Eric Shanteau storms the 200 breaststroke in Austin

Eric Shanteau is "our" Lance Armstrong and he is definitely a motivated swimmer as of late! From the Statesman:

At the Austin Grand Prix, however, a ripped Shanteau proclaimed, "I'm back, bigger and stronger than ever."

That wasn't an idle boast. Saturday, on the third and final day of competition, Austin's Shanteau blew away the field in the 200-meter breaststroke, setting a pool record of 2 minutes, 9.97 seconds in the process.

The old mark of 2:10.40 belonged to Ed Moses and for years had been a source of irritation to Shanteau and training partner Brendan Hansen, who at one point held about every other breaststroke record.

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'TYR' Swimmers have made a difinitive statement lately - 'TYR' is having a 'Tracer' equipment give-a-away drawing too!

TYR Swimmer, Mary DeScenza, has produced some totally inspired swims: DeScenza won the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke at the US Grand Prix in Columbia, Missouri . She set a meet record there in the 100 back and I believe her "worst finish"; (that is called sarcasm), was a second place to Katie Hoff in the 200 IM.

Then there was Eric Shanteau, after battling cancer just 6-months ago, was barely edged out by Ryan Lochte in the 200 IM LCM placing second in a time of 2:00.88 to Lochte's 2:00.59 but Shanteau then went on to win the 200 breast in a 2:13.74.

There was Amanda Weir who won the 100 free swimming in a time of 55.13 at the same meet and of course there was Peter Marshall in Europe and many other meet records and WRs in Tracer equipment as well.

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So, with all this in mind, TYR is having a drawing where you can win a Tracer Light speedsuit, Tracer goggles, and TYR cap. I signed up and you can to right here:

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Even if you don't win, TYR will send you a 20%-off coupon just for signing up.

Five-and-a-half weeks ago Eric Shanteau had cancer - Now he has a personal best after placing second behind Ryan Lochte at 'SCY Nationals!'

Though the lighting is bad and this You Tube looks like a grainy, "witness protection video" from a bad episode of America's Most Wanted, that is Eric Shanteau!

A few years ago I missed the FINA World Masters Championships at Stanford because I got stuck with the flu for six-weeks. Then it took me another humiliating six-weeks to return to form.

Eric Shanteau went from cancer surgery, chemo and lots of tubes and needles to a second place finish behind Ryan Lochte in the 200 IM in a time of 1:42.50 in just five-and-a-half weeks time.

I am positive Eric Shanteau has not been training! How can you? Yet, he comes back from the "dead" and does this well. Amazing! He is certainly a giant and an inspiration to our sport.

Eric Shanteau photo gallery and news articles

Talk about focus, how about this for a quote: Doctor says, "Hey, you got cancer, Eric's reply, Hey, I got trials!" Inside Bay Area: [Link]

The New York Times: [Lance] Armstrong, who spoke in a telephone interview from San Francisco, said he was aware of the diagnosis because Shanteau’s coach had contacted his agent for the name of a testicular cancer specialist. Armstrong said he passed along the name of Dr. Larry Einhorn, the doctor who had treated him. [Link]

NBC Olympics: "...It bothered him a lot that he didn't make the team," Chris Davis, Shanteau's coach during his teen years, said. "Anywhere else in the world, he not only would have made the Olympic team, he would have won a medal.

"But he never whined. He never said life's not fair. He has that stick-to-it-iveness."

So a cancer diagnosis? "It's not like he called and said, 'Oh, my gosh, why me? Poor me! I was just on the verge! I had worked so hard!' There was never any of that stuff," Davis said. "It was just another bump in the road on the way to making the Olympic team. ..." [Link]

Eric Shanteau gallery at MSNBC: [Link]

Breaking: Eric Shanteau, Olympic qualifier in the 200m Breaststroke, has cancer!!!

From Associated Press: In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Shanteau said he learned just a week before the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb., that he has testicular cancer. His doctors cleared him to compete in that meet and he surprisingly made the team in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing second ahead of former world-record holder and heavy favorite Brendan Hansen.

"If I didn't make the team, the decision would have been easy: Go home and have the surgery," Shanteau said. "I made the team, so I had a hard decision. But, by no means am I being stupid about this." [Link]

He is going to compete in the Olympics despite his doctor's advice. If I was 24-years-old I would do the same thing and compete. If I tried now my friends and family would have none of that.

Lot of moral cunundrums here. If you are his coach or USA Swimming do you throw him off the team or is there a professional separation here between USA Swimming and the individual athlete?