Michael Phelps: How Leon Marchand Can Break 4:00 in the 400 Individual Medley
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
27 July 2023, 02:40am
Michael Phelps: How Leon Marchand Can Break 4:00 in the 400 Individual Medley
It’s been several days since Leon Marchand wowed the sport with an almost unfathomable world record in the 400-meter individual medley. The Frenchman’s time of 4:02.50 required digesting, as it wiped more than a second off the nearly 15-year-old standard of Michael Phelps, who went 4:03.84 in his opening event of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Phelps has been in attendance at Marine Messe Hall throughout the competition and called Marchand’s race as part of NBC Sports’ coverage. The record was the last owned by Phelps, who cheered on Marchand and applauded his performance. But the 28-time Olympic medalist thinks there is more to come from the French 21-year-old, including a run at the four-minute barrier in the event.
“Erik Vendt and I talked a lot about going under four minutes in the 400 IM,” Phelps said in an exclusive interview with Swimming World. “(Marchand) going 4:02, there’s a possibility. He’s got to use his underwaters as much as he can. That’s a big strength. We saw it on the last wall (of the 400 IM).”
In his record-breaking outing, Marchand opened with a butterfly leg of 54.66 and followed with a backstroke split of 1:01.98. He then delivered a game-changing split of 1:07.64 on breaststroke, a time that put Marchand nearly three seconds clear of Phelps’ record pace. A freestyle split of 58.22 capped Marchand’s global mark.
Always a student of the sport, Phelps has already analyzed what it will take for Marchand to go sub-4:00, which would be an iconic showing – not that his swim earlier in the week wasn’t. Phelps, along with coach Bob Bowman, were never satisfied, and always sought improvements wherever they could be attained. With Bowman coaching Marchand, surely the master coach cannot wait to get back to work.
Phelps has ideas of what needs to happen.
“I think his backstroke has to be closer to a minute, but he has to be able to do it with no kick,” Phelps said, noting Marchand’s need to preserve his legs. “He’s got to be able to do it with all tempo and arms. And he has to finish (on the freestyle leg) in 56. Period. We always said you finish in what you go out in. I was out in 54 and I was back in 55. If he can get to that, there’s no doubt in my mind that he can break four minutes.”
World Championships: American Star Ryan Murphy Joins Exclusive Backstroke Club
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
25 July 2023, 06:35pm
World Championships: American Star Ryan Murphy Joins Exclusive Backstroke Club
Even before he hopped in the water for the final of the 100-meter backstroke at the World Championships on Tuesday night, Ryan Murphy sported Hall of Fame credentials. But the great ones always find a way to do a little more, and that’s what the Cal-Berkeley managed by surging down the stretch to edge Italian Thomas Ceccon for the title.
By claiming his first world crown in the 100 backstroke, Murphy joined an exclusive group of athletes to own Olympic and world titles in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. Murphy swept the backstroke events at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro before adding bronze and silver in the events at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Meanwhile, Murphy has twice won the world championship in the 200 backstroke, accomplishing that feat in 2017 and 2022.
The three other individuals in the club constitute a Who’s Who in the sport. East Germany’s Roland Matthes and the United States’ Lenny Krayzelburg and Aaron Peirsol have also pulled the double-double in Olympic and World Champs competition. Between them, that triumvirate owns 19 Olympic medals.
“It was an incredible race,” Murphy said of his winning effort. “It’s awesome to go against a great field and to get two Americans on the podium. It’s a nice start to my week by getting up on that podium and seeing the USA off to a great start. Hopefully, we are starting to build some momentum and we keep it rolling from here.”
Murphy is a team captain for the United States, a role he has held previously in international competition. It was not surprising, then, that he selflessly focused on the status of Team USA in his post-race comments. Murphy will be back in action later in the meet in the 200 backstroke, and in relay duty.
Happy Birthday Micki King!!
