What happened to Ryan Lochte during the 200 back in Istanbul?

Ryan Lochte, the male swimmer of the meet, had a tremendous World Short Course Championships... but it didn't go all his own way.

After his pair of IM world records on the previous two days, expectations were sky high ahead of the 200 backstroke final. However, for the second global championship in a row he was upset in one of his signature events, the 200 back.

All the pre-race signs looked positive. The 200 back was the first final of the day. Lochte was the fastest qualifier having finished his heat swim in a lightning fast 25.93 final 50m split. In 2010 his winning time of 1:46.88 just missed Arkady Vyatchanin's world record of 1:46.11... and we had already seen Lochte swim faster than Dubai this week.

But something happened in the 200 back race, his underwaters stopped dominating his competitors. Watch the start, Ryan Murphy (lane 5) is leading at 25m. On top of that, on the very final turn Lochte went in first, but Radoslaw Kawecki surfaced with Lochte before overhauling him on the touch.

Even the current world record holder (and current training partner of Lochte) was surprised.

@ryanlochte Hey man, where's 1.46? And why did you let this guy win?
— Arkady Vyatchanin (@Arkady_V) December 16, 2012

At first it looked like Lochte might have been trying to do just enough to save himself for the 100 IM final that closely followed the 200 back, however that didn't seem to be the case after seeing how tired he was after the 100 IM. At the same time it is too easy just to chalk it down to the busy schedule he had... Lochte returned later with a 45.2 freestyle leg in the relay, so clearly still had some gas left in the tank.

So the question remains, what happened to Lochte? After his second high profile defeat, has he now lost his unbeatable aura in the 200 back?

(It might not matter soon anyway... Ryan Murphy (17), the second coming of Aaron Peirsol, has arrived)

Watch Ryan Lochte set a new World Record in the 100 Individual Medley

There isn't a swimmer in the world that can keep pace with Ryan Lochte when he is in this sort of form. He had the fastest first and second 50m of the entire race. Utterly dominant.

It was fitting that Peter Mankoc, now 34 years of age, was in the race. Three years ago at the European Championships (also in Istanbul) Mankoc set the former world record, also in a semi-final. Mankoc swam his race from lane 5 that day. From lane 7 this time around he got a view of Lochte's race that money can't buy.

As far as tonight's 100 IM final is concerned, expectations should be tempered. This might be as fast as we see from Lochte as he has a brutal final session ahead. The 200 backstroke final is up first with the 100 IM following just minutes afterwards. Then again, we are talking about Ryan Lochte here... tempering expectations isn't usually a good idea.

World Short Course Swimming Championships - Istanbul - Dec 12 - 16

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Heats start at 10am Istanbul time (8am London / 3am New York)

Finals start at 7pm Istanbul time (5pm London / Midday New York)

Watch Vladimir Morozov 'The Siberian Sizzler' become world champion in the 50 free

The 50 free final in Istanbul really lived up to the pre-race hype. Florent Manaudou was going for a rare triple crown, Olympic, European and World champion in the same year. Vladimir Morozov had other ideas.

Manaudou blasted off the blocks as strongly as usual, but couldn't build a lead over Morozov as they took the turn together. The Russian then showed that there is nobody faster than him on top of the water as he pulled away from the field on the second 25m.

The winning time, 20.55, was sensational. Only Cesar Cielo has been faster in a textile suit (20.51) and Roland Schoeman's world record of 20.30 doesn't seem out of reach. In fact, a combination of Manaudou's dynamite start (or Schoeman's for that matter) with Morozov's speed might just have cracked the world record.

Mark down Saturday 3 August 2013 in your diary. That's when Morozov, Manaudou, Cielo, Schoeman, Jones, Ervin, Fratus et al will rumble in the 50 free final at Worlds in Barcelona. It has the potential to be a classic.

