PHOENIX, Arizona, June 3. THE Arena Grand Prix Series wrapped up this weekend in windy Santa Clara, California. The overall series winners for the men and women were crowned, with Missy Franklin taking the title for the women and Ryan Lochte for the men. Lochte took the overall win from longtime leader Tyler Clary after collecting four first place finishes in Santa Clara. Looks like Lochte proved to fans once and for all that the time he spent on his reality show was not wasted, and that he still has the drive to perform on par with the best in the world.
Overall, the meet showcased a lot of local and international talent. Although Santa Clara is held at a tricky time for athletes, when most are in the initial comedown from heavy training, fans were still treated to a collection of top-ten ranked times in the world. Go to Swimmingworld.com for full results and recaps.
In international weekend news, Swimming Australia President Barclay Nettlefold resigned his position after several allegations surfaced about his uttering inappropriate comments about female consultants. He formally resigned after the Swimming Australia board stepped him down a day earlier to investigate the allegations. Nettlefold said in a statement about the incident: “There were some private comments I made in jest to my colleagues recently that were not consistent with the standards expected of me, standards I have urged to be incorporated into the future culture of Swimming Australia.”
Nettlefold initiated two independent inquiries into the overall culture of Swimming Australia and its poor performance at the London Olympic Games. Recent reorganization efforts at the administrative level were being positively received.