Micki King (USA)
Honor Diver (1978)
FOR THE RECORD: OLYMPIC GAMES: 1968 4th (springboard); 1972 gold (springboard); NATIONAL AAU Diving Titles: 9; NATIONAL AAU Water Polo Titles: 2; CANADIAN NATIONAL TITLES: 2 (1m springboard), 2 (3m springboard); WOMEN’S NATIONAL COLLEGIATE Title (DGWS): 1First woman to compete in the Military International Sports Council Games (CISM); Diver of the year: 1965, 1969, 1972 (springboard); 1969 (platform); First woman coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
1968, at the Mexico Olympic Games, Micki King led all women divers with two dives to go. Her Olympic gold medal was all but in the bag when on dive number 9, a reverse 1 1/2 somersault, she hit the board and broke her arm. She completed her last dive and finished fourth. There followed months in a cast, a year of recovery, three more years of getting back in top form, and trying again in 1972. This time she won. An Air Force officer and the Air Academy’s first woman coach, Micki missed winning the first woman’s Superstars on the last event when she skimmed and toppled a hurdle for a five second penalty. She won a National Collegiate swimming title at Michigan and was twice the winning goalie for Ann Arbor at the Women’s National AAU Water Polo Nationals. An excellent speaker, Micki was also advance person for the Air Force Football Team.
World Championships, Day One Finals: Ariarne Titmus Turns Race of the Century Into World-Record Romp
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
23 July 2023, 04:58am
World Championships, Day One Finals: Ariarne Titmus Turns Race of the Century Into World-Record Romp
No more waiting. No more buildup. No more here’s-how-it-might-go scenarios. Just racing, and an answer to the prevailing question in the sport over the past few months – if not the past year. Who will win the Race of the Century: Part II?
Eight days of competition at the World Championships in Fukuoka got underway on Sunday at the Marine Messe Hall, and fans were immediately treated to an epic show from Ariarne Titmus. The Australian superstar turned what was supposed to be a three-woman battle into a virtuoso performance, as she shattered the world record in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:55.38. The former record was set earlier this year by Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh at 3:56.08.
For months, the swimming world buzzed over the impending matchup between Titmus, McIntosh and American Katie Ledecky. Would all three go under the world record in their Race of the Century? Would Ledecky repeat as world champion? Would McIntosh reaffirm her status as the new kid on the block? In the end, Olympic champion Titmus showed that she’s The One, and she did so in dominant fashion.
Titmus trailed at only one juncture during the race, at the 50-meter turn. From there, she was in command. At the midway point, she held a .53 edge on McIntosh, but the gap expanded over the field during the back half of the race. More than a second over world-record pace at the 300-meter mark, Titmus crushed the closing 100 meters in 58.48 to reclaim her global mark.
Ledecky rallied during the second half of the race to grab the silver medal in 3:58.73 while New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather ran down McIntosh to pick up the bronze medal in 3:59.59. McIntosh placed fourth in 3:59.93, nearly four seconds off her personal best.
“It’s probably my most satisfying win,” Titmus said. “I feel like I didn’t have the most perfect prep coming into this and I think it all came together in the last few months. To swim like that and swim really free and fearless, I feel really over the moon to get that one.”
The event was given its nickname due to the credentials it sported. Ledecky, Titmus and McIntosh are the last three world-record setters in the 400 freestyle, and rare are the chances for such a trio to compete against one another in peak form. While Ledecky set three world records in the event from 2014-2016, it was Titmus who wrested command in 2022. Earlier this year, the 16-year-old McIntosh took possession of the world record while racing at the Canadian Trials.
Of the now 44 sub-4:00 performances in history, 42 belong to this triumvirate – another illustration of the dominance on display. More, Ledecky was the 2016 Olympic champion and Titmus the gold medalist from the 2020 Games. Really, the race had it all…although Titmus was not about to allow a close fight to materialize.
Nicknamed the Terminator, Titmus has long been known for her gutsy approach and deep belief. When Ledecky was swimming in another realm, Titmus – along with coach Dean Boxall – believed she could close the gap on the U.S. legend and establish herself as an all-time great. Indeed, that scenario has come to fruition.
“I think it’s about trusting yourself,” Titmus said. “I’ve got ‘fearless’ tattooed on my foot so I can see it right before I dive. Just trying to swim like that little girl that I was. When I was first up against Katie, I was never afraid to take it to her. And Summer and Katie are world-record holders, so I feel like the only way to beat them was to take it out and see who had the most fight and who had the most left in the tank at the end. I’m happy that it worked.”
Prior to this evening, the last matchup dubbed the Race of the Century unfolded at the home of the Olympics. At the 2004 Athens Games, the men’s 200 freestyle featured a clash between longtime rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband, and the man who would be the sport’s king – Michael Phelps.