@speed_endurance Had to live up to the given by you "Siberian Sizzler" :)
— Vladimir Morozov (@v1addy) December 14, 2012

Watch Ryan Lochte set a new world record in the 200 IM

There have been some outstanding swims already in Istanbul, but Ryan Lochte breaking 1:50 in the 200 IM tops them all. Regardless of the length of the pool, this goes down as one of the all-time great IM swims.

Lochte's splits emphasised his sheer dominance - he had the fastest time on all four strokes.

Fly - 23.71 (Would have finished 20th in the 50 fly individual event, just missing the semi-final)
Back - 27.03 (Just a shade slower than 100 back bronze medalist Guilherme Guido's second 50m)
Breast - 31.74 
Free - 27.15

Additionally, after the medal presentation, Lochte gave his medal away to a young fan. A genuinely classy move.

Post-race comments

On why he gave his medal away to a young boy in the crowd:
“One of the main reasons for racing is because of my fans, so I always want to give something back.”

“If I took the medal it would end up in a sock drawer, if I give it to a fan they’re going to treasure it. It will make their day or even their life.”

“To see that smile on that little face means everything to me.”

On whether it is the first time he has given a medal away:
“I give them all away.”

World Swimming Championships Day 2 Highlights - Smoliga, Scozzoli, Morozov & Manaudou

Smoliga shocks the world

Relive Vladimir Morozov's 45.52 from Istanbul

Watch the Siberian Sizzler Vladimir Morozov race away from a talented field including Anthony Ervin, Luca Dotto, Tommaso D'Orsagna and Takuro Fujii. He splits 21.62 at 50m before laying down the after burners on the second 50m (23.90).



Takeovers, takeovers, takeovers (make that переход, переход, переход)

Keep watching for the final takeover. You will see two things...
1) Matt Grevers USA with a sublime takeover (0.13).
2) Artem Lobuzov RUS with a shocker (0.49)

One of the most well trodden theories in swimming is the strength of Team USA's takeovers... and it is not a myth, here are the cumulative takeover times:

USA - 0.47 seconds (no US swimmer had a takeover time of more than 0.18)
Russia - 1.26 seconds (no Russian swimmer had a takeover time of less than 0.35)
Total USA gain on three takeovers = 0.79 seconds

To put that into perspective, Russia missed out on the bronze medal to Australia by 0.74 seconds.

New Vote: What was your favourite race from the 2011 World Swimming Championships?

Vote above for your favourite race of the World Swimming Championships. If clicking 'Vote' just isn't enough, make your case for your favourite race in the comment section. If your favourite isn't on the list... the comment section also awaits.

Men's 200m Freestyle - Battle royale between swimming's superpowers. The significance of the race increased as it acted as a baton change between the former owner and newest incumbent of the title 'World's Best Swimmer'.

Women's 800m Freestyle - A definite contender for the head-to-head race of the competition. Rebecca Adlington and Lotte Friis were the clear pre-race favourites, and very little separated the pair for all 800 metres.

Men's 1500m Free - A truly historic race. The only men's world record to survive the tech-suit era went down almost exactly 10 years after it was originally set. Sun Yang broke the record with one of the most incredible final 50 metres you will ever witness.


Women's 200m Backstroke - In years to come this race might be remembered as the first of many, many individual World golds for Missy Franklin. She also came closer than any other woman to breaking an individual WR in Shanghai.

Men's 100m Breaststroke - After the tragedy that hit Norway, Alexander Dale Oen was swimming for more than just himself. A poignant example of an athlete channeling extreme emotions to achieve greatness.


Men's 200m IM - Phelps v Lochte. World Record. Best times for both men. Great, great race.

Women's 200m IM - A lot was expected from this race and it lived up to the hype. We had lead changes, a top three split by just 0.22 seconds and a storming freestyle leg from Ye Shiwen that took her from 5th to first in the space of 29.42 seconds.


Men's 4 x 100m Free Relay - The race started with James Magnussen setting a new textile best time, and ended up with a hard charging Fabien Gilot just falling short of giving France a much sought after win. It also saw a full strength US team finish third, a changing of the guard?

