ISHOF News Archives - Page 85 of 136 - International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF)

ISHOF 2010 Honor Swimmer Brooke Bennett Wins Female Title At Swim For Alligator Lighthouse

by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR

11 September 2021
Olympic Champion Brooke Bennett Wins Female Title At Swim For Alligator Lighthouse
More than 460 national and international participants competed in clear ocean waters off the Florida Keys Saturday during the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, an 8-mile open-water challenge.
Tampa Bay, Florida, resident Connor Signorin, 29, emerged from the Atlantic Ocean as the top individual swimmer with a time of 3 hours, 5 minutes and 37 seconds. The top female finisher was Olympic champion Brooke Bennett, 41, of Clearwater, Florida, who completed the race in 3:19:20. The distance star captured three Olympic gold medals during her career, titles in the 800 freestyle in 1996 and 2000, and a gold in the 400 free in 2000.
In other divisions, Tampa residents Andrew Lashlee and Robert Skaggs posted the fastest two-person relay time at 4:03:58.

Photo Courtesy: Florida Keys Media

Swimmers Michelle Dalton, Sara McLarty and Misty Bacerra, all of Clermont, Florida, won the three-person class in 4:15:32.
The winning four-person team was a mixed relay of male and female competitors from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tim Shead, Harold Wagner, Serge Wenzel and Ann Kilpatrick posted a time of 3:34:42.
Athletes swam to Alligator Reef Lighthouse off Islamorada, rounded the beacon and came back to the start and finish points at Amara Cay Resort.
• More Open Water News
Founded by Florida Keys artist “Lighthouse Larry” Herlth, the annual race is staged to raise awareness about the need to preserve the almost 150-year-old Alligator Lighthouse and five other aging lighthouses off the Florida Keys. The event also raises college scholarship funds for Keys students interested in competitive swimming.
Recently, the Islamorada community-based organization that hosts the annual swim was approved to take ownership of the lighthouse under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Restoring it is likely to take five to seven years and cost up to $9 million, according to organizers. Fundraising efforts have already begun at savealligatorlighthouse.org.
Constructed to warn ships away from the Florida Keys reef tract, the lighthouses are no longer maintained, as their function has been replaced by modern Global Positioning System navigation.

Photo Courtesy: Florida Keys Media

Australian Chloe McCardel Chases Record 44th English Channel Crossing

by MATTHEW DE GEORGE – SENIOR WRITER

14 September 2021
Australian Chloe McCardel Chases Record 44th English Channel Crossing
Australian marathon swimmer Chloe McCardel will pursue a world record 44th crossing of the English Channel over the next month.
McCardel has made the 34-kilometer crossing of the Channel on 41 occasions. That is more than any man in history and trails only the 43 crossings made by Alison Streeter. McCardel is aiming for crossing No. 42 later in September. If conditions allow, and anticipated August swims have already been pushed back due to high winds, she could be in line to make her 43rd and 44th crossings by early October.
“I can’t wait to get these final swims underway, the closer I’m getting, the more excited I am,” McCardel said in a press release. “I only have 3 swims remaining now, which I’m planning to carry out in September and October.”
McCardel first crossed the English Channel in 2009. The 36-year-old native of Melbourne surpassed the men’s world record of 34 crossings in 2020. She has persevered through the daunting passage so many times despite being hospitalized with hypothermia during a 2011 attempt.
She was the first Australian and only the fourth person to complete a triple non-stop crossing of the Channel in 2015, the first to do so in 25 years. Chasing Streeter’s record is a natural next step for McCardel.
“Alison Streeter was my idol when I was moving to Channel swimming – she inspired me to continue to push my boundaries,” McCardel said. “Australia has such a rich history in English Channel swimming and I’m so proud to represent my Country out in the Channel, a place which I see as my spiritual home. Although I’ve travelled alone for this challenge, I have such a great support network here in the UK who always get behind me and cheer me on!”
Chloe McCardel holds various world records, including the longest unassisted ocean swim (124.4 kilometers in the Bahamas in 2014), most English Channel crossings in one season (eight in 2016) and most Channel crossings in one week (three in 2015). She turned in the fastest crossing, male or female, of the 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2019 seasons. She also works as a coach and mentor to other open-water swimmer and a motivational speaker.
McCardel won the 2016 Poseidon Award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the year she was inducted to the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. She is an inaugural member of the Australian Swimming Hall of Fame.
“I really want to inspire young people, especially girls, showing them that anything is possible – I only learnt how to swim at the age of 11 and I will soon have managed to swim the English Channel more times than anyone in the world, I want them to know that they can do anything too!,” McCardel said. “I think sometimes women don’t get recognised for their achievements as much as they should, to have female role models has been amazing for me and I really hope I can be that for other women and girls.”

