This is written from my point of view, your point of view may vary and I hope it does.
Top Moments:
1) Michael Phelps beating Milorad Cavic in the 100 buterfly.
Michael Phelps dug down deep and set a WR in an epic swim where "trash-talk" got swimming talked about all over creation. It was the UFC version of Brock Lesnar versus Fedor Emelianenko and the "good guy", Michael Phelps, won. (I was rooting for Cavic.)2) Aaron Piersol setting a WR in the 200 back.
Both swam under world record time and both put the race onto the international radar! There must be something to making a race into a soap opera.
Aaron Peirsol, after failing to qualify in the 100 back, bounces back and sets a WR in the 200 backstroke making it clear he is the best ever.3) Britta Steffen definitively proving she is the greatest female sprinter on earth. None of the greats could touch her.
Per his interviews he seemingly let go of his loss like it was "water under a bridge" and he moved on to become the champion that he really is. How existential is that?
Britta Steffen is German Swimming and she is expected to win or the German press will tear her apart. Again, despite this pressure she steps up and spanks the best and those swimmers include, Dara Torres, Therese Alshammar, and Libby Trickett who really wanted to beat her.
4) Therese Alshammar placing second to Britta Steffen!
5) We saw the greatest Italian athlete ever, Federica Pellegrini, breaking the four minute barrier in the 400 free.
Alshammar who is better known as a short course meters sprinter finishing second to, Britta Stefen, in an amazing 50-free. She just gets younger-and-younger, faster-and-faster.
Top 5 low points:
On the covers of Italian national magazines and well clothed in Armani, she exudes style, class, charisma, a sketchy tattoo that crawls up her neck, and completes this package with abject swimming confidence.
She is the perfect "leading lady" for our sport. Swimming has never had someone this classy or this sexy. (Can you tell I am part Italian?)
1) Bob Bowman's rant and rationalization for Michael Phelps' loss in the 200-free to Paul Biedermann.
Bowman was the "Ugly American" in hi-def ranting pathetically about speedsuits and FINA. His grand threat to pull Michael Phelps out of international competition if his demands were not met greatly soured me on Michael Phelps. I am sure others feel the same way.2) FINA returning men to briefs and Jammers come January 1, 2010.
FINA responding in less than 24-hours to Bowman's tantrum and thereby restricting the use of speedsuit way ahead of schedule confirmed in my mind that the organization is in Speedo's pocket.3) Speedo Commonwealth swimmers; Period!
If you look at the biggest mouths yelling for a return to briefs, they are generally form National Governing Bodies with huge Speedo interests. This is my opinion.
4) That British swim journalist guy!
World records are over, swim and swimmer sponsorships just lost 75% of their funding.5) FINA open water officials waiting a day to award Fran Crippen a bronze medal.
Imagine going back to the hotel not knowing how you finished? This is about your life's work, your employment, your income.
Open water is evolving and this has to be fixed. I recommend "photo finish video."
The photo above comes from the The Big Picture gallery at Boston.com. [Link]
18 comments:
i dont get the kristy coventry comment and WR in the 400IM
Kirsty Coventry's time in the 400 IM was not a world record. In fact I believe it was 3 seconds off the world record of Stephanie Rice.
Yikes, let me double check!
RATS! SOrry about that - I wil edit.
Kirsty also did not win the 400 IM.
http://www.omegatiming.com/swimming/racearchives/2009/Roma2009/C73A1_Res1Heat_139_Finals_1_Women_400_Medley.pdf
Wow I do love it! Can I join? When I saw your posted picture, I remember my classmate before when my Back-to-School period.
Kirsty Coventry didn't actually win the 400 IM - she placed second to Katinka Hosszu. She did win the 200 back though, in a WR time!
Crap, I am taking it down, i got it mixed up with the 200 back!
Sorry.
I really screwed that up - I thought backstroke and I put IM. My apologies to all. Thanks everybody for the correction.
I think you are undervaluing the German swimmer who broke two WR's--Thorpe's 400 and Phelps' 200. Yes it was suit aided but both Phelps and Thorpe wore suits that were the fastest available when they set their records. I think he should be swimmer of the meet for men--and his 100 split was outstanding also. I'm not denigrating Phelps but I think his were more impressive. Thats not to denigrate Coventry, or Piersol but I think he deserves more recogintion than them. Second only to maybe Pellegrini and Steffen.
That was not my intention - I don't think Paul beat Phelps just because he had a better suit. Bowman thinks that!
Bowman degraded the swim and that's why I ranked Bowman an ugly moment.
Highlights:
1.) Phelps v. Cavic - Awesome. The Beijing re-match that lived up to the hype.
2.) Biederman - Swam away from Phelps in the last length of the 200. Suit or no, an amazing swim.
3.) Ceasar & the Men's Sprints - Below 48 to make the final in the 100 and below 47 to win it. 21-mid to final in the 50 and 21-flat to win it. Unthinkable, unimaginable two years ago. And Ceasar won 'em both. Flawless when it counted.
4.) Britta Steffen - The Queen of the sprints. And 52-flat for the 100!? Are you kidding me!?
5.) Grant Hackett's Mile - Not so much a swim as an affirmation: Even with the shiny suits, Hacket's record, from 8 years ago, lives for another day. What a swim.
6.) The "Who was that?" - Always a highlight at every major meet. Always someone coming out of nowhere and winning something. The Swedish girl in the 100 'fly is an example. What a time!
The low-lites:
1.) The damm suits & FINA - What a mess. For the suits or against them, the one thing that all - I think - can agree on is that FINA has been shown to be beyond foolish on this issue.
2.) Rowdy Gaines - Don't like the guy. I still think he won the 100 in '84 on a false start. Never forgiven him for that.
Hey TedBaker,
Check out this youtube video on Rowdy's 100 free in in 84. At about 6:40 they replay the start- looks like the starter goofed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaWnONWc4xY&feature=related
Mark Savage
Rock me RowdyDeus! - Clean start on Rowdy's part.
I saw that race live and he jumped. He jumped by a mile. Everybody knew it and talked about it.
The speed of sound is not that fast. If you ever been to baseball stadium and if you watch the screen when they sing the anthem, the lips are slighty out of sync
Actually, Speedo was pushing to have the ban moved to September 2010 so they could unload their inventory of bodysuits and legs. Bowman was speaking out in direct opposition to Speedo's wishes. Just ask Australia and Great Britain, who bowed to pressure from Speedo by asking FINA to delay the ban.
Do you have a reference? In all fairness I would love to publish a reference that Speedo actually wanted to keep speedsuits if it is true.
Personally, I am convinced that Schubert was put out there as their point man to ban them.
Why else would Schubert go from 2% faster, to "these are the works of the devil?"
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