FINA’s new rule to keep an Olympic champion’s innovative turn at bay was just one of the things that had swimming fans talking in the past week. USA Swimming’s announcement of the Olympic head coaches and some fast swims in China were among the top five swimming headlines, and we’re counting them down on this edition of The Week That Was.
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The Week That Was #5: Sun Yang returns to competition after “heart issues”
Photo Courtesy: Singapore Swimming Federation
Sun Yang claimed that heart issues kept him out of the final of the 1500 freestyle at the world championships a month ago. But the Olympic champion was back in the pool last month swimming fast at the Chinese nationals. Though he didn’t break 15 minutes in the mile, he nearly swam his fastest 400 free of the year with a 3:42.70. That’s just a couple of tenths slower than his silver medal-winning time in Russia, suggesting that Sun’s health is back on track – if it was indeed in jeopardy. Sun wasn’t the only highlight of the meet. Li Zhuhao broke the world junior record in the 200 fly and nearly lowered his own mark in the 100 fly. Li, just 16 years old, is giving China a big boost in the butterfly and helping its medley relay medal hopes for next year’s Olympics as well.
The Week That Was #4: 2024 Olympic candidate cities submit letters of intent
Photo Courtesy: Benh
With less than 24 hours to go until the deadline for cities to submit their letters of intent to compete for the right to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the tension is high. So far, five cities have made their intentions known: Paris, Rome, Budapest, Hamburg and Los Angeles. It was believed that Toronto would also join the fray, but the chances are looking slimmer by the minute that the Canadians will enter the race. The next step is convincing the International Olympic Committee before the vote about one year from now. Paris, Rome and Los Angeles have each hosted the Olympics at least once, with Hamburg looking to return the Games to Germany for a third time. If Budapest wins, it would be the first time Hungary has hosted an Olympics, summer or winter.
The Week That Was #3: American Swimming Coaches Association names Coach of the Year
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien
For the third year in a row, Bruce Gemmell of Nation’s Capital Swim Club was named the coach of the year by the American Swimming Coaches Association. He’s now the second coach after Eddie Reese to win three in a row, and is likely headed for more based on the trajectory of his star swimmer, Katie Ledecky. Ledecky won five golds at the world championships, setting three world records.
The Week That Was #2: Bob Bowman, David Marsh named USA Swimming’s Olympic head coaches
On Tuesday, USA Swimming announced that Bob Bowman and David Marsh will lead the American swim team at next year’s Olympics, the first time either has led an Olympic squad. Bowman will lead the men’s team, while Marsh will be the head coach for the women’s team. The selections have been met with great acclaim in the swimming community, and the two said they will work to not only generate great performances in the pool, but create a cohesive team that will work together in all areas to make it one of the best squads in history.
The Week That Was #1: FINA makes “Ryan Lochte Turn” illegal in IM races
Photo Courtesy: R-Sport / Mia Rossiya Segodnaya
Ryan Lochte won’t be able to use his innovative turn on the freestyle leg of an IM race anymore, now that FINA has clarified its rule regarding body position when pushing off the wall for the last quarter of an individual medley race. FINA specified that the last 1/4 of the race must be “any style other than backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly.” Therefore, Lochte and all swimmers looking to incorporate the turn into their IM training will have to abandon that practice. Lochte’s coach, David Marsh, called the ruling “disappointing,” but said Lochte will find ways within the rules to get faster.
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