French Olympic Trials Race Videos

Women's 100m Backstroke Final



Men's 200m Freestyle Final

Ian Thorpe Will Swim 400m Free This Weekend

This weekend in Zurich will see the return of Ian Thorpe to an event he dominated for the best part of a generation, the 400m Freestyle. In his last competition before the Australian Olympic Trials, Thorpedo will compete in both the 100m and 400m Freestyle.

RESULTS

While this development is being put forward as simply an experiment for racing, it does raise some interesting questions.

Could Thorpe make the Australia team on the 400m Free?

As strange as it sounds given his focus on sprinting, the 400m Free might turn out to offer Thorpe a slim remote surprise chance at making it to London 2012. Australia's top two last year were Ryan Napoleon (3:45.16, 6th in the world last year) and Thomas Fraser-Holmes (3:46.54, 10th in the world last year). To get down to 3:45 will likely prove too much for Thorpe, but it should be remembered that those times are over 5 seconds down on his best time.


It is also worth mentioning that Leigh Nugent didn't 100% rule out the move up to 400m. "The 400m is more about experimenting with his racing, not so much about what he would be intending to do at trials... It's pretty much off the agenda (for the trials). But he's been going pretty well. He has been pretty happy with his progress."


'Pretty much off the agenda' does not equal 'Off the agenda'.




Would Thorpe have a chance to win the 400m Free in London?


No.


Sun Yang, Park Tae-Hwan, Yannick Agnel and Paul Biedermann are too good for that to happen.



What will the 400 Free tell us about his 200 Free?

So far Thorpe has been struggling at the end of his races, whether they be over 100m or 200m. Seeing him race a 400m Free should give us some clues to his conditioning in his last competition before Olympic Trials.

Unless the entire comeback has been a smoke and mirror show, Thorpe needs to show increased endurance at the end of his races. Chances are if he struggles in the 400m Free in Zurich, he is going to struggle in the 200m Free at Trials, his best chance at making the Olympic team.

What should we make of Leigh Nugent's optimism?

The last time we saw a story about Thorpe and Nugent, it focused on Thorpedo's lack of fitness, motivation and confidence. Now, less than four weeks on, everything is smelling of roses?

Thorpe's been going 'pretty well, he has been pretty happy with his progress'.

Well, I will still be pretty surprised if he makes the Aussie Olympic team. I hope I'm wrong there though.


Why hasn't there been a vote on this blog for such a long time?

Good point. New vote launched. Will Ian Thorpe make the Australian Olympic Team. Yes/No? You decide.


(Hat tip to The Swimmers Daily for the Thorpe story)

British Olympic Trials Draft Programme Released

This is the moment that the adrenaline will really start to kick in for the British swimmers. Nothing brings home the fact that a big competition is approaching like scanning through the draft programme.


2012 Olympic Trials Draft Programme

Typical Divers

While swimmers are busy training hard, the divers are dancing about on a beach. Typical.

(Good effort on the video though)

Ian Thorpe's Return Imminent: 5 Things to Watch & Predictions

Australian legend Ian Thorpe will return to the competition pool on Friday for the first time since 2006. Choosing to swim the 100m Fly and 100m IM, Thorpe will give us just 25 tantalising metres to judge his Freestyle in Singapore.

5 Things to Watch Out For

1) New Freestyle technique - Watch out for a new technique with higher elbows and increased hip rotation.
2) Butterfly speed - Geoff Huegill is nervous about racing Thorpe in the 100 Fly, highlighting Gennadi Touretski's love of training his swimmers with an emphasis on butterfly.  For more, read David Rieder's article.
3) Physique - Thorpe has never had a typical swimmers physique and always had a big frame, not that you could ever see it in his black suit. In Singapore we will see what kind of physical shape Thorpe is in.
4) Technical aspects - Potentially the X Factor that will determine if his comeback will be a success. The world has moved on since 2006 on starts, turns and underwaters. Thorpe will need to catch up quickly to be competitive on the biggest stage.
5) Mentality - Thorpe fell out of love with swimming but has recently spoke of his love for the sport returning. Touretski wants him swimming with freedom in Singapore, so look for Thorpe to be enjoying racing again.

Predictions

100m Fly - 51.95
100m IM - 53.50

Heats starts at 9am Singapore time (1am London time). Finals begin at 5:30pm Singapore time (9:30am London time).

Live Video Here or Here

Start Lists & Results

British Swimming Finds a New Star

Express and Star Water baby Caitlin Morris has caused a sensational splash by swimming unaided across the nine-metre width of a pool – at the age of just two. Caitlin, from Stourport, could swim before she could walk and her doggy-paddle style stroke got her across the width in 47 seconds.

