Happy Birthday Péter Biros!!
Péter Biros (HUN)
Honor Water Polo (2016)
FOR THE RECORD: 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver; 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold; 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold; 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver; 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver; 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold
Hungary is a land of thermal springs and although landlocked, swimming and water sports are ingrained in their culture. This love of water led to an early domination of international swimming and diving competitions in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1920s, it was water polo that came to symbolize Hungary’s unique strengths and individuality. From 1928 to 1980, the Hungarian National Water Polo Team dominated the sport like no other nation, reaching the podium at twelve consecutive Olympic Games. During this streak the Hungarians won six gold medals, three silver medals, three bronze medals, and back to back titles twice: 1932 and 1936 and, 1952 and 1956. It came to be that anything less than the gold medal was considered a failure.
So it became something of a national catastrophe and source of embarrassment when the pride of Hungary failed to medal in four consecutive Olympic contests. After finishing fourth in 1996, the Federation reached out to a young coach, who had made a name for himself coaching in Italy and Australia, to rescue the program.
Denes Kemeny started by building his team around two young men who had helped Hungary finish fourth at the 1996 Games in Atlanta: Tibor Benedek and Tamas Kásás.
Benedek was one of the most talented youngsters to ever play the game. He had joined the National Team as a teenager prior to the 1992 Olympic Games. His speed, quickness, rifle left arm and goal-scoring in Barcelona earned him the Hungarian Player of the Year titles in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Tamas Kásás took up water polo at the age of six, being taught by his father Zoltan, a famous coach and silver medalist in 1972. Because of his world-class swimming speed, defensive skills, accurate shooting and passing he would come to be regarded as one of the world’s best defensive and all around players of his era.
Born in Szeged, Tamás Molnár was selected for the national team in 1997. He was a powerhouse at the all-important center position and could score or draw exclusions against the best defenders in the world.
The youngest to join the team in 1997, was 19-year old Gergely Kiss. He was not only a brilliant left-hander and center defender, but at 6’6”, 245 pounds, he was one of the most physically intimidating players in the sport.
It was 1998 when Péter Biros joined the team. Born in Miskolc, Biros had combined water polo with handball until the age of 17. He could play any position and could score from anywhere in the pool.
The final piece of Kemeny’s team was the goalkeeper, 21-year old Zoltán Szécsi. Standing 6’6” tall, he had learned to swim as an infant, but grew up playing a variety of other sports, like basketball and tennis, which was good training for his position.
Kemeny’s new approach brought immediate results, as the Hungarians won gold at the 1997 European Championships, silver at the 1998 FINA World Championships and gold at the 1999 World Cup.
At the 2000 Sydney Games, Hungary regained its Olympic water polo success by winning their first Olympic medal in 24 years, and their record seventh water polo gold medal, by routing Russia, 13-6.
Four years later, at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Gergely Kiss scored four goals, including the game-winner in an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Serbia-Montenegro to defend their title.
In Beijing, at the 2008 Olympic Games, the Hungarians faced off against the surprising team from the USA. In a wild shoot out, the Magyars took command in the fourth quarter for a 14-10 victory.
The win gave Hungary an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic title. While a total of 21 players won Olympic gold medals playing for Hungary over the period of 2000 to 2008, only six own three by themselves. It is to them, and their coach, that we honor the Hungarian Men’s National Water Polo Team as the first team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Happy Birthday Brian Goodell!!
Brian Goodell (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1986)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1976 gold (400m, 1500m freestyle); PAN AMERICAN GAMES: 1979 gold (400m, 1500m freestyle, relay); WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1975 silver (1500m freestyle); WORLD RECORDS: 5 (400m, 1500m freestyle); AMERICAN RECORDS: 8 (400m, 1500m 500yd, 1650yd freestyle, 400yd individual medley); NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 9 (500yd, 1650yd freestyle; 400yd individual medley); AAU NATIONALS: 10 (500yd, 1000yd, 1500yd, 400m, 800m, 1500m freestyle); 1977 World Swimmer of the Year.