Thorpe and van den Hoogenband clashed four years earlier, when the Olympics were held on Thorpe’s home turf in Sydney. In that showdown, the Dutchman prevailed, as he matched his world record from the semifinals with an identical clocking of 1:45.35. That week, a 15-year-old Phelps – still developing into a multi-event monster – just missed out on the podium in the 200 butterfly, finishing fifth.
In Athens, the 200 freestyle offered Thorpe the opportunity to avenge his 2000 defeat to van den Hoogenband. By then, the Aussie had reclaimed the world record, making it more than a second quicker than what won Sydney gold. Meanwhile, Phelps had officially morphed into the sport’s featured act, a man talented enough to contest eight individual events on the biggest stage – five of them individual disciplines.
Ultimately, it was Thorpe who emerged victorious in that version of the Race of the Century, with “Hoogie” earning the silver medal. Via an American record, Phelps picked up the bronze medal and proved he belonged with the big boys in their specialty event.
Nineteen years later, it’s impossible to ignore the parallels between what transpired in Athens and this latest version of the Race of the Century. Like Thorpe and van den Hoogenband, Ledecky and Titmus were the veterans, and had an established rivalry. McIntosh, although the recently minted world-record holder, was the upstart, a la Phelps.
On this night, though, Titmus stood alone.
“I can’t really complain,” Ledecky said. “I think I executed the race the way I wanted to. I thought that Ariarne and Summer would be out fast, so I wanted to stay in contact and build from there. I felt like I did that. Ariarne just took off. I just lost contact.”
By breaking the four-minute mark, Fairweather joined exclusive company as just the fifth woman in history to dip under that barrier. It was an effort that seemed to be within reach, and was deeply satisfying.
“I’m really stoked,” Fairweather said. “This has been the goal for a while. I dropped to that four-minute mark a couple of months ago, so to dip under four minutes is unreal.”
McIntosh didn’t have the swim she would’ve liked. But the Canadian team was sanguine about it afterward.
“Obviously it wasn’t the best night that I’ve had racing so far,” she said. “But I’ll just kind of try and use it as a learning experience heading into the next following days and, of course, Paris as well. Not every race can be a 10 out of 10 so I’m going to try and push forward as much as possible and learn as much as possible from that.”
World Championships, Day Two Semifinals: David Popovici Sharpening His Form In Quest For 200 Freestyle Repeat
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
24 July 2023, 05:58am
World Championships, Day Two Semifinals: David Popovici Sharpening His Form In Quest For 200 Freestyle Repeat
A year ago, David Popovici used the summer to announce his presence as one of the sport’s premier talents. In addition to earning world titles in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, the Romanian broke the longstanding world record of Cesar Cielo in the 100 freestyle. This summer, the 18-year-old is trying to build on his growing legacy.
Looking comfortable throughout his four laps, Popovici nailed down the top seed for the final of the 200-meter freestyle at the World Championships in Fukuoka. Popovici booked Lane Four for Tuesday night on the strength of a 1:44.70 marker, one of only two sub-1:45 efforts in the semifinals. The other came from American Luke Hobson, who raced next to Popovici and touched in a personal best of 1:44.87.
One of three men to break the 1:43 barrier in the 200 freestyle, the next target for Popovici is the 14-year-old world record of Paul Biedermann. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, where 43 world records were set, the German clocked a time of 1:42.00. Of course, that effort was fueled by a since-banned polyurethane suit that made the sport – for a period – more about technology than pure skill.
If anyone is capable of tracking down that Biedermann standard, it’s Popovici. He owns a personal best of 1:42.97 in the 200 free, which is the fastest time ever produced in a textile suit. Not only does Popovici possess a potent combination of speed and endurance, he believes he is capable of achieving feats not yet seen. In Fukuoka, the question is how much Popovici has saved up for the final. Certainly, he looked easy in his semifinal.
Hobson’s initial trip inside 1:45 bodes well for the United States, as he is a rising star from the University of Texas and figures to have plenty of international work ahead. Whether Hobson can back up his second seed and earn his first World Championships medal will come down to the American denying a stacked field behind him. In his semifinal, Hobson was aggressive and that approach will be relied on with medals on the line.
Sitting third and fourth are Korea’s Hwang Sunwoo and Great Britain’s Tom Dean. Hwang covered his semifinal in 1:45.07 while Dean, the Olympic champ in Tokyo, went 1:45.29 to place just ahead of the 1:45.40 by British teammate Matt Richards. Lee Hojoon of Korea went 1:45.93 for sixth and Kieran Smith made it two Americans in the final with a time of 1:45.96.
