In just weeks, Australian has lost five world records to European swimmers!

From Nicole Jeffrey writing for the Australian:

Australia has lost five world records to European athletes in the past two weeks, none of whom was wearing a Speedo suit.

Rapidly evolving swimsuit technology is influencing results so much that sports newspaper L'Equipe listed the French team for the world titles by suit when it was announced this week.

Eleven of the 15 men and 14 of the 20 women in the team wore Jaked suits.

Three of the four men who did not - Bernard (Arena), Hugues Duboscq (Adidas) and Amaury Leveaux (Tyr) - had been pre-selected after winning Olympic medals last year.

In a complete reversal from the Beijing Games, when the Speedo LZR was regarded as the pace-setting suit, only five successful French swimmers wore Speedo.

[Link]

The Australian team is sponsored by Speedo but Australian Swim Team members can wear suits from a competing company as long as these suits are unbranded or do not display a logo or manufacturer name.

With all this in mind, which Australian athletes will be wearing unbranded suits versus the Speedo LZR? The subject of the article, Stephanie Rice, states that she does not have a suit sponsor. Obviously, Rice, was given remarkably good advice from her handlers to keep her suit options open and thereby allow her the opportunity to wear the fastest suit possible at any race she competes in.

Hence, we may see her in a Jaked come the 2009 Fina World Championships in Rome or a blueseventy Nero, or a TYR Titan, or perhaps a LZR in Rome.

Her logic seems so impregnable to me: Her swimming drives her business but her business does not drive, or is allowed to hurt, her swimming performance. This way her suit decisions remain flexible; (or fluid ;-), and she can feel absolutely in control of her suit decisions.

Next week is when the FINA releases their list of approved suits for 2010. With swimmers like, Eamon Sullivan, complaining that the aforementioned suits should be banned, has he not in turn promoted these suits as a superior alternative should they be allowed?

Stefanie Rice wants to to be the new Michael Phelps

I wish it was an American woman that was this ambitious but since one hasn't stepped up, I am elated to see Stephanie Rice try.

From the Australian Olympic Committee website:

"... There will be no Olympic hangover for Australian golden girl Stephanie Rice with the triple gold medallist to contest seven individual events over six days of the world championship trials in March.

The Olympic 200m and 400m individual medley champion will contest both her pet events at the Sydney trials along with the 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle...."

[Link]

In this Reuters photo above, Stephanie Rice celebrates setting a world record in the 400m individual medley at the Australian Olympic swim trials. [Link]

Stephanie Rice leapfrogs Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, to become 'Swimming World's best female competitor of the year!'

From The Australian: "... Michael Phelps was the predictable male swimmer of the year after winning a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, which also gave him a record career tally of 14.

Clearly, Rice was the best female swimmer of the Games after winning the 200m and 400m individual medley in world record times, and combining with team-mates Kylie Palmer, Bronte Barratt and Linda MacKenzie to take an extraordinary 5sec from the 4x200m freestyle world record.

In her Olympic debut, Rice, 20, finished with a perfect record. ..." [Link]

Photo from the Sydney Morning Herald after Stephanie Rice set a WR in the 200 IM at the 2008 Beijing Games: "...Rice's time slashed 0.80 seconds off the previous world record and 2.5 seconds off her own previous best time set at last year's world championships

The 200m medley record had stood for 11 years prior to Rice's dominant performance tonight.

The Queenslander was 1.4 seconds under world record pace at the halfway mark and was stunned with her ability to lower her own time by such a remarkable margin. ..." [Link]

Stephanie Rice signs a 2-year, $465,000, contract with Australia's Seven television network

From the CanadianPress: "... First up was a two-year, US$465,000 contract with Australia's Seven television network. She's already helped host a model contestant show for the network and done a few segments for a lifestyle program.

"I'm very interested in the media, and I love fashion," Rice said. "It's been a great experience, so different from the pool. And it might help prepare me for something after swimming."

Some of the gossip sections in Australian newspapers and magazines would have her convinced a post-swimming life in fashion is in the cards. ..." [Link]

Stephanie Rice is now a bought and paid for personality! All she has to do is be herself and talk about stuff that amuses her. Ultimately, her deal with Australia' Seven TV, is as ethical a transaction as you can get. She is not selling snake oil, fast food or Playboy magazines: She is selling her ideas, opinions, and ultimately herself!

Obviously Michael Phelps, Dara Torres and Amanda Beard have merged their swim careers with business interests, but what about Olympians such as Ryan Lochte, Kim Vandenberg, and Brendan Hanson Hansen? [oops!] All three have an amazing amount of Charisma great looks and the ability to communicate well. So why Stephanie Rice and not the three listed above?

I suspect that Stephanie Rice forewent the sports management route and an astutely went for talent management instead. Olympians should look at Rice as a business template and follow suit.

Kim Vandenberg is quite attractive, she is articulate, and poised. She is featured in the photograph above. I was impressed with her answers in this interview at Women'sHealth magazine: Link and this is why I use her as an example of poorly leveraged beauty and talent. Stephanie Rice is no Kim Vandenberg.

Ryan Lochte could be making HUGE modeling fees as could Brendan Hansen, who has demonstrated time and again that he is an amazing gentleman, has brand recognition in Asia and actively supports charitable organizations. These are talent "goldmines."

All of the above should have multiple agents: Modeling, theactrical, PR, and such not one agent does all.

Sports management is more interested in leveraging one's accomplishments rather than the athlete themselves. The above three athletes have so much to offer and they are practically invisible despite having a constituency as large if not larger than Stephanie Rice.

Stephanie Rice interview.

Unfortunately there is no swimming herein.

Live Results from The April 4-6 Grand Prix Meets

I found the live result link at About.com, so far all the meets have been pretty underwhelming. I was hoping for a riposte from Katie Hoff over Stephanie Rices's obliteration of her world record; instead our swimmers are swimming this meet like it was a lactic acid workout with all their attention apparently focused on US Nationals in July. Live Results for the Grand Prix meets: [Link]

I saw at Lane 9 News that Natalie Coughlin didn't make the A-final due to being a bit groggy and by subsequently placing 9th in a time of 57.14. Tyr swimmer, Amanda Weir, swam a 55.33 to win "A" final but in the "B" final Natalie swam a 53.40 to break the pool record. This "B" swim has been the most impressive swim of the weekend for me. A break down of all the swims at Lane 9 News but you probably all ready knew that: [Link]

Stephanie Rice WR in the 200 IM

Higher-rez version here: [Link]

Katie Hoff's 400 IM world record detroyed by Stephanie Rice by a full body length

I love the verbal reaction from the 17-year-old when she sees the clock: "F*CK!"

The Australian women's team is collectively a "Michael Phelps superpower;" and most of them are all teens too. An emotional interview follows.

Here is a link to a higher-rez version: [Link]