Brian Goodell “was a coach’s dream possessing uncanny determination and talents” says his coach Mark Schubert. Schubert’s record for team championships with the Mission Viejo Nadadores is unsurpassed in American swimming. He went into high gear with the emergence of Goodell. The same could be said for Goodell’s college swimming at UCLA where Coach Ron Ballatore says, “He had a will to win the I’ve seen in few other athletes. He can summon up those hidden reserves and turn it on when somebody is after him, like few others.”
Goodell came to Mission in 1972 not yet a world class athlete. He won a silver in the World Championships in 1975. But from there on in we can speak only of golds. Goodell attributes his incredible training regimen to a fantasy he and Jesse Vassallo used to indulge during those incredible dawn practices with steam coming off the water. They would play games; imagine the world’s best in the next lane and a huge crowd cheering from the imaginary grandstand at the Olympics. With such self-styled inspiration, Goodell set goals for his training and his future races that were unconquerable to others. He believed he did it and he won — until after the incredible boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics when Goodell announced matter of factly, “I’ve accomplished all that I’ve really want to” and retired.
In the years between, he was twice honored as the world’s top male swimmer (1977 and 1979), set five World and eight American records, won nine NCAA and 10 AAU Nationals and won two Olympic gold medals in world record time in individual events. Alongside the world’s best swimmers, one can’t help but wonder if he looked up at the Olympic crowd and fantasized he was swimming through the predawn fog at morning practice. . .
Catching Up: Rowdy Gaines is Gearing Up for Another Olympic Games Behind the Microphone
photo credit: Peter Bick
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
31 March 2024, 04:31pm
Catching Up: Rowdy Gaines is Gearing Up for Another Olympic Games Behind the Microphone
In our latest edition of “Catching Up,” it seemed an appropriate time to visit with Rowdy Gaines, a man who has worn many hats during his enduring role in the sport. Gaines recently wrapped up broadcasting the NCAA Championships for ESPN, and will now shift his focus to the push toward the Olympic Games in Paris.
There are a few guarantees within the swimming competition at each Olympic Games. World records will be broken. A few surprises will get fans talking. Team USA will field a powerful squad. And Rowdy Gaines will be a nightly part—at least in the United States—of living-room gatherings or swim-club viewing parties.
Gaines is one of those rare individuals who has carved out a place in history as a dual-role star. During his competitive days, he was one of the premier freestylers in the world, an athlete who bounced back from heartache to capture Olympic glory. In his second career, as a television analyst for NBC Sports (among other network opportunities), Gaines has become the Voice of the Sport, and is preparing to cover his ninth Olympiad at this summer’s Games in Paris.
The Hall of Famer, plain and simple, has long been a key thread in the fabric of the swimming world.
A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY
This summer will mark the 40th anniversary of the most iconic moment of Gaines’ career. It was a day that arrived four years after the Auburn University star had his initial Olympic dreams wiped out by United States President Jimmy Carter’s decision to have the U.S. boycott the Olympics in Moscow.
Expected to contend for multiple titles at the 1980 Games, the intersection of sports and politics dealt Gaines—and hundreds of other athletes—a gut punch. The work he had logged in preparation for the Moscow Games went for naught, and retirement soon called. At least for a stretch, it appeared as if Gaines would not receive his Olympic opportunity.
But rather than exit competitive waters via a decision not his own, Gaines cut his retirement short to make a push at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. While nothing was guaranteed, Gaines felt he owed it to himself to make a charge at a home Olympiad.
It was a great call.
At the 1984 Olympics, Gaines helped the United States to gold medals in the 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. But it was his performance in the 100 freestyle that made Gaines a legend, an Olympic champion for life.
Rowdy Gaines. Photo Courtesy: Tim Morse
Racing to a time of 49.80, Gaines captured the Olympic crown ahead of Australian Mark Stockwell (50.24) and Sweden’s Per Johansson (50.31). The key for Gaines was a spectacular start, one made possible when his coach, Richard Quick, alerted him that the starter was quick with the gun. With this knowledge, Gaines fired off the blocks and never looked back.
Years later, Gaines can vividly recall the events of July 31, from his chat with Quick to the exuberance he felt upon being crowned an Olympic champ. It’s also hard to believe it’s been four decades since he listened to “The Star-Spangled Banner” after an Olympic gold medal was placed around his neck.