YES! We've done it! Britain has found their very own 'wonderkid'! Step aside Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Missy Franklin etc... Caitlin Morris will soon make you all look like Eric Moussambani. Here is a serious question: Will London 2012 come too soon for Caitlin Morris?


Did anyone else shed a tear when they read 'Caitlin could swim before she could walk'? This is exactly what we should be doing here in Britain. For the record, I 100% agree with this new trend of water-dwelling athletes. It is the future of our sport.

If a major sports agency is not actively trying to sign up Caitlin, then they need to find a new profession. Why? Because Caitlin Morris IS 'Straight Cash, Homey'.

(Thanks to Swimmer's Daily for the video)

London 2012 Marathon Swimming Test Event - Eyewitness Report (Pulitzer Edition)

The things I do for this blog. Last Saturday I should have been chilling out, recovering creatively ahead of another hard week of swim blogging... instead I braved London transport on a weekend and headed down to Hyde Park for the London 2012 Marathon Swimming Test Event. Here is what I learnt, heard and saw (in picture form)


What I learnt

- Melissa Gorman (AUS) is kind of tall...

- Eva Fabian (USA) is kind of short...

- If a swimmer was ever to replace Chuck Norris as the world's toughest guy, Thomas Lurz (GER) is probably your guy on looks alone...

- The setting for this race is incredible. It doesn't get much better than Hyde Park on a normal summer's day, but with the added Olympic buzz thrown in it will be electric...

- You can walk alongside the swimmers for most of the course... or there is seating/standing with commentary and a big video screen. I kind of preferred walking...

- You can't rent a pedalo while the race is happening...

What I heard

I didn't make it into the post-race press conference, so I went in gonzo-style. This was overheard on the walk to the drug testing room with men's winner Richard Weinberger, his coach, two drug testers and a swim blogger walking just a little too close to them to be considered normal:

- Water temperature was great...
- He tries to swim 80k every week...
- The best way to put on weight is to drink McDonald's milkshakes, which are full of protein and calcium...

What I saw

The Setting

Pulitzer Prize Entry 1

This Week In Swimming

US Junior Championships - August 8 - 12

Start Lists/Results

London 2012 Marathon Swimming Test Event - August 10

Women's Entry List
Men's Entry List
Results


World University Games - August 14-18

Results

World Junior Swimming Championships, Lima, Peru - August 16- 21

Psych Sheet
Results

Wait... Stanford has TWO 50m pools next to each other?!

This must be photoshopped, right? I mean there is no way that the United Kingdom (pop: 62,000,000) has a grand total of thirty five 50m pools (6 Olympic size), yet Stanford University (15,000 students, 64,000 Palo Alto residents) has two right next to each other....

... don't even get me started on the Music Rehearsal Facility next door.

A look inside the London Aquatics Centre

Nice view from the top of the London Aquatics Centre, not so great if you're afraid of heights.

PS. 0:02 and 0:32 into the video, is that how all Aussies pronounce 'aquatics'?

(Hat tip to The Daily Telegraph and Hollandswimming for the video)

Ian Thorpe Talks About His Comeback

Ian Thorpe is currently in the UK helping the BBC and British Swimming promote their Big Splash initiative. While over here, Thorpe has been training in Manchester, home to his 3:40.08 400m Free time, arguably his greatest ever swim. He has also written his most in-depth account of his comeback so far. Here it is in its entirity:

From BBC Sport

By Ian Thorpe

We have a rule of thumb in swimming: for every month you have off it takes about three months of training to get back to your previous condition.

I'm not sure what the time frame is when you've been out of action for five years like me, but it can't be too good!

Latest Score: Ian Thorpe 1 - Michael Phelps 0

Ian Thorpe has struck first in his renewed rivalry with Michael Phelps. The score as it stands now:-

Royal Wedding Attendances: Ian Thorpe 1 - Michael Phelps 0

PS. He looks in much better shape than when he announced his comeback in early February (below). This appearance seems to back up recent reports coming out of Switzerland that the comeback is going well.

UPDATE with video of Thorpe arriving.

Swimming at the 2012 Olympic Games - Day 4 Roundtable Part I

With the recent announcement of an unchanged Olympic Schedule for London 2012, what better time to go through some of the talking points. I sat down with two esteemed swim bloggers, Braden Keith of The Swimmers Circle(BK) and David Rieder of TheSwimGeek.com (DR) to hack, dig, crawl, and otherwise muddle our way through the Olympic Schedule.