Texas Dedicates Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool in Honor of Legendary Coach

Texas Dedicates Eddie Reese Outdoor Pool in Honor of Legendary Coach
Eddie Reese has been the head men’s swimming coach at Texas since 1978-1979, and in his third season, the Longhorns captured their first national championship. Since then, the team has raised its total to national victories to 15, and that has made Reese the most decorated collegiate swimming coach ever. So to honor their coach, the University of Texas constructed a new outdoor aquatic center named for Reese, and the pool was dedicated in a ceremony Saturday morning in Austin.
Donors, alumni, athletic director Chris Del Conte and Texas women’s coach Carol Capitani were all in attendance at the dedication. The pool actually opened last fall, but the dedication was delayed until now.

Reese is entering his 44th season as head coach at Texas after he turned 80 in July, so he has been at the helm in Austin for more than half his life. Reese announced his retirement in March, two days after his Longhorns captured the NCAA title with a 27-point win over Cal. However, two weeks after three Texas-trained college and pro swimmers qualified for the U.S. Olympic team (Townley Haas, Drew Kibler and Gunnar Bentz) and several others just missed (Carson Foster and Will Licon among them), Texas announced that Reese would be returning as Texas head coach after all and that Wyatt Collins would remain as Reese’s assistant.
In recent history, Texas had won four straight championships in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, most of them in completely dominant fashion, before Cal was victorious at the 2019 championships at Texas’ home pool in Austin. The 2020 meet was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Texas was back on top this past year, even though the Longhorns only won two events, the 200 free relay and one-meter diving. Reese’s Longhorns and Dave Durden’s Golden Bears are expected to once again battle for the national title at the 2022 championships in late March in Atlanta.

Passages: Bill Wadley, Former Ohio State Swimming Coach, ASCA CEO, Succumbs to Pancreatic Cancer

by DAN D’ADDONA — SWIMMING WORLD MANAGING EDITOR

07 September 2021
Former Ohio State swimming coach and American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) CEO Bill Wadley has died, multiple sources have confirmed.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer earlier this year.
Bill Wadley had retired as head coach at Ohio State in March 2017 where he coached 16 Olympians, 30 Big Ten Champions, and was named 2010 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Wadley previously served on the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Board of Directors and was the past president for ASCA. He was named executive director of ASCA in October 2020, taking over for Steve Roush, who is now the project manager for the 65-year-old organization. Roush was hired at ASCA in July 2019, succeeding John Leonard who had held the position for 35 years.
In the pool, 19 of Bill Wadley’s swimmers have been named All-Americans and 63 have earned honorable mention All-America status. In 2010, while hosting the Big Ten Championships, his team brought home the first conference title since 1956 and the 13th in program history. Under his tutelage, he had a swimmer compete at seven consecutive Summer Olympic Games.
Former swimmers posted about Wadley’s death on social media.

“Sad to see the passing of my @OhioState swim coach Bill Wadley this morning. He was a great coach, he cultivated an ecosystem where I met my brothers and lead the team to a Big Ten Championship in 2010. He will be missed. #GoBucks,” Quincy Lee wrote on Twitter.

In addition to his time at Ohio State, Wadley also had plenty of international coaching experience, being a member of the USA team staff at the 1991, 1993 and 2009 World University Games, the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 2011 Duel in the Pool.
He resigned as ASCA CEO earlier this year following a series of incidents outside of the pool.
Prior to OSU, Wadley spent two years as the men’s swimming coach at Michigan State University, coaching the women’s team in his final year with the Spartans as well.
Wadley is a native of Rockford, Ill., and was a 1979 graduate of Austin Peay State University before heading to the Big Ten.