“Part of me feels like it was yesterday,” Gaines said. “I can remember specific details of the race. But another part of me feels like that was another person. I’m not sure how I did all that.
“It would have been impossible without Richard Quick. He had such a knack for picking up things to help his athletes. But more than a coach, he was always a confidant and friend.
“That was such an important time in the Olympic movement. We were coming off the boycott of 1980, and our country was starving for the Olympics. And patriotism was at an all-time high. There are definitely memories.”
THE NEXT CHAPTER
As well known as Gaines is for his exploits in the pool, which include world-record performances, he might be best known for his years as a television analyst—most notably at the Olympic Games. Gaines worked his first Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona and has not missed one since. When he calls the Paris Games this summer, it will mark his ninth Games.
Through the years, he has also served as a regular voice for the NCAA Championships, major college conference champs, the World Championships, Duel in the Pool, United States Nationals, USA Swimming Pro Series and the International Swimming League. If there’s a competition of significance, there’s a good bet Gaines will be part of the announcing team.
“The first and foremost thing I try to bring to my announcing is passion,” Gaines said. “People can question some of my knowledge and my language or grammar, but they can’t question my passion. I hope that’s something that comes across because it’s genuine and I love doing it. I have the best seat in the house.”
Gaines’ passion undoubtedly comes through on telecasts, his voice frequently rising an octave or two. There is pure joy in his approach.
This summer will be a busy one for Gaines, as he’ll call the United States Olympic Trials from Indianapolis in June with longtime NBC partner Dan Hicks. The tandem will then shift their focus to Paris and the latest edition of the Olympic Games.
Through the years, Gaines and Hicks have developed a tight relationship—on and off camera. They have an undeniable chemistry, and truly enjoy working with one another.
“I feel incredibly blessed to be able to go to Paris and call my ninth Olympic Games for NBC,” Gaines said. “They have been incredible to work with, and the entire team at the network has been very supportive of our sport through the years. I will never take for granted the opportunity to be a part of a broadcast of the greatest sporting event in the world.
“Dan is not only the ultimate pro, but also an incredibly dear friend and mentor. There is no way that we would be able to do eight Olympic Games together without being in sync. I’m very fortunate to call him my partner.”
GIVING BACK
As an Olympic champion and longtime fixture behind the microphone, Gaines is one of the best-known personalities in swimming. To his credit, he has used that identity to give back. Gaines has routinely traveled the country providing clinics for clubs and sparking interest in the sport, in addition to providing developing athletes with a few technique tips and motivational words.
More important, Gaines has been at the forefront of the importance of water safety. Since first joining forces with the USA Swimming Foundation in 2003, Gaines has been an ambassador for the organization. His primary focus has been on the importance of swim lessons, and how they can save lives in the fight against drowning.
Really, Gaines’ love for the water—and his many roles—has made him, perhaps, the greatest promoter swimming could imagine.
“I could never give back to the sport more than it has given me,” Gaines said. “It changed my life in so many ways. I will stack swimming against any other sport for the values that are taught every single day. For that, I will always be grateful.”
Happy Birthday Li Ting!!
Li Ting (CHN)
Honor Diver (2019)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (10m platform synchro); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (10m platform synchro); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2006 FINA Diving World Cup: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2004 FINA Diving World Cup: gold (10m platform synchro); 2002 FINA Diving World Cup (10m platform synchro); 2002 ASIAN GAMES: gold (10m platform synchro); 2006 ASIAN GAMES: gold (3m springboard synchro); 2005 SUMMER UNIVERSIADE: gold (10m platform, 3m springboard synchro, 10m platform synchro); 2007 SUMMER UNIVERSADE: gold (3m springboard)
Li Ting was born April 1, 1987 in the Lingui District in China. She and her twin sister were the youngest of three daughters.
Their hometown had an open-air swimming pool where her older sister was trained for basic diving. It was here that Li Ting, and her sister Rao, fell in love with diving at age six, and joined the Lingui Sports School. After school, the three sisters received basic training from Coach Tang Gengsheng.