The final spot went to Austria’s Felix Aubock, who won a swimoff over Japan’s Katsuhiro Matsumoto. After tying for eighth at 1:45.97 in the semifinals, Aubock and Matsumoto posted respective times of 1:46.30 and 1:46.37 in the swimoff.
Photo Courtesy:
As His Final World Record Vanished, Michael Phelps Celebrated – His Sport Continually Evolving and In Good Hands
by JOHN LOHN – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
23 July 2023, 11:54pm
As His Final World Record Vanished, Michael Phelps Celebrated – His Sport Evolving and In Good Hands
How does the cliché go? All things must come to an end? After 20-plus years, that reality hit the swimming world – and beyond – on Sunday night when Michael Phelps’ reign as a world-record holder ceased. Wait, really? Is that possible? The guy who elevated the sport to never-before-seen levels is no longer the fastest man in any specific discipline? It doesn’t seem possible.
Ah, but that is where we are in late July 2023, seven years after Phelps last competed at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. And it took a magnificent performance for the GOAT’s name to be removed from the record books. Truthfully, only that type of effort was appropriate given the influence the now 38-year-old has had on the sport for more than two decades.
For the past year, since he was crowned world champion last summer in Budapest, Frenchman Leon Marchand has been touted as the man who would take down Phelps’ iconic – and last-standing – world record. We’re talking about the 4:03.84 clocking the American legend delivered in the 400-meter individual medley as the opening act of his Beijing Blitz in 2008. Yep, that thing was set 15 years ago.
Marchand was less than a half-second off the standard at the 2022 edition of the World Champs, going 4:04.28 in Budapest. That swim initiated its own clock, a countdown timer on the lifespan of Phelps’ mark. All focus, then, shifted to Fukuoka, site of the 2023 World Champs, as Marchand’s next opportunity. It was a chance he wouldn’t let escape.
For eight laps, Marchand unleashed a masterclass in multi-stroke swimming. Under world-record pace from the outset, the 21-year-old packaged power and precision to produce a time of 4:02.50 at the Marine Messe Hall. That time sliced more than a second off Phelps’ world record, an eon in a sport that is typically defined by hundredths of seconds.
Phelps witnessed Marchand’s record from a perch in the stands, thanks to NBC Sports having the foresight to include the Olympic legend in its broadcast booth. Over the past few years, Phelps has been a regular guest of NBC at major competitions, providing viewers with insights that not only reflect his deep knowledge, but also his passion. So, it made sense for Phelps to be on the call as Marchand targeted his last record.
As Marchand moved through the water first in butterfly and then in backstroke, he was slightly under world-record pace. By the time he completed the breaststroke portion of the race, the strength among his many strengths, the French star was nearly three seconds ahead of Phelps’ pace from Beijing. On the closing freestyle leg, there was no doubt Phelps’ world record was taking its final breaths. By how much? That was the only question.
There was beauty to Marchand’s performance, as it was a long-anticipated entry on a perfectly constructed timeline. A junior world champion, Marchand was a prodigy who advanced to the final of the 400 medley at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, his vast potential evident. From there, he shifted his training to Arizona State University and the guidance of coach Bob Bowman. You know, the guy who crafted a perfect timeline – from 11 years on – as the mentor to Phelps.
Together, Marchand and Bowman have achieved tremendous success, the pupil generating performances never previously seen at the collegiate level. In their day, the Phelps-Bowman partnership was a perfect pairing of vision and collaboration. Phelps wanted to change the sport, by bringing it greater attention and proving that no objective is unattainable. Marchand is now operating in that vein, too.
As much as what Marchand produced in the water was beautiful, so was the way Phelps carried himself in the booth while watching his final standard fade. With each lap, there was an elevated joy in the American’s voice, with Phelps even calling out, “Let’s go.” Imagine rooting for your own record’s demise. That’s what happened. It wasn’t a moment of mourning. It was a moment of excitement and deep appreciation for someone with whom Phelps can connect – and few others can. It was about recognizing the work that had been done. About honoring preparation and Bowman’s ability to give Marchand what he needed to excel, and ultimately become a world-record holder. It was about a special moment for the sport of swimming.
It was about history.