Norman Tripp: The passing of a Ft. Lauderdale Legend and friend of ISHOF

Post we are sharing rom FaceBook by City of Ft. Lauderdale Mayor, Dean Trantalis:
Our week ends with the passing of another important person in the history of Fort Lauderdale — Norman Tripp, the founding partner of the Tripp Scott law firm. My sympathies to the Tripp family and the Tripp Scott law firm in their time of grief. Here is the statement from the firm on his passing:
LAUDERDALE, Fla. September 3, 2021 – Tripp Scott Law Firm joins the Broward community in mourning the death of philanthropist and lawyer Norman Tripp, founding partner and chairman emeritus of Tripp Scott.Tripp founded Tripp Scott in 1969. Soon after he became outside general counsel to Alamo Rent A Car. He served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Florida Atlantic University, a trustee for the University of Miami, and chair and vice-chair of the State of Florida Board of Community Colleges. In addition, he was a member of the Advisory Board of the Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University. In 2008, he was appointed to the Florida Board of Governors for the State University System.“Norman was one of Fort Lauderdale’s finest business leaders best known for launching Alamo Rental Car, championing so many great organizations in Broward County and being a leader in higher education in Florida,” said Sen. James Scott, Tripp’s law partner for 42 years. “Connecting our names and partnering together offered a lifetime of memories, great laughs and many adventures. From the bottom of my heart, I’ll miss Norman and my prayers go out to his wife Janie, Christine (Yates) and his entire family.”“Today, we reflect on the life of Norman Tripp whose name remains a prominent part of our firm and whose sense of purpose has been instilled into our culture. Norman founded Tripp Scott in 1969 and through his hard work and legal acumen, helped build it into one of the most trusted and respected firms in the state,” said Ed Pozzuoli, CEO of Tripp Scott and Dennis Smith, chairman of Tripp Scott, Tripp’s law partner of 44 years. “Norman was a great lawyer, but his role in our community will long be remembered and will be sincerely missed. He was passionate about educational opportunity and made it his mission to ensure a more level playing field. Our condolences go out to his wife, Janie, his daughter Christine Yates a firm director and the entire Tripp family.”A founding benefactor of the Community Foundation of Broward, he initiated the Tripp Fund for Educational Opportunity and the Tripp Scott Fund for Community Diversity. In 1998, he successfully spearheaded the citizens’ campaign for passage of the Broward County Public Library bond issue.Tripp also built a foundation for successful business by mentoring young partners who will lead Tripp Scott for years to come.“Norman is a huge loss to our team, but his legacy will remain within the fabric of the law firm he founded over 50 years ago. He instilled in all of us a passion to advocate for our clients and we’ll ensure those principles are always a part of Tripp Scott,” said Paul Lopez, COO of Tripp Scott.Tripp received numerous honors in recognition of his community contributions, including the 2001 Outstanding Citizens Award from the Florida Library Association and the 2001 Tribute-to-the-Family Award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In 1988, he received the Child Advocate of the Year Award from the Children’s Home Society and the University of Miami College of Arts and Science’s Outstanding Alumni Award. He is also the recipient of the Leadership Broward Inc.’s “Leader of the Year” award and was awarded Broward Economic Development Council’s Spirit of Broward Award for Overall Community Leader. He was awarded the International Swimming Hall of Fame President’s Award for his exceptional achievement in promoting the mission of the organization. Tripp earned a law degree, magna cum laude, from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Miami where he was a member of the prestigious Iron Arrow Society and the Gamma Phi Chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, which later honored him as a Significant Sig.

New Exhibit in Philadelphia to Share History of Segregation in Swimming

A historic photo taken at the Fairmount Water Works Pool is on display for the upcoming “POOL: A Social History of Segregation” exhibit at the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. The exhibit explores the history and current day implications of segregated swimming in America. It is set to open on the first week of September.
Read more
by DAVID RIEDER
A new exhibit opening next week at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center near Philadelphia will share the story of African Americans in swimming. The exhibit, titled “POOL: A Social History of Segregation,” will show the history of how black Americans were systemically denied access to the lifesaving skill of swimming throughout centuries of U.S. history. The exhibit, which will run from Sept. 3 until Aug. 30, 2022, was curated by Victoria Prizzia.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the exhibit “is a chillingly honest and informative look at how America’s separate and unequal pools are a key part of the foundation upon which systemic racism stands. Segregated pools fostered the lack of access to water in Black communities, and are among the reasons Black children in the United States ages to 10 to 14 are still 7.6 times more likely to drown in swimming pools than white children. This legacy fuels the misperception that Black people can’t swim, are afraid of water, and worse, don’t deserve to experience its joy.”
The exhibit utilizes murals, documentaries, animation, vintage photos and informative displays to show the painful legacy of black Americans being denied access to pools, and the exhibit will also feature some of the most predominant black Americans who have excelled in swimming, including Philadelphia coaches Jim Ellis and Malachi and Olivia Cunningham as well as Olympians like Cullen Jones and Simone Manuel.
The Inquirer story adds that continued inequity and systemical flaws in the system continue to deny African Americans pool access, even in 2021. The article then goes on to describe what the exhibit will look like and how it intends to make its visitors feel.