When Li and her sister were seven years old, senior diving coach Deng Biqiang recognized that the twin sisters had athletic potential in diving and were selected into the Guilin Diving School and were trained by coaches Zeng Yong and Qin Jing. From then on, the sisters began formal training along with their normal education.
Soon, the six a.m. daily wake-up calls caused Ting Li to lose motivation and want to quit the sport. On one day in particular, she was crying during her entire training session and told Coach Qin she wanted to go home. She then thought of her parents and their original dream for her to become an excellent diver.
It is safe to say Li did not give up on her dream. In 1999, she and twin sister, Rao were selected to join the national diving team at the age of 12, suddenly being surrounded by national heroes, like Sun Shuwei and Fu Mingxia.
The training was difficult and the sisters were both under a great deal of stress. Within a year, they had adjusted well and were among China’s best in platform diving. In 2001, Ting and Rao went abroad for the first time to compete in Germany, Russia and the UK, winning gold in the 10m synchro event at all three meets.
A year later, Li Ting competed for China at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and won gold in the 10m synchro event. In 2003, she won the gold medal in the 10m synchro at the World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona with new partner, 2015 ISHOF Honoree Lao Lishi.
Li Ting’s career culminated at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she won the gold medal in the 10m synchro with Lao, defeating the teams from Russia and Canada.
After Athens, Li made the transition to springboard diving, having already mastered the platform. It was not an easy transition, but she quickly became world class, winning the 3m synchro gold medal at the 2005 World Championships with ISHOF Honoree, Guo Jingjing as her partner.
After more springboard training, Li started to experience pain in her leg. She would find out it was from long-term overload training. She insisted she would endure the pain and keep competing, but it would eventually overpower her.
Li qualified to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but could not participate in the Games because of her leg. After the Olympics, she was selected again for the national team training but chose to complete surgery and rehabilitation treatment. The pain was too much and she ultimately ended her diving career.
After diving, Li was able to study humanities, sociology and sports management and completed her graduate program at Beijing Sports University. After briefly living in the United States, she returned to China as the Deputy Director of the Aquatic Center of Guangxi. In 2018, Li successfully passed tests to become an international diving referee, giving back to a sport that gave her so much.
SW and Women’s History Month Presents “The General Slocum Disaster & the Right to Swim for Women”
by TAYLOR BRIEN
05 March 2018, 04:00am
Tragedy to Triumph: The Story of the General Slocum Disaster and the Right to Swim for Women
The General Slocum disaster in 1904 was the greatest single catastrophe in New York City’s history until 9/11. More than a thousand passengers — mostly women and children — who tried to escape the fire aboard the excursion steamboat by jumping into the water, had drowned. Bodies of mothers, grandmothers, and girls washed up on the shorelines for days.
The catastrophe was the most impactful event in the history of swimming in America. Immediately, politicians and school administrators recognized swimming as an art essential to self-preservation and advocated teaching all children to swim. Despite the known benefits of learning to swim, it was an era where strenuous exercise was seen as harmful for girls’ health and, also, there was the issue of “modesty.”
As America sought to resolve these issues, schools began to teach girls how to swim without them having to learn in the water.
Change would not begin to take rise be until 1907 and the arrival of Australian Annette Kellerman. Once in America, Kellerman was appalled by the swimsuits that women were required to wear and staged a one-woman protest on Revere Beach near Boston, where she was arrested for “public nudity” while wearing a man’s suit. In court, she defended herself by famously stating,
“Don’t women have the right to save themselves from drowning when men aren’t around to protect them? Then how can we learn to swim wearing more material than you hang on a clothes line?”
Kellerman quickly became a symbol of hope and change for women in swimming and helped pave the way for the right to swim.
Throwback Thursday: When Caeleb Dressel Went 17.63 in 50 Freestyle; A Swim That Seemed Like Fiction
Caeleb Dressel. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Editorial content for the 2018 NCAA DI Championship coverage is sponsored by TritonWear. Visit TritonWear.com for more information on our sponsor. For full Swimming World coverage, check event coverage page.
by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR
28 March 2024, 05:00am
Throwback Thursday: When Caeleb Dressel Went 17.63 in 50 Freestyle; A Swim That Seemed Like Fiction
By Dan D’Addona.