When Marchand touched the wall and celebrated his achievement, Phelps applauded and gave his heir a standing ovation. Later in the evening, it was Phelps who presented Marchand with his medal, and gave the youngster a hug before raising his hand in the air. They were perfect scenes, one champion honoring another.
Before this weekend, Phelps had watched other world records go down. In 2009, he lost his mark in the 200 freestyle to Paul Biedermann, the German propelled by a technological speedboat of a suit. Ryan Lochte took his record in the 200 individual medley. Kristof Milak and Caeleb Dressel lowered his standards in the 200 butterfly and 100 fly, respectively. And now, the last record is gone.
While Marchand broke Phelps’ record from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the American first set the world mark in the 400 medley in the summer of 2002 in Fort Lauderdale. That means nearly 21 years as the custodian of that standard, which is a record in itself.
Oh, there are plenty of other records still owned by Phelps. Twenty-eight Olympic medals, 23 of which are gold. Eight titles in a single Olympiad. Thirty-nine world records. Thirty-three medals at the World Championships. A couple of relay records to which he significantly contributed. The list remains long.
But on the line next to a singular event? No. His name is now missing. Such is the influence of time, innovation and the evolving emergence of young athletes who want to be their own version of Michael Phelps, eager to excel at unimaginable levels and have their own impact on the sport.
Leon Marchand is one.
Michael Phelps approves.
Happy Birthday Aaron Peirsol
Aaron Peirsol (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2016)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: silver (200m backstroke), 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (100m backstroke, 4x100m medley), silver (200m backstroke); 2001 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m backstroke), 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley), silver (4x200m freestyle); 2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (100m backstroke) , silver (200m backstroke); 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC): gold (200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (200m backstroke, 4x100m medley, 4x100m freestyle), silver (100m backstroke), bronze (4x200m freestyle); 2004 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (SC): gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2002 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2006 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 2010 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m backstroke, 4x100m medley); 1999 PAN AMERICAN GAMES: silver (200m backstroke).
Growing up in the seaside communities of southern California, his love affair with the water came to him naturally. He was introduced to competitive swimming under coach Stacy Zapolski at the Costa Mesa YMCA when he was just five years old. At age eight he moved to a summer swim and water polo league in Corona del Mar with coach Ted Bandaruk. At ten, he joined Junior Lifeguards in Newport Beach before making the move to Irvine’s Novaquatics to swim under Brian Pajer.
Aaron Peirsol’s progress as a competitor was both rapid and steady. His laid-back California demeanor belied the fierce competitor within. Under the tutelage of Dave Salo, Aaron qualified for his first Junior Nationals at 13, swam in Senior Nationals at 14 and qualified for his first national team the next year. He burst onto the international scene at 16 by winning a silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke at the 1999 Pan American Games. At 17, he won the silver medal behind Lenny Krayzelburg in the same event at the Sydney Olympic Games. After that he was unstoppable.
His first world title came at the 2001 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in the 200-meter backstroke. The first of his 13 long-course world records came in the same event at the USA Swimming Spring Nationals in 2002. After graduating from high school, he moved on to the University of Texas, where he would train under Hall of Fame Coach Eddie Reese for the remainder of his career.
At the 2003 FINA World Championships, in Montreal, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal, he swept all of the backstroke events, including his participation on the USA’s gold-medal winning medley relays.
In 2007 he saw his unbeaten string of seven years in the 200-meter and six years in the 100-meter snapped by teammate Ryan Lochte. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Aaron won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and the 4×100 medley relay, while finishing runner-up to Lochte in the 200.
After a brief break away from the pool, but not the water, he returned the following year to raise the bar one last time. At the US Nationals, he smashed the 52-second barrier in the 100-meter with a stunning 51.94 world record swim – and at the FINA World Championships less than a month later came another world record performance of 1:51.93 in the 200-meter backstroke. The world records still stand – an astonishing seven years later.
Believing he had nothing more to prove in the pool, Aaron retired from the sport in 2011, but continues to develop the special relationship he has with the water and works to promote the protection of the world’s oceans.
Happy Birthday Eddie Reese
Eddie Reese (USA)
Honor Coach (2002)
The information on this page was written the year of their induction.