Men's 100m Freestyle


Alain Bernard and Eamon Sullivan dominated this race in 2008, but will either swim this race in London? Can Cesar Cielo add the 100 free gold to his 50 free title from Beijing, or will a younger sprinter steal the crown? If he swims it, will Michael Phelps be a factor, and can an American win?


DR - I feel like Cielo still has something to prove in the 100 free, and it won't be an easy challenge for him with all of the great sprinters out there. For someone who's most natural event is the 50, it will be interesting to see how he deals with the actual 100 freestylers out there. Of course, he is the world champ and world record-holder, so never count him out!

I don't think Phelps will swim the 100 free because of the conflicts with the 200 fly and 800 free relay. (The 100 free semis come just before those two finals.) I think Phelps will put up a time that would win a medal as a relay lead-off, just as he did in Beijing, but the 200 fly is the priority for him still. Similarly, I think Ryan Lochte will skip the 100 free to focus on his many other events, such as the aforementioned relay and 200 back/200 IM, both of which have their semi-finals on the day of the 100 free final.

Swimming at the 2012 Olympic Games - Day 3 Roundtable

With the recent announcement of an unchanged Olympic Schedule for London 2012, what better time to go through some of the talking points. I sat down with two esteemed swim bloggers, Braden Keith of The Swimmers Circle(BK) and David Rieder of TheSwimGeek.com (DR) to hack, dig, crawl, and otherwise muddle our way through the Olympic Schedule.


Men’s 200m Butterfly

BK - Phelps is back, and seems to be serious again. With London in sight, I expect that he'll carry that momentum through the duration. He went a 1:54.1 in this event in debatable shape, and in good shape, he's going to put up a 1:53-low or better, and that will be that.

The top 3 in the world last year, Phelps, Matsuda, and D'Arcy, all lined up next to each other last summer at Pan Pacs. It's a great demonstration of the differences in technique betwen the 3 swimmers, and after seeing that, it's hard to buy D'Arcy finishing any higher than 3rd. D'Arcy is strong and has great walls, but he has to be that way to match the efficiency of the other 2 swimmers. I actually think he'll get nipped by Wu Peng of China for a medal too.

Picks: 1) Phelps, 2) Matsuda, 3) Peng. Darkhorse: Bence Biczo from Hungary. He set the European Juniors record last year in Helsinki, and pulled off the 200 fly double at both European Juniors and the Youth Olympic Games. Chad Le Clos gets all of the youth hype in this event, but Biczo might be better than him at this point.

DR- Only 1:53-low on phelps? I'd say probably a WR or at least very close. Good chance of 1:50 or even... 1:49?

2012 Olympic Schedule Announced

The schedule for London 2012 has just been announced.

Schedule For All Sports (Warning: The file is 28mb so might take a little while to download)
Swimming Only Schedule

Heats start at 10am, Finals start at 7:30pm and are set to go on until 9:35pm most nights. With drug testing and media duties its going to mean some late nights, especially noteworthy for those with heavy schedules. Having a 10am start (presumably warm-up at 9am) should give swimmers a chance to get a decent amount of sleep before the morning session.

The schedule will mirror both the 2004 and 2008 games.

