Since 2000, 4×100 freestyle relay hype and subsequent upsets seem to go hand-in-hand, creating historic moments that remain branded on our brains.
Gary Hall Jr., entertaining and galvanizing, bringing a boxer’s showmanship to the Olympic stage in Sydney, said Team USA would smash the Aussies like guitars. Team USA got smashed, particularly by a boyish Ian Thorpe on the final 100 meters, making him a global icon. This marked the first U.S. loss in this event in Olympic history.
(Note video time, 3:30, when the Aussies strum guitars.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L_jE9rAZAI
South Africa wrote the story in 2004, wining their country’s first gold medal in world record time, 3:13.17. On paper the South Africans were the favorites, but the media hyped Team USA as nearly unbeatable, partly because it was the opening chapter to Phelps’ historic run at 8 medals. Team USA ultimately netted bronze, another first when the Netherlands’ Peter van den Hoogenband (“Hoogie”), ran down Jason Lezak on the anchor.
Frenchman Alain Bernard set the stage in 2008 with his “we will crush them” (The Americans) smack-talk, inspiring some U.S. club coaches to announce a boycott on French Fries. Lezak anchored in a 46.0 running down a gorilla-leaden Bernard in the last few meters, a miracle swim many U.S. fans consider the greatest aquatic race in history.
Today, it happened again, in spite of Nathan Adrian’s “Missile crushing” 47.8 leadoff, Phelps’ rarely seen 47.1 flying start, Cullen’s stalwart 47.6, and Lochte’s semi-solid 47.8. All 47s!
It wasn’t enough.
France’s Clement Lefert churned a 47.3, a star swim from a supporting player, teeing up Yannick Agnel’s – soon to be iconic – closer, 46.74. Those swims were the difference, the reason France claimed it’s first Olympic relay gold
How did this happen again? Where was the fire-power from Magnussen, The Missile? Were the Aussies overconfident?
We followed the hype over the year, capturing video from US coaches, ’08 Olympic relay mates and even got an insider peek at the Aussie mind-set with Matt Targett.
The Aussies weren’t arrogant, though Magnussen could be brash. Much of the hype was fan-driven. It was us, we, the swim-nerd horde who love it.
Hindsight being 20-20, it’s easy to play armchair Olympic Coach, but why not? It’s fun.
Here’s a piece of insider gossip. My one-time coach, David Marsh (who put five on the US Olympic Team, including Cullen), felt the 2008 4×100 free relay might not have translated into gold for the U.S. if the French lineup had been shuffled. “You anchor with Bousquet. Always.” David wouldn’t say it outright – he’s too much of a gentleman – but if Fred Bousquet had anchored, he wouldn’t have faded. I asked around, and my sources tell me Alain Bernard demanded the anchor leg because it’s the hero leg, for the fastest swimmer. Supposedly, Bousquet and Bernard switched positions the very day of the race for this reason.
What if Michael Phelps had anchored? Could he have gone 46 plus under the gun? What if Phelps had leadoff and Nathan Adrian anchored? What if Matt Grevers, who is clearly “on” at this competition, had been in the lineup? At night his 47.5 might’ve been shaved to a 47.1, or faster.
What would you do as the US Olympic coach? Who would you have put on the men’s 4×100 free?
I would have led off with Kristin Otto, gone with Le Jingyi second, Michelle Smith third and anchored with Ye Shiwen. Definitely would have taken the French.
surly shirley?
lol. brilliant.
I don’t like your roundabout way of suggesting Ye Shiwen was using performance-enhancing drugs.
At a minimum letting Phelps anchor would have been better, because he has the experience and ability to get into the wall.
And Lochte does not have experience and ability to get into the wall?
Only two people in the WORLD swam what was needed for the USA to win (47.2) Michael Phelps and Agnel. Phelps is the GOAT and Agnel is rising star with one of the BEST TEXTILE SPLITS EVER. I feel that most people are not realizing how amazing Agnel’s split was and that we had no one waiting in the wings who could have go as fast as 47.2. Some people say Greevers, but he had already some two 100 backs, the prelims relay, and would have only had about a half hour between the finals races. I do not think he would have been able to pull the 47.2 that was needed in finals. What i would have done would… Read more »
BBR if US used Greevers on the final and didn´t won, people would be calling for Heads saying locthe would do the trick. In any situation, people would keep whining.
Agreed Rafael. They would have been like “Lochte is on fire.. should have used him..blah blah blah”. The world just likes to b*tch and complain about what could have been, whether is be politics or the Olympics.
I agree that people will complain no matter what the order and say that someone could or should have gone faster. But I think there is an ugly precedent started with this. To be on a relay, you have to swim the event individually and qualify.
I agree.
I find it absurd the absolute massacre they did to this relay. Further, I feel that the switching around of the order and persons on the Finals swim undermines a great swimming tradition: the fastest swimmers get to swim on the relay. No tears, no questions.
Adrian punched his ticket to swim this thing clearly, and in my opinion so did Grevers with his absurd prelim swim and his monster backstroke swims as well. I understand wanting to rest him, but he is a big man- had at that point only 2×100 back left and a 100 free on a relay. He couldn’t manage that but Phelps and Lochte can swim 10 plus times? Come on…
They wanted some… Read more »
Lezak was 46.06 in ’08 not 46.2
Phelps->Jones->Grevers->Adrian.
Adrian wouldn’t have faded in the anchor leg. And Grevers would have likely gone faster than his earlier 47.5, given the occasion.
Adrian, Jones, Lochte, Phelps.
Has anyone noticed that the teams who lead for most of the relay rarely win? The person in the lane next to them is always able to pull a Lezak and catch them by drafting off of their wake. Thus, it’s better to have slower siwmmers first (but not too slow.) Hence a lineup of Adrian, Jones, Lochte, Phelps — Adrian as lead because the US doesn’t want to be too far behind, and Phelps as anchor because he has a very good second 50.
This was the best line-up.
Grevers just had backstroke semis less than half an hour before. Considering he probably wasn’t going full strength in prelims, and adding the fatigue of the backstroke semis, I estimate he might have repeated the 47.5#. On the other hand, Lochte split 47.03 in Rome 09; considering how many this year are approaching those 09 times once again, it was hopeful that Lochte might swim somewhere near, maybe 47.2# or even 47.1#. If he had done that, the US and French teams would have been neck-and-neck at the finish.
Adrian leading off gave the US team clear water to swim in from the start. And his massive wake seems to have contributed to slowing… Read more »
Kenneth,
I so agree with you.
At first I was a bit baffled by the line up, but then I saw the brilliant move the US coaches made. This was absolutely the best lineup US coaches could have made on the night.
USA should have been proud that their relay did as well as they did.
Hear, hear!!
Well i sort of disagree. It is splitting hairs, but i contest that performing a 100 back half an hour before the 400 free relay is much less of a strain than performig a 200 free an hour before the relay. Here are the reasons.
1. 100 meters vs. 200 meters. Assuming grevers swam out his lactic acid, 30 minutes is moer than enough to return to, or beyond his lactic acid levels.
2. back vs free – again with breathing, grevers did not have an issue with not breathing by being on his back. i don’t know if there’s scientific evidence to prove this, but i would bet his lactic acid levels were lower than lochte’s after… Read more »