire Tuggle’s NAG mark in the 400 freestyle (4:18.41, 2017) with a 4:17.65. Then she finished the meet with a third NAG record in the 800 free, touching in 8:50.58 to lower the previous mark of 8:55.43, set by Isabella Rongione in 2012.

“Kayla is a consistent and tenacious trainer,” says her coach, Rick Shipherd.

“She has a unique ability to fit in with older swimmers, who by nature are very competitive in their own way.

“You might think that could get contentious, but Kayla’s quiet and timid disposition disarms everyone. They enjoy her quiet confidence. Dubbed ‘Baby Beast’ by some of our older athletes, she lives up to the friendly nickname daily.”

Out of the pool, Kayla is happy-go-lucky and sometimes downright goofy.

She can also be quite shy, which completely changes when she steps up on the blocks. She loves to cook and dance to her favorite K-pop groups.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING? Racing other people during practice and keeping a positive mindset during tough sets.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/SETS YOU’VE DONE? There are tough sets every day, but once every few months, we do a test set of 30x100 long course, holding your fastest average.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SWIMMING? The feeling of excitement when you know your race is going to be good...and seeing the smiles on my teammates’ faces after a good race.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? I’m excited to race in more events that I usually don’t swim. Out of the pool, I’m looking forward to hanging out with my friends.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING...AND WHY? Elizabeth Beisel...because she’s one of the greatest 400 IMers. She’s kind and she gives good advice.

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WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES? Watching anime, listening to K-pop and playing with my dog. JULY 2021

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COLUMNS SPONSORED BY

GUTTERTALK

BY ANDY ROSS | PHOTOS BY PETER H. BICK

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN TOKYO? being next to (Claire Curzan) and (Kelsi Dahlia). I get so hyped up whenever I race (Curzan). I don’t even remember seeing her (during the race), but I know she has great underwaters. But the race was a blur. I think it’s so fun to race each other. I met (Claire) at a Select Camp and got to know her a little better in Budapest at Junior Worlds.

I really admire her work, and I’m excited to go to Tokyo with her.

KIERAN SMITH Univ. of Florida/ Ridgefield AC, Conn.

(After 400 free, 1st, 3:44.86): It’s a pretty good feeling. I’m really excited with that swim, and I’m looking forward to improving upon that against the rest of the world. After this morning, I saw that the top eight was wide open, and I was not concerned about time tonight, and I wanted to make sure there weren’t two guys that could beat me.

MICHAEL ANDREW Race Pace Club, Calif.

(After 100 breast, 1st, 58.73/58.14sf American record): It’s still hard to believe it’s real. It’s been five years in the making, and I remember the walk down the stairs was really hard as a 17-year-old in 2016. To be able to come back and rectify that is a blessing and an honor.

TORRI HUSKE Arlington Aquatic Club, Virginia (After 100 fly, 1st, 55.66 American record): It was super exciting

SWIM MART

REACH LONG

KICK STRONG

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ANDREW WILSON Athens Bulldog, Georgia (After 100 breast, 2nd, 58.74): I’m so stoked right now. The experience last time in ’16 just taught me so much, and I knew that tonight was the swim that mattered. I know I wasn’t the fastest of the three in the last couple of days, but I just got it done when it mattered.

I’m still processing it all. It doesn’t feel real yet. I just told myself that my plan is to be done at this level after this summer. I told myself to try and swim the best 100 breast of my career, and if it was going to be the last one, it was going to be the last one. Now I have hopefully three more in Tokyo. I’ll celebrate it a little tonight by going to bed early because I have this 200 to prepare for.

PAIGE MADDEN Univ. of Virginia (After 400 free, 2nd, 4:04.86): (This year) has been tremendous for me.

(My teammates) were all crying. I was crying. I was in shock, and it was special to enjoy this with them.

REGAN SMITH Riptide, Minnesota (After 100 back, 1st, 58.35): There were a ton of emotions after that race, and there still are, honestly. I’m still trying to process everything, but it’s very special.

That was a great race. I could have done some things a little bit better.

I had a great semis (57.92). I wish I could have repeated that, but you know what?—it’s OK. I’m very happy with that race overall. Lots of relief, absolutely. I’m just very happy. It was very special. Now, going forward, I’m just excited to have some of the pressure off my back. 

PARTING SHOT

Swimmers hit the water at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. Check out our bonus coverage, including a full-picture gallery from Trials as well as our Olympic predictions. It can be downloaded from our website, swimmingworldmagazine. com, where you’ll also be able to enjoy our full Olympic aquatic coverage. [ Photo by Peter H. Bick ]

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