Women's 4 x 100m Free Relay - On paper the pre-race favourites won the race, so why did this race make the list? Well, because for 300m this race was getting away from the Dutch and it took a stunning 52.46 from Femke Heemskerk to overhaul the Americans.


Other - The races above were my personal favourites, but if there is another race you feel deserves to make this list then add it in the comments.

World Record Watch - Women's 4 x 200 Freestyle Relay

One noticeable feature of the World Championships this year has been the lack of World Records. Tomorrow, that might be set to change...

Ryan Lochte (and Michael Phelps to a lesser extent) has a chance in the 200 IM final and Rebecca Soni gets a shot at the 200 Breaststroke mark in the semi final... I have a feeling both marks will be shaken, but ultimately not stirred.

For those desperate to see the first world mark tumble, cast your eyes over the Women's 4 x 200 Freestyle relay.

China currently hold the mark at 7:42.08 - which equals 1:55.52 per swimmer, not an easy task... but not impossible either. It should be a cracking race, be sure to watch it live here tomorrow and chat about the results. Here are the three main contenders:

Australia

Anchored by Kylie Palmer, the silver medalist in the individual event, the Aussies have the best chance of cracking this mark. Palmer swam 1:56.09 in the individual final, but has been as fast as 1:55.73 this year. Compatriot Bronte Barratt has been 1:55.74 this year, although managed just 1:56.90 in the tonight's final. Their hopes of breaking the WR will be directly linked to Barratt being at her best.

The other contenders for the team are Jade Neilsen (1:57.20 this year), Angie Bainbridge (1:57.36) and Blair Evans (1:57.59). Those five swimmers alone would have a legitimate shot at the record, but Australia could also call upon the red-hot Alicia Coutts (1:57.72 this year, but swimming out of her skin in Shanghai) and Steph Rice (1:58.55 this year, but swam a good 200 IM and has relay experience).


China

Their individual swimmers were less than stellar in the individual 200 Free, but China come into this meet as defending champions. They also have a knack for raising their performances to unforeseen levels in the relay events. The team will be led by individual swimmers Yi Tang (1:57.91 in the 200 Free semi final) and Qianwei Zhu (1:59.22), but it is their alternatives that make this team interesting. If Olympic bronze medalist Pang Jiayang swims, and is in good form, she has the potential to post a time in the 1:55-1:56 range. Another more left-field possibility is the inclusion of 200 IM winner, Ye Shiwen. Not known for her 200 Free, her closing 50m Free on the IM was a blazing 29.42, notably the same last 50 split as Federica Pellegrini and Kylie Palmer in the 200 Free final.

Liu Jing (1:58.35), Wenyan Song (1:58.47) and Qian Chen (1:58.24) add valuable depth to the Chinese ranks.


USA

The US team might be somewhat of a wounded animal in this event after losing out to the Dutch in the 4 x100 Free relay and a disappointing 6th place finish for Allison Schmitt (1:56.66 in the 200 heats). Morgan Scroggy (1:59.22 in heats) looked out of sorts in the 200 heats and will need to prove herself in the relay prelims. There are, however, rays of hope. Missy Franklin (1:57.66 this year untapered) looks poised for a monster swim after a blazing 52.99 relay split in the 100 Free. Dana Vollmer (1:56.47) is also in good form and should be able to be counted on for a strong 200 Free.

Assuming Scroggy isn't able to get back down to her best, Dagny Knutson looks set to be called upon. She swam 1:56.9 in a time trial in Shanghai. Katie Hoff (1:57.97 untapered) and Jasmine Tosky (1:58.34 last year) give the USA some depth, and if they want to throw in a curveball, they could swim either Ariana Kukors or Natalie Coughlin.

Watch The Best Races of the 2011 World Swimming Championships

Here's is my rundown of the best races so far from Shanghai:

1. Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay

This relay proved once again that when it comes to drama, no event does it better than the Men's 4 x 100 Free relay.




2. Women's 200m IM

The most anticipated event on the women's schedule did not disappoint. An Allstar line-up gave us an Allstar race.