It starts with a few seconds of unbroken calmness, then explodes into a frenzy of speed unleashed into the water.
No record is safe.
No swim is truly unbelievable for Caeleb Dressel anymore.
The Florida senior assaulted the record books three times in one day. Each swim more stunning than the one previous.
Each brought a collective gasp to the NCAA championship crowd, a crowd that is used to seeing Dressel do the previously impossible — to others at least.
Dressel’s goal was to go a 17.6 in the 50-yard freestyle, when no one — himself included — had broken 18 seconds. It was a lofty goal, to say the least.
“I think there needs to be a fine line between goal-setting and laughter. I don’t think you should sell yourself short. This meet, I think 17.6 was the perfect swim,” Dressel said. “I am super happy with it. I got one of my goal times — 17.6. I wasn’t focused on 17.9, I was focused on 17.6 — that is what I thought I was capable of doing — maybe I lied to myself, I don’t know.”
Dressel knows now, and so does the world as he won in 17.63, more than a second ahead of NC State’s Ryan Held — the biggest margin of victory in history. Most of all his teammates that see the work on a daily basis lead to incredible performances seemingly every time he touches the water.
“It’s just jaw-dropping. Seeing everyone in the stands and they just don’t know what is going on,” teammate Jan Switkowski said. “It is absolutely amazing and I am so fortunate that can witness it every single day.”
It was stunning, and in addition to the disbelief of his fellow swimmers, and the fans in the stands, social media blows up every time he dives into the water.
Not that he would know.
“I actually deleted all of my social media, so I don’t know what people are saying. I don’t have a clue,” he said. “It is kind of nice actually. It is very freeing. I have done that this year, set my own goals and ignore all the expectations and what people expect me to do. That is where 17.6 came from. It was a number that popped into my head and I thought it was possible.”
This is what Dressel has done for swimming, he has simply made the impossible possible with every barrier he breaks.
And it isn’t just the performances that are stunning, it is the unique way Dressel gets the most out of himself.
It begins with a calmness completely opposite of the impending assault on the record books.
“I usually say a prayer. It is calming. I just try to relax,” he said. “I just want to be in control of my emotions. I want to embrace the pressure and thrive on it — be in control of the moment.
“I am the only person I can talk to behind the blocks, so I may as well talk to myself and calm myself down. There is really no reason to let your emotions get the best of you. If you can control that, you are really in control of everything. That is something I have really been trying to do, have fun. There is no reason to get nervous. I get to do what I love to do. It is another opportunity to race.”
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
During relays, there is a different kind of calm. Dressel can talk with his teammates, so he does, joking with Maxime Rooney before walking out, just keeping things light before the 400 medley relay, in which he of course swam the breaststroke leg — yes, the breaststroke.
And he split a 50.62, leading Florida to fourth (3:03.16).
It was a great swim, but that relay didn’t compare to the first relay of the day, when Dressel split a 17.96 in the 200 free relay during prelims, causing an audible gasp from the crowd.
“I learned from each one. The relay this morning, I was 17.9 with a relay swing. There was room to improve there and I learned something from that race. I kind of got the first-race jitters out of the way. I just learned from each one and went with the momentum,” Dressel said.
He then led off with a 17.81 in finals, leading Florida to the national title in 1:14.39. He was joined by Jan Switkowsi, who also won the 200 IM, Enzo Martinez-Scarpe and Mark Szaranek.
“The relay was great. I was super excited,” Dressel said. “At Florida, if you win a national title you go up on the wall of champions. The order we did it was me, Mark won (the 200 IM) last year and Jan won tonight. All three of us in a row. I could probably cry about it right now. We are going to be on that wall forever, the three best of friends. Then the relay is going to be right there.
“I am just so happy for Enzo. He actually had a note card above his locker last year. His was NCAA champions, 200 free relay. Probably the whole nation was laughing for that because we are not known as a sprint school, but we just proved the whole world wrong.”
Creating that line between laughter and goals helped the Gators to an unexpected relay national title and has led Dressel to what was thought to be unreachable — except by him.