Swimming Venue: Olympic Park – Aquatics Centre 28-Jul 10:00–13:00 M 400m Individual Medley: heats W 100m Butterfly: heats M 400m Freestyle: heats W 400m Individual Medley: heats M 100m Breaststroke: heats  W 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay: heats 19:30–21:35 M 400m Individual Medley: final, victory ceremony W 100m Butterfly: semi-finals M 400m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony W 400m Individual Medley: final, victory ceremony M 100m Breaststroke: semi-finals W 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay: final, victory ceremony 29-Jul 10:00–12:50 W 100m Backstroke: heats  M 200m Freestyle: heats W 100m Breaststroke: heats M 100m Backstroke: heats  W 400m Freestyle: heats M 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay: heats 19:30–21:35 W 100m Backstroke: semi-finals M 200m Freestyle: semi-finals W 100m Butterfly: final, victory ceremony M 100m Breaststroke: final, victory ceremony W 100m Breaststroke: semi-finals M 100m Backstroke: semi-finals W 400m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony M 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay: final, victory ceremony 30-Jul 10:00–11:40 W 200m Freestyle: heats M 200m Butterfly: heats W 200m Individual Medley: heats 19:30–21:15 W 200m Freestyle: semi-finals M 200m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony W 100m Backstroke: final, victory ceremony M 100m Backstroke: final, victory ceremony W 100m Breaststroke: final, victory ceremony M 200m Butterfly: semi-finals W 200m Individual Medley: semi-finals 31-Jul 10:00–12:15 M 100m Freestyle: heats  W 200m Butterfly: heats M 200m Breaststroke: heats M 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: heats 19:30–21:20 M 100m Freestyle: semi-finals W 200m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony M 200m Butterfly: final, victory ceremony W 200m Butterfly: semi-finals M 200m Breaststroke: semi-finals W 200m Individual Medley: final, victory ceremony M 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: final, victory ceremony 01-Aug 10:00–13:05 W 100m Freestyle: heats M 200m Backstroke: heats W 200m Breaststroke: heats M 200m Individual Medley: heats W 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: heats 19:30–21:35 M 200m Breaststroke: final, victory ceremony W 100m Freestyle: semi-finals M 200m Backstroke: semi-finals W 200m Butterfly: final, victory ceremony M 100m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony W 200m Breaststroke: semi-finals M 200m Individual Medley: semi-finals W 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: final, victory ceremony 02-Aug 10:00–12:10 M 50m Freestyle: heats W 800m Freestyle: heats M 100m Butterfly: heats W 200m Backstroke: heats 19:30–21:05 M 50m Freestyle: semi-finals W 200m Breaststroke: final, victory ceremony M 200m Backstroke: final, victory ceremony W 200m Backstroke: semi-finals M 200m Individual Medley: final, victory ceremony W 100m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony M 100m Butterfly: semi-finals 03-Aug 10:00–12:50 W 50m Freestyle: heats M 1500m Freestyle: heats W 4 x 100m Medley Relay: heats M 4 x 100m Medley Relay: heats 19:30–20:50 W 200m Backstroke: final, victory ceremony M 100m Butterfly: final, victory ceremony W 800m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony M 50m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony W 50m Freestyle: semi-finals 4 Aug 19:30–21:00 W 50m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony M 1500m Freestyle: final, victory ceremony W 4 x 100m Medley Relay: final, victory ceremony M 4 x 100m Medley Relay: final, victory ceremony Swimming - Marathon Venue: Hyde Park 9 Aug 12:00–15:00 W Marathon Swimming 10km, victory ceremony 10 Aug 12:00–15:00 M Marathon Swimming 10km, victory ceremony

Poll Result - Who will win the Men's 200m IM at the 2012 London Olympics?

Speed Endurance readers, possibly the world's foremost collection of swimming experts, have spoken...

Ryan Lochte will win the 200m IM at London 2012. 

Note this down. With the collective knowledge and brain power on hand, this is as close to a guarantee as possible.

Lochte and Michael Phelps were locked in a close race for the duration of the vote. Phelps initially led, before a strong surge in support for Lochte took him away. Lochte's lead stretched out to 13 votes at one point before a late Phelps push closed the gap to 8 votes.

This has every chance of being the race of the 2012 Olympics (I'm not limiting that statement to just Swimming either). Lochte v Phelps. The two biggest stars of male swimming.

Here's how their best times match up:-

Lochte 2010- Fly - 24.86 - Back - 28.42 -Breast - 33.41 - Free- 27.70 - 1:54.43 (in Jammers)
Lochte 2009 - Fly - 24.72 - Back -28.48 - Breast -33.08 - Free -27.82 - 1:54.10
Phelps 2008 - Fly - 24.59 - Back -28.81 - Breast -33.50 - Free -27.33 - 1:54.23


If you break it down by stroke, Phelps has an advantage on Fly, Lochte has a stronger Back.
Breaststroke and Freestyle are harder to split. It would appear Lochte has the upper hand at the moment on Breaststroke, whilst on Freestyle, Phelps has stronger splits, but Lochte is currently the world's fastest over 200m Free. As is so often the case in Medley races, Breaststroke looks like it will be the pivotal stroke in 2012.

Results
Ryan Lochte - 82 votes (50.9%)
Michael Phelps - 74 votes (46.0%)
James Goddard - 3 votes (1.9%)
Tyler Clary - 1 vote (0.6%)
Laszlo Cseh - 1 vote (0.6%)

PS. There's a new box at the top right of the site. Click Like to add Speed Endurance on Facebook. The page has only just been created so its currently a little short on numbers.... Click Like and spread the word.

New Poll Question

Who will win the Men's 200m IM at the 2012 London Olympics?

The Contenders

 Ryan Lochte - Over the last two years Lochte has established himself as the world's best 200m IMer. World Record holder and World Champion in 2009. Pan Pacs Champion, World ranked no. 1, textile suit best time and beating Phelps in 2010.

