2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Swimming: August 6-13
- Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
- Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
- SwimSwam previews
- Rio Schedule & Results
- Live Stream (NBC)
As we have reached the halfway point on the swimming schedule, we figured we go back to see how the American team this year compares to their World Championship team last year. The Americans were a disappointment of sorts in Kazan, still winning plenty of medals but not the same dominance we had become so accustomed to.
It’s fair to say that dominance is back and better than ever this year, with the Americans putting on a powerful display in the pool that has them miles and miles ahead in the medal count through four days.
Comparing the events swum so far here in Rio with Kazan, the Americans are blowing their previous selves out of the water.
Keep in mind the comparison doesn’t reflect where the Americans were at at the halfway point of the meet in Kazan, because the schedule isn’t exactly identical (both 400 IMs are on the first day here, last day at Worlds for example), this is a strictly an event-by-event analysis.
Through 16 events swum here in Rio, the Americans have amazingly only missed a medal in one event, the men’s 400 free (where they finished 4th and 5th, go figure).
They have amassed a total of 18 medals through four days. In the same 16 events in Kazan, the Americans won just eight medals, more than doubling their total.
The men have seen a bigger improvement than the women, now having won eight medals through eight events rather than just the three they did in Kazan. And of the three they did win, none were gold. What’s even more amazing is that they now have four gold medals in the same eight events that they had just three total medals last year. Incredible.
The women have doubled their total from 5 to 10, highlighted by the women’s 400 free and 100 breast that saw two Americans get on the podium in each.
The U.S. now sits just five medals behind what they achieved in Kazan through half of the Olympic schedule, and they’ve already doubled the number of individual gold medalists they had last year. And don’t forget that’s with the addition of 50m stroke events and mixed relays competing at the World Championships (not to mention the men’s 800 and women’s 1500).
The turnaround in just one year has been absolutely incredible, and there’s more in store.
I think one of the American coaches at US Trials described US swimming as “iron on iron”. Even if no one did say that, it’s an apt a descriptor as I’ve heard.
US athletes don’t – or very, very rarely – choke and I think it’s because at every step of the way, the competition is so intense. There’s always somebody chasing you and chasing you hard.
Plus, they race all the time. High school duel meets, club meets, duel meets in college, regionals, state champs & nationals.
I still wish you guys would swim SCM, though. SCY times confuse the h*ll out of me!! 😉
SCM. Please, Please, Please….. SCM.
I love the NCAA system, it’s amazing and the team aspect is truly special.
I know most schools don’t have an SCM pool, but I just wish it would change at some point.
It be more relevant, and would truly showcase how fast the NCAA champs meet actually is.
The Kazan Worlds were unusual due to the method of team selection – many of America’s top swimmers were at the Student games, US nationals, because they did not make the team a year earlier. Hopefully this year shows that selecting national teams via a trials held a few weeks before is the best way to go.
Yes, not having Phelps due to his DUI Charges and suspension probably had some impact on that too.
It was also a terrible idea to select swimmers from Pan Pacs based on times done in the B final. For example, Plummer went faster than Murphy (who was in the A final) in the 100 back in the B final at Pan Pacs and was selected for Worlds because of that.
The USA seems to always under perform (sometimes a little sometimes a lot) at the World Championships. I hate to say this, but the intensity level isn’t the same for the swimmers. As important as a World Championship is, it isn’t the Olympics. As someone once said (I forget the athletes name), you don’t change your life for the World Championships but you DO for the Olympic Games. When the chips are on the table, the American athletes are going to do everything they need to (to stand on the Olympic podium).
I think the World Championships were devalued by moving to every two years – now they’re overshadowed by the Olympics year before/after. When it was every four years, right between the Olympics (78, 82, etc), the WC seemed to be an almost equivalent checkpoint to pre and post Olympic status.
What about compared to London 2012?
We con 16 gold, 9 silver, and 6 bronze in London. We likely won’t hit that mark.
Men 100 free seems to be open.. 50 free a mistery by now.. Fratus and Govorov are still to hit the water.. Manadou seems ok..
Men 200 Fly was a medal that was possible, but not “sure”, same for Ledecky 200 free..
Men 200 Breast is open, a little “up” for JPN.
Women 200 back seems to be Hosszu Gold now..
Apart from that, there is still the men 100 fly/200 IM and women 800 free.. also add the relays, the 4×200 men free and 4×100 medley are US sure barren DQ.. Australia seems to be giving the Women Gold medley Medal to US.. but China may want to get in the top again..