Happy Birthday Elvira Khasyanova!!
Elvira Khasyanova (RUS)
Honor Synchronized / Artistic Swimmer (2021)
FOR THE RECORD: 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (team); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (team); 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (team); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (team); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (free routine combination, team technical routine, team free routine); 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (free routine combination, team technical routine, team free routine)
Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills. It requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry, and precise timing – not to mention exceptional breath control when upside down underwater. Competitors display their strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance as they perform difficult routines. Elvira Khasyanova embodies all of these traits.
Born in Moscow, in 1981, her parents often took her to the Olympic swimming pool where she was taught how to swim. Just before turning seven, she was introduced to the synchronized swimming coach. “From there I started my journey with this beautiful sport”, she fondly remembers.
Khasyanova first began competing in synchronized swimming at Club Trud in Moscow, from 1988 to 2001. As she continued to improve her skills, she joined the famous MGFSO club across town in 2001, where she stayed until the end of her career. It was there, that Khasyanova saw most of her success.
Elvira competed as a member of the Russian Junior National Team from 1994 through 1998. In 1996, she won gold in the team events at the Junior World Championships and at the Junior European Championships. She repeated her gold winning performances in the duet and team events at the 1998 Junior World and the Junior European Championships.
It was in 1999, that Khasyanova’s dreams really began to take shape as she became a member of the Russian Senior National team.
Her first competition as a National Team Member was at the FINA World Championships in 2001, in Fukuoka, Japan, where she and her teammates easily beat Japan. This marked the beginning of Russian dominance in the sport of synchronized swimming.
As a member of the Russian Senior National Team from 1999 to 2012, Elvira participated in three Olympic Games, winning gold medals in the team competition in 2004 (Athens), 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London).
Elvira’s favorite memory from her Olympic experiences is from Athens in 2004. She and her teammates began to perform when suddenly the music stopped. It continued to go on and off during their entire performance, yet the women continued to keep count in their heads, not missing a beat. The Russians finished their performance as if nothing had happened. When it was over, the crowd erupted and most of the judges gave them perfect scores of 10. It was an amazing moment and it is still Elvira’s favorite memory.
Outside the Olympics, Khasyanova was a member of the Russian gold-medal-winning World Championship teams in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2011. She would have medaled in 2009 but missed the event after suffering a cracked rib that occurred while performing a lift during practice as a substitute for a fellow teammate.
Elvira’s last Olympic Games, which was the last event of her career, was in London, where Russia once again won the team event and took the gold medal. It was Elvira’s third consecutive gold medal in the Olympic event. Elvira and the Russian team earned 98.930 points for the team’s free routine. They wore stunning black, red and gold suits featuring a spider-web design on the back. The team swam, flipped and kicked their way through Denis Garnizov’s song, War and Step, earning 197.030 points overall.
Upon returning home from London, Khasyanova and her team were greeted at the Kremlin and presented with state honors by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Elvira was only one of five synchronized swimmers presented with the Order for Services to the Fatherland – an award rarely given.
Khasyanova announced her retirement on November 1, 2012. She emigrated to the United States and is currently the assistant synchronized swimming coach at Stanford University. She is married and has a 7-year-old daughter Sofia, and 1 year old son named Waris.
Happy Birthday David Edgar!!
Dave Edgar (USA)
Honor Swimmer (1996)
FOR THE RECORD: 1972 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle relay), fifth (100m butterfly); TWO WORLD RECORDS: 4x100m freestyle relay; 1971 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle relay); ONE U.S. AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: 100m freestyle; SEVEN NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 50m & 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay.
One second does not mean much to most people. Before they can think about it, it’s gone. But to Dave Edgar, it was his swimming career. As one of the world’s greatest short course sprinters, it was always Dave’s goal to cut just one more second from the one hundred, or fractions of a second from the fifty. And that is exactly what he did to become the world’s fastest short course swimmer.
