USA Swimming is preparing for the 2015 Golden Goggles Awards and are beginning to release the nominees for the 2015 Awards. The Golden Goggles Awards are presented by the USA Swimming Foundation every year to celebrate the top swimmers and coaches’ achievements over the last year.
There are eight categories: Breakout Performer of the Year, Coach of the Year, Perseverance Award, Relay Performance of the Year, Male Performance of the Year, Female Performance of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, and Female Athlete of the Year.
USA Swimming announced that Connor Jaeger‘s 1500 free, Ryan Lochte‘s 200 IM, Michael Phelps‘ 100 fly, Phelps 200 fly and Jordan Wilimovsky‘s 10K are the nominees for the 2015 Male Race of the Year award. This award is given to the male swimmer with the greatest single individual race of the year, with special emphasis on the 2015 FINA World Championships.
CONNOR JAEGER – 1500M FREE – 2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – In his final race at the 2015 FINA World Championships, Connor Jaeger shattered an 11-year old American record and claimed the silver medal in the 1500m free. Spending much of the race in third place, behind Canada’s Ryan Cochrane and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, Jaeger kicked it in into gear at the 1000-meter mark and propelled himself into second place and within a body length of Paltrinieri, the eventual winner. Jaeger clocked in at 14:41.20, besting the former American record of 14:45.29 set at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games by Larsen Jensen.
RYAN LOCHTE – 200M IM – 2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Ryan Lochte battled his way to his 16th gold medal on the FINA World Championships stage with an impressive showing in the 200m IM in Kazan. Lochte was nose-to-nose with Brazil’s Thiago Pereira through the 150-meter mark but then turned on the jets over the freestyle leg to earn the victory. Lochte clocked in at 1:55.81 to claim his fourth straight win in the event dating to the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome. He joins Australia’s Grant Hackett as the only two swimmers to win four straight world titles in an event.
MICHAEL PHELPS – 100M FLY – 2015 PHILLIPS 66 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – Eighteen-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps claimed the national title and 2015’s world-best time in the 100m fly on Aug. 8 at the Phillips 66 National Championships. Just ahead of the pack after the first 50 meters, Phelps used a powerful turn and his signature closing speed for a final 50-meter split of 26.35, which was 0.69 faster than anyone else in the field. He earned the victory in 50.45, the seventh-best swim in history and his fastest effort since 2009.
MICHAEL PHELPS – 200M FLY – 2015 PHILLIPS 66 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – Michael Phelps, a 22-time Olympic medalist, took home the national title the 200m fly and posted a 2015 world-best at the Phillips 66 National Championships. Phelps touched in 1:52.94 seconds, good for his best time in the event since 2009 and the seventh-fastest swim of all-time. The Baltimore, Md., native led wire-to-wire and was the only competitor to clock a final 50-meter spilt under 30 seconds, which led to his 1.60-second victory.
JORDAN WILIMOVSKY – 10K OPEN WATER – 2015 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Jordan Wilimovsky turned in an epic performance at the 2015 FINA World Championships, as he cruised to a 12.1-second victory in the men’s 10-kilometer event and a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team. Wilimovsky made a clean break from the pack of at the 3-kilometer mark and powered himself to the touch pad in 1:49:48.2 seconds. With the convincing victory, he became the first American to win the men’s 10K world title since 2005.
Online voting for the 2015 Golden Goggles awards is open here.
Hmm, this really is a hard decision, but I think if we look at this in the broader context of Team USA there can be some light shed.
To me, Lochte and Phelps’ races seem more like personal wins. A 4-peat is quite impressive, and of course Phelps laying down the smack in the pool and sending a message all around the world is legendary in proving himself once again as the top swimmer.
However, and this is what I hope people can look at: Jaegar and Wilimovsky did so much for USA Swimming with their wins. The former breaking an old American record and the latter winning a title we hadn’t won in a decade. People are already excited… Read more »
Connor and Jordan did amazing for USA, that’s true, but diminishing Michael and Ryan’s achievements simply because they have won before makes absolutely no sense. Winning the 200IM for the fourth time in a world Championship? Ryan deserves a prize for that, it’s an amazing and rare accomplishment and in my personal opinion is much more impressive than an American Record. Michael is the only American Male swimmer to have a top time in the world (three at that), that speaks for itself.
I understand your point of view, but being fair, the best performances were by Michael and Ryan. The name of the performer shouldn’t matter, the performance itself it’s what counts, and what to do when it’s… Read more »
Phelp’s 200IM was better than Lochte’s by a country mile, even after accounting for the pressure difference between Nat’s and Worlds. He also leads the 200IM World Rankings by a wider margin than the 100m fly.
I would love to see Jaeger or Wilimovsky win this award. They both put up amazing performances, Jaeger breaking an 11 year old record from the legend Jensen himself and Wilimovsky winning a gold medal in the 10K and becoming one of the first swimmers on the Olympic Team. I know this is unfair, but Lochte and Phelps have been around for quite some time. I would like to see some younger talent become recognized. Sure Phelp’s posted two world leading times but he wasn’t at the World Stage and come on, when you are the World’s fastest flyer for the last decade at least, I would hope you would be able to turn in some fast times. And not… Read more »
Jaeger is my choice. Which is funny because he is the only without gold.
Lochte did something great with his IM (4peat) but the time does factor in for me personally, even if it doesn’t for others.
Phelps loses points for me just not being at worlds. Which both is and isn’t his fault. I think it was for the best all around, gave him a kick in the butt to get work and also served as a wake up call for Team USA, but he did those without semis, low pressure, nothing really at stake.
Jordan Wilimovsky, I really admire. Has a calm and kind of calculated demeanor and obviously got the job done in Kazan and at… Read more »
Here is the last 5 minutes of Jordan’s very impressive win at Worlds as on Italian TV.
http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raiSport/media/10-km-maschile-32048bb8-8708-4b21-98d0-0db6d24902ae.html