So this poll should be obvious. Lochte is the clear winner, right?

 Michael Phelps - How many people are willing to bet against the great Michael Phelps at an Olympic Games. Think back just 2 years ago to Beijing where Phelps destroyed Lochte by over 2 seconds, surely a fit and well prepared Phelps is stronger than Lochte, right?

Tyler Clary - What about Clary? The 21 year old will be at an ideal age by the time London comes around. Clary continues to improve at an impressive rate. If he keeps on improving Lochte or Phelps might not even make the Olympic team on the 200m IM.

James Goddard - Clary's not the only guy improving. Goddard threw down an impressive 1:57.76 back in March. Goddard continues to improve on the 200m IM and has already been close to his suited best time of 1:57.12 from 2009. One huge 'x factor' on Goddard's side, swimming at a home Olympics.

Laszlo Cseh - A discussion on the 200m IM wouldn't be complete without Laszlo Cseh, the perennial runner up behind either Phelps and/or Lochte. Cseh has to be one of the most talented swimmers to have never won an Olympic Gold medal. Can Cseh get up to Lochte's/Phelps' level by 2012?

Poll Results - Will Ian Thorpe return for 2012?

The swimming community has spoken (well, 123 members of it atleast) and the general consensus is that... Ian Thorpe will not be returning to London 2012.

91 voted for No, a whopping percentage of 74%. Myself and 31 others voted for Yes, a minuscule 26%.

Back in early May I looked at the situation and my opinions haven't changed despite a rejection of the rumours by Thorpe. There's no way Thorpe announces his return before he can be sure that he can get down to the times required in the 100m Free and that will require some intensive training. We might need to wait until mid-2011 for more news, but IF Thorpe can get into the right shape by then I fully expect him to announce a return in the 4 x 100 Free Relay and 200m Free.

Ian, if you're reading, go to 2:32 in this video, then get yourself to the pool.

Ian Thorpe - Considering comeback for 2012?

The Herald Sun reports today that Ian Thorpe, 27, is considering a surprise comeback in time for London 2012.

It's understood Thorpe, 27, discussed his plans with Australia's current batch of crack male sprinters - Eamon Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein, Ashley Callus and Matt Targett - at the Commonwealth Games trials in Sydney last month, allegedly saying: "Let's get the 4x100 in London."

I say this happens... Just three days ago at a sports convention in Dubai Thorpe revealed “I’ve walked away, not retired”. Thorpedo is media-savvy enough to know how this will have been taken and to have the story break so soon afterwards tells me that we'll get the welcome return of this century's first global swimming star.

Assuming it does happen, several questions remain:-

A) Will he get back into the kind of shape he needs to be to make the Australian team?

- Look at Geoff Huegill. Thorpe might not even be the biggest surprise comeback Olympian on the 2012 team.

B) Will he focus only on the 4 x 100 Free relay?

- If Thorpe can get down to a mid-48 on the 100 Free (what it will probably take to qualify comfortably for the Aussie team) then I'm guessing he could also swim a pretty mean 200m Free. You can add the 4 x 200 Free relay to his list. When it comes to individual events I think Thorpe needs to be in with a real shot at a medal (probably Gold) for him to consider it. The individual 200m Free would probably be the most suitable event for him and as a result his participation might depend on what Phelps/Biedermann/Agnel/Isotov etc. are producing. The endurance needed for the 400m Free might be a step too far even for Thorpe. I don't see him being able to match Cielo/Bernard/Sullivan for speed in the individual 100 Free.

C) Will Thorpe's presence be enough to win Gold for Australia in the 4 x 100 Free relay in 2012?

- It will certainly give the team a boost and should help Australia but it still might not be enough to claim gold.

France have to be considered favourites with the USA a close second. So far this year the fastest 4 French 100m Freestylers are:-

A Bernard - 48.32 (World Rank 1)
F Gilot - 48.52 (W.r. =2)
W Meynard - 48.79 (W.r 5)
Y Agnel - 48.99 (W.r 8)

This doesn't even include the seriously talented A Leveaux, F Bousquet, B Steimetz and G Mallet.

Australia's top 4 in comparison:-

E Sullivan - 48.52 (W.r =2)
T D'Orsagna - 49.35 (W.r 18)
J Magnussen - 49.43 (W.r 19)
K Richardson- 49.47 (W.r 25)

The US team will always challenge and have a wealth of talent available. (Phelps, Adrian, Walters, Grevers, Weber-Gale, Jones, new guys coming through... Lezak!)

D) If Thorpe does comeback, is it the best news in 2010 for the sport of swimming?

Yes.