He started swimming for Hall of Famer and coach Jack Nelson in Ft. Lauderdale, and while at Ft. Lauderdale High School set the national high school 50 yd. freestyle record at 21.2 seconds. It was here in 1968, that University of Tennessee coach Ray Bussard recruited Edgar for Tennessee. Very quickly, Edgar gained control of the world of freestyle sprinting better than anyone since Hall of Famers Steve Clark or Jeff Farrell had done, less than a decade earlier.
It was while at the university that Edgar learned the Tennessee Freestyle Turn which soon became one of the most copied flip turns. He was the first to use it and to polish it, and by mastering the turn, he cut valuable time off of his records. Coach Bussard said, “David was in a class all by himself. He never questioned. He just did.” And Edgar became the first man under 45 seconds for the 100 yd. freestyle.
In 1970, Edgar began a three year, never-before-accomplished feat of winning both the 50 yd. and 100 yd. freestyles at the NCAA Championships, the most exciting short course meet in the world. To do it, he had to beat the great Mark Spitz, 7-time gold medalist at the 1972 Olympics, each of the years 1970, 1971, and 1972. He also beat world record holder Jerry Heidenreich of Southern Methodist University and 1971 Pan American Games five-time gold medalist, Frank Heckle of the University of Southern California. Edgar proved time and again his superiority in short course sprinting at a time when FINA did not recognize short course world records as it does today.
Edgar served as captain of the Tennessee team, and he emphasized SPIZZERINCTUM to the team – the will to succeed. Before the University of Florida dual meet, he said to his team, “This is my first time to swim in the pool of my home state and I’m going to swim darn fast – you guys better do the same.” He did, with a 43.3 second relay split in the 100 yd. Freestyle, and his teammates did too, winning the meet.
David Edgar had a natural feel for the water in both freestyle and butterfly. He beat Mark Spitz again in the 100m free in Mark’s home pool at the 1971 Santa Clara Invitational, and he qualified for the 1972 Olympic Games in the 100m butterfly, placing fifth in this event which he rarely swam. Dave was a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team which won the gold medal and set the world record in Munich. All total, Dave won gold medals at the 1972 Olympics and 1971 Pan American Games, set two world records in the relays, and won seven NCAA National Championships. He only lost one 50 yd. race in a seven year period, and that was due to a faulty starting block. We can recognize Edgar as one of the greatest short course pool swimmers on record.
The Evolution of Women’s Swimming: From Then to Now
Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress
20 October 2022, 02:05am
The Evolution of Women’s Swimming: From Then to Now
By McKenna Ehrmantraut, Swimming World College Intern.
Women have fought for equal rights throughout history, but the first major spark of women’s suffrage in America began during the 1920s. Women’s suffrage is often focused on women’s right to vote, but a lesser known fact is that while women pushed for voting rights, they also fought for equality in physical activities such as swimming. They believed that by showing their athletic side and fighting for more equal clothing options, they would further help the fight for equality.
The first two women’s swimming groups were the National Women’s Life-Saving League and the Women’s Swimming Association. The two groups held small swim competitions such as open water swimming to “rescue” a dummy in the water. The fight for women to compete in swimming events did not entirely revolve around the physical aspects of the sport, though. Another challenge facing women at the time was what was considered “acceptable” clothing for women in public. They were required to be covered from head to toe in the water and were forced to wear stockings, a skirt and shoes into the water while swimming. The clothes were often made of heavy wool, making it harder for women to swim fast.
Photo Courtesy: George Long-USA Today Sports
In the early 1900s, Annette Kellerman (the Australian Mermaid) made a suit that revealed the lower half of her legs, much like today’s knee skins in terms of shape, though they were much baggier. Most people had trouble accepting the fact that women were becoming more comfortable exposing their bodies, but the swimmers kept pushing. They even began to protest. The women wanted to create a floating procession of boats on the Serpentine, a lake in London’s Hyde Park, in support of their cause. They were denied permission and turned to protest. They wore dark robes that spelled out suffrage and then took off their robes to reveal simple one-piece swimsuits. Then, they jumped on to their boats. While they failed to sail them around, they created a spark.
