Reported by Mitch Bowmile.
MEN’S 100M BACKSTROKE FINALS
Top seed: David Plummer (52.12)
World record: 51.94 – Aaron Peirsol
American record: 51.94 – Aaron Peirsol
U.S Open record: 51.94 – Aaron Peirsol
U.S Nationals record: 51.94 – Aaron Peirsol
JR World record: 53.67 – Javier Acevedo (Canada)
2012 Winning Time: 52.08 – Matt Grevers
With all the buzz around the pool deck centered around the men’s 100m backstroke and the possibility of a world record, stakes were high. David Plummer‘s been amazing this year, Ryan Murphy has been amazing this year, Matt Grevers is the reigning Olympic champion.
Flying across the pool on the first 50 with the fastest turnover in the entire field, Plummer took the lead turning under world record pace. Right with him was Murphy who also turned under world record pace as the two churned for home.
Plummer and Murphy began to distance themselves in the final stretch from Grevers as Jacob Pebley began to creep up. Murphy got his hand on the wall first securing his spot on the Olympic roster in 52.26 with Plummer second just two one-hundredths behind him in 52.28.
Grevers finished third in 52.76 with Jacob Pebley also dipping under 53-seconds in 52.95.
- Ryan Murphy (52.26)
- David Plummer (52.28)
- Matt Grevers (52.76)
- Jacob Pebley (52.95)
- Michael Taylor (54.04)
- John Shebat (54.20)
- Sean Lehane (54.72) – TIE
- Jake Taylor (54.72) – TIE
For official results click here.
Race video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMZZdmvLj5E
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/matt-grevers-fails-qualify-100m-backstroke-trials
“It looks like Grevers and Plummer..!!”
– Rowdy Gaines screaming.. with only 10m to the finish, when it was clear to everyone else watching that Murphy and Plummer were going to win it. It wasn’t even close between Plummer and Grevers.
Yeah man, I was about ready to ease up on him after Rowdy Story Time in the morning session the other day – he is a genuinely nice guy, it seems – but he’s been way off on a ton. (Confused Claire Adams and Amy Bilquist after a 100 back heat earlier – was going on and on about how her broken hand impacted the race, while the whole time the video was showing Bilquist, who won the heat. Adams was really far back. Said something about Haas coming up 3-4 strokes before Lochte in the 200 free, I counted 7. Stuff like that.)
It’s not an easy job, but even aside from the little mistakes, I feel like he… Read more »
Swimming is not an easy sport to watch for non-fans. All 8 swimmers wear the same thing: cap (maybe different colors), same black suits with same cut, half submerged almost all time (with the exception of start), lane lines with same colors and confusing stripes (looking at you USA Swimming).
So, when a commentator constantly call most things wrong, it further confuses non-fan viewers, which confirms their suspicion that swimming is a boring sport to watch. A good commentator should be able to keep their enthusiasm intact while call things correctly and accurately.
I was semi-serious before on another thread when I said he should take some Adderall or maybe another more appropriate med. I’d really be curious to see if his focus and attention, as well as his impulsivity, could improve. He’s got the energy, enthusiasm, and knows the swimmers and their backstories well, but he gets too excited and distracted and loses track of what’s going on. With a name like Rowdy, it’s not a stretch to think that he may have had some significant ADHD as a kid….