FOR THE RECORD: 1988 OLYMPIC GAMES: Assistant Coach Men’s and Women’s Team; 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: Head Coach Men’s Team; 1996 OLYMPIC GAMES: Assistant Coach Men’s Team; 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES: Assistant Coach; 1998 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Assistant Coach Men’s and Women’s Team; Coach of 22 OLYMPIANS winning 22 gold, 10 silver and 3 bronze medals; 9 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS; Coach of 17 NCAA Individual Champions (1977-2001) winning 39 NCAA titles.
One of the most successful coaches in swimming history, Eddie Reese has a knack of bringing out the best in each swimmer, that is, getting them to swim fast. Never without a smile or a kind word, his poolside manner is his key. His swimmers have a lot of fun but underneath, they work their hardest. Eddie’s proven success is built on fun, confidence and hard work.
Reese was born July 23, 1941 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He entered Mainland High School at 13 years old and swam on every school swim team from ninth grade until graduation. He won two state championships in the 200y individual medley and held the National Junior Olympic AAU title in the same event.
He graduated from the University of Florida in 1963 with a degree in physical education. He had won seven Southeast Conference titles in the 200y and 400y individual medleys, 200y breaststroke and 400y freestyle and medley relays, tying for third on the Gators all-time SEC title leaders list over a three-year period.
He remained in Gainesville as a graduate assistant coach for one year. After a year at Roswell (New Mexico) High School, Reese returned to Florida as assistant coach from 1967 to 1973 before taking over the head-coaching job at Auburn University in Alabama. Shortly after leaving Florida, his younger brother Randy became head swim coach of the men’s and women’s Florida Gator teams. Reese spent six years at Auburn University taking a team that had never scored at the NCAA National Championships to a second place team finish his last year.
In 1978, he was hired as head coach of men’s swimming at the University of Texas in Austin, where he remains today. Through the 2001 season, he developed a record of 183 dual meet wins and 53 losses in a 23-year period. His teams have won 8 NCAA National Championships. Eddie’s induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame is measured by his international success on the world-swimming scene. Reese-coached swimmers by Olympic years include:
1976 – Montreal, Bill Forrester won the bronze medal in the 200m butterfly.
1980 – Moscow, Rick Carey, William Paulus, Bill Forrester and Kris Kirchner earned spots on the U.S. Olympic Team, but did not compete because of the boycott. Kirchner was a member of the 100m and 400m free relays, while Paulus won the USA Trials and set a world record in the 100m fly. Ken Armstrong was a member of the Canadian Team.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ou2oWmPsz9Q%3Ffeature%3Doembed
1984 – Los Angeles, Rick Carey captured three golds winning the 100m (55.79) and 200m (2:00.23) backstrokes and helping the U.S. win the 400m medley relay.
1988 – Seoul, Chris Jacobs earned a silver in the 100m freestyle (49.08) and two golds as a member of USA’s 400m and 800m relays. Doug Gjertsen also swam the third leg of the USA’s winning 800m free relay, while Shaun Jordan won gold in the prelim leg on USA’s winning 400m relay team. Kirk Stackle joined the U.S. squad with a second in the 200m breaststroke in trials. Bill Stapleton competed in the 200m I.M. and Daniel Watters made the U.S. team in the 100m breaststroke.
1992 – Barcelona, Hans Dersch earned a gold in the 400m medley relay (prelims). Doug Gjertsen captured gold in the 400m free relay (prelims) and a bronze as a member of the American 800m free relay. Shaun Jordan won gold swimming a prelim leg on USA’s 400m relay team.
1996 – Atlanta, Josh Davis earned three gold medals for his contributions to the USA relays. He swam the leadoff leg in finals of the 800m free relay, and took part in the 400m free relay, and swam the freestyle leg of the 400m medley relay in the preliminaries. Former Longhorn Gary Hall, Jr. struck gold swimming the anchor legs in the finals of the 400m free relay and the 400m medley relay. He also raced to two silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyles. He attended Texas in 1993-1994.
Former Longhorn Brad Bridgewater swam to gold in the 200m backstroke. He attended Texas in 1992-1994. Carlos Arena was a member of the Mexican Swimming Team.
2000 – Sydney, Current swimmers Ian Crocker and Tommy Hannan as well as former Longhorns Josh Davis, Nate Dusing, Scott Goldblatt, Gary Hall, Jr., Jamie Rauch and Neil Walker competed for the United States accounting for one-third of the entire USA Swimming Team. Davis carried the youthful squad, capturing two silver medals as a member of the 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams.