Women were first allowed to participate in the Olympics in 1912 (men began competing in what we would consider the modern day Olympics in 1896), but American women were not eligible to swim until the Olympics of 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium, due to the long skirt rule in the 1910s which required women to wear full length skirts and show no leg. The only events swum by women at the time were the 100m free, 300m free, and 4x100m free relay. Besides the lack of events, there was also a lack of lane lines, flag zones, timing systems, and blocks. 1924 was the first year the pools developed lane lines (which were made of cork) and lines on the bottom of the pool to keep the swimmers from running into each other.
Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress
During this transitional period, what women wore was usually more important than their training. It was frowned upon at the time for women to reveal any skin, so wearing shorter swim suits or skin tight suits was often forbidden. Besides the struggle to cut through the water (think of how hard T-shirt races are), women were also struggling to maintain a consistent training regimen due to taking a week off of training each month during their period. Swimming is a sport that requires dedication to become great, and it wasn’t until 20 years after being assimilated into Olympic competition that women began swimming year-round without constant breaks due to the invention of tampons.
Women’s times have significantly improved over the past 100 years with the improvement of pools, timing systems, blocks, lane lines, and of course – swim suits. The swim suits slowly evolved from the wooly, full length coverage to baggy knee skins, to normal one pieces with thick material and covered backs, to slightly opened backs, to a thinner material with a higher waist, and then progressed to the suits swimmers today have grown up with – from the now banned ankle length tech suit to the printed knee skins worn in today’s Olympics.
Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
The next time your coach makes you swim in tennis shoes or T-shirts, take a moment to reflect on those groundbreaking women who broke into competitive swimming more than 100 years ago in their wool dresses!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Happy Birthday Mary Wayte!!
Mary Wayte (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2000)
FOR THE RECORD: 1984 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (200m freestyle); 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (4x100m medley relay), bronze (4x100m freestyle relay); 1986 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (4x200m freestyle relay); 1983 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: gold (4x100m freestyle relay), silver (200m freestyle); 1985 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: silver (200m freestyle);FOUR U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1-200y free, 2-200m free, 1-400m I.M.; TWO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Although she was raised on Mercer Island, Washington, this young lady did most of her international swimming in Florida for Coach Randy Reese at the University of Florida and the Holmes Lumber Team. At 5 feet, 8-1/2 inches and 128 pounds, Mary Wayte became one of the USA’s top freestyle swimmers winning Olympic and international meet medals.
As a U.S. National Team member from 1981 to 1988, Mary’s international career sparkled as a medalist on teams competing in Japan (1981, 1985), France (1982), Holland (1982), Venezuela (1983), Monaco (1985), Spain (1986) and Korea (1988). At the 1983 Pan American Games, she won the silver medal in the 200m freestyle, just behind Hall of Famer Sippy Woodhead. She won the gold medal as a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay.
The 1984 Olympic Games of Los Angeles were a highlight of Mary’s career. She beat her archrival Woodhead and won the 200m freestyle gold medal. She received a second gold medal by competing in the preliminary heat of the winning 4x100m freestyle relay team. She returned to the Olympic arena in 1988 winning the silver medal on the 4x100m-medley relay and the bronze medal as a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay. She had completed a full sweep of all Olympic medals – gold, silver and bronze. She also competed in the 200m freestyle finishing fourth, and the 200m individual medley, showing her swimming versatility.
During this Olympic quadrennium, Mary won the silver medal at the 1986 Madrid World Championships in the 4x200m freestyle relay. In collegiate swimming at Florida, she was Southeast Conference Swimmer of the Year (1985, 1987) and a 1985 two-time NCAA Champion in the 100yard freestyle and 400yard individual medley. She is a 26 time NCAA All-American. She has won four U.S. National Championships, one in the 200y freestyle, two in the 200m freestyle and one in the 400m individual medley.
After retirement, Mary’s swimming connection took her to television where she became a color commentator for Sports Channel featuring swim meets and crowd interviews at NBA games. She served as NBC’s color commentator for women’s swimming at the 1996 Olympics in Barcelona. and continues to cover women’s collegiate swimming for the ESPN network at the NCAA National Championships. She has been a promoter for Speedo, Alamo, the National Spa and Pool Institute, the International Swimming Hall of Fame and other organizations. Mary was inducted into the University of Florida’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.