In his first Olympics, Walker claimed a gold medal as a member of the winning 400 medley relay and a silver medal in the 400 freestyle relay, while Rauch, Goldblatt and Dusing all earned Olympic silver in the 800 freestyle relay event. Former Longhorn Gary Hall won gold medals in the 50 freestyle and as a member of the 400m medley relay. He also claimed silver as the anchor of the 400 freestyle relay and a bronze in the 100 freestyle. In addition, Crocker and Hannan won gold in the 400 medley relay. All total, 21 of Reese’s swimmers won 21 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 2 bronze medals through 2000.
In World Championship competition from 1978 to 2001, swimmers Dusin, Goldblatt, Hansen, Crocker, Walker, Hall, Davis, Gjertsen, Carey and Nevid have won a total of 9 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals. At the Pan Pacific Championships from 1985-1999, 12 Reese coached swimmers won 17 gold medals, 7 silver and 8 bronze while at the Pan American Games from 1979 to 1999, 11 of his swimmers won 17 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals.
In long course swimming, Reese-coached Rick Carey set 3 world records in the 100m backstroke and two world records in the 200m backstroke. William Paulus set the 100m butterfly record in 1981. Swimmers competing on relays helped set nine world records including Chris Jacobs (400 FR), Doug Gjertsen (800 FR), Rick Carey (400 MR, 4 times), Ian Crocker (400 MR) and Gary Hall, JR. (400 MR – 2 times). Short course world records were set by Clay Britt (100m back), Rick Carey (100m, 200m back) and Scott Spann (100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m IM).
Eddie was selected head coach of the U.S. Men’s Olympic Swimming Team for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and assistant coach for the 1988 Seoul Games, 1996 Atlanta Games and 2000 Sydney Games. He was the American Swim Coaches Association Coach of the Year (1991) and awarded the College Swimming Coaches National Collegiate and Interscholastic Swimming Trophy. He was recognized by other Halls of Fame, including the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor.
Eddie’s emphasis has always been “the team.” Individual success is derived from team play and team play is successful because of individual success. “A lot of people look for the easy way to do anything. And in swimming, there is no easy way.”
Rather than coach the sport of swimming, Eddie teaches it; and he places just as much emphasis on teaching the skills of life to his swimmers. He is a prime example of nice guys don’t finish last. They finish first.
Happy Birthday Anita Nall!!
Anita Nall (USA)
Honor Swimmer (2008)
FOR THE RECORD: 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES: gold (4x100m medley), silver (100m breaststroke), bronze (200m breaststroke); THREE WORLD RECORDS: 2-200m breaststroke, 1-4x100m medley; EIGHT US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 5 short course: 2-100m breast-stroke, 3-200m breaststroke; 3 long course: 1-100m breaststroke, 2-200m breaststroke; 1990 US OPEN: gold (200m breaststroke); 1991 US OPEN: gold (200m breaststroke); 1993 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS: gold (100m, 200m breaststroke); 1995 PAN AM GAMES: bronze (200m breaststroke);
She joined the swim team at age five following in the footsteps of her two older sisters. By age 12, she set age group records and at 14 notched an American record. Swimming for Coach Murray Stephens at North Baltimore Aquatic Club, she developed a technically perfect breaststroke using the new-style stroke of the time.
At age 15, only a sophomore in high school, she qualified for the 1992 Olympic team and in the process, set two world records on the same day in the 200 meter breaststroke, which were not broken for another two years. Competing as the “baby” of the 1992 U.S. Barcelona Team, Anita Nall won gold, silver and bronze medals swimming the breaststroke. Her gold medal swim came as a member of the 4 by 100 meter medley relay, which also set the world record. Her silver medal came in the 100 meter breaststroke, just out-touched by Russia’s Elena Rudouskaya, and the bronze medal in the 200 meter breaststroke, where only point two seconds separated gold from bronze. Anita continued swimming after the Olympic Games, winning gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke at the 1993 Pan Pacific Championships. Due to chronic health problems, that went incorrectly diagnosed for years, her swimming faltered and she was unable to qualify for the 1996 or 2000 Olympic Teams.
Today, Anita is a Holistic Nutrition Specialist focusing on nutrition and wellness where she conducts workshops for food allergy sufferers
Throwback Thursday: George Breen wins the 1500 at the 1950 National AAU Indoor Swimming and Diving Championships