“Prizzia designed the 4,700-square-foot exhibit to be calming,” according to the Inquirer. “Cerulean floor-to-ceiling banners with quotes from 15 luminaries in African American aquatic history are nestled in graphics hanging at the exhibit’s entrance. An animated projection on the floor moves and sounds like a lake. This, Prizzia says, is the Blue Mind Pool, where four stools are placed.”

The exhibit will also include the original John B. Kelly Natatorium pool, known as the Aquarium Pool. Built in 1971, the Kelly pool was one of the first integrated pools in Philadelphia, and while it was closed in 1972 and has aged considerably, the current graffiti-covered structure will sit in the exhibit as a reminder of the legacy of segregation in the sport.
Panel images will include the shot of a motel manager in Florida “throwing acid on a group of Black and white teenagers trying to integrate the motel’s pool” and also more uplifting art that includes documentaries and animations by black artists “that depict Black Americans and their connections to pools, beaches, and waterparks.”
Read the full story from the Philadelphia Inquirer here, and check out more information about “POOL” here.

International Swimming Hall of Fame Ceremonies a “Go” for this Year – USA Only, October 9th!

by MEG KELLER-MARVIN

24 August 2021,
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) has made the decision to move forward with its annual events to induct new honorees into its esteemed Hall and honor its Paragon Award winners.
The events will be combined into one evening on October 9th, and will honor only those living in the United States due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. The evening will honor 14 people, including 5 ISHOF Inductees, 4 Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame (MISHOF), 4 Paragon Award winners, and 1 Lifetime Achievement award.
The International honorees and award winners who will not be recognized this year due to travel restrictions, will be celebrated next year (2022) on October 14 and 15th in Fort Lauderdale.
Brent Rutemiller, CEO of ISHOF announced the decision to move forward when he sent the following letter to those being honored.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions in travel to the United States, we have made the tough decision to induct only USA Honorees this year on October 9th, in Fort Lauderdale.
We have also decided to induct the Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame USA Honorees and honor select USA Paragon ISHOF Award winners that are associated with the competitive sports on the same evening to create a meaningful and manageable three hour event.
As a result, all international honorees and other award winners will now be inducted with the class of 2022 on October 14 and 15th 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
This is the current list of individuals who we will honor on October 9th, 2021 (This Year)

Saturday afternoon – Tour Aquatic Complex and Presentation of new ISHOF Buildings.
Saturday evening – Honoree Ceremony hosted by Rowdy Gaines and Debbie Meyer

International Swimming Hall of Fame HonoreesBrendan Hansen – SwimmingRebecca Soni – SwimmingElvira Khasyanova– Synchronized (Artistic) SwimmerDavid Marsh – CoachBob Duenkel – ISHOF Contributor
Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame HonoreesClay Britt – Swimming David Cotton – Diving Kerry O’Brien – Coach Contributor Rose Cody – Artistic Swimming
Paragon and ISHOF Specialty AwardsEddie Reese – 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award Teri McKeever – Competitive Swimming Dave Burgering – Competitive Diving Betty Hazle – Synchronized Swimming Lynn Comer Kachmarik – Water Polo

HOTEL INFORMATION
Host Hotel: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
Upscale retreat with private beach access, two pools, four restaurants, full service spa and oceanside bar. Location of the Saturday evening induction ceremony. ¼ mile south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-4000
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $259 per night
Book your group rate for International Swimming Hall of Fame
NOTE: RESORT FEE IS INCLUDED in the $259 rate
Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach
440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 524-8733
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $169 per night
Honoree Ceremony October 9, 2021Start Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2021End Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021Last Day to Book: Friday, September 15, 2021
Book your group rate for Honoree Ceremony October 2021

Eddie Reese to be Given ISHOF Lifetime Achievement Award – October 9

by BRENT RUTEMILLER

26 August 2021

The ISHOF Lifetime Achievement Award is only giving when ISHOF deems someone worthy. The award has only been given out four other times in ISHOF’s 56 year history. The ISHOF Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the lifetime dedication and achievements from someone in the swimming/aquatics community. Reese will be honored on October 9th, 2021
Eddie Reese — 2021 ISHOF Lifetime Achievement Award

Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Magazine

Coach Reese is the perfect selection for this award, particularly after his record breaking NCAA DI Championships win in 2021. Coach Reese had just won his un-precedented 15th National Championship at the University of Texas. After flirting with the idea of retirement, Reese decided there was still more he wanted to achieve with his group of guys. His decision to continue coaching will just add to lifetime achievements and enhance this award.
Reese will begin the 2021-2022 season, which will be his 44th as the Longhorns’ head coach. The school will be seeking back-to-back national championships after earning a 27-point victory over California in March. Texas won the championship despite winning no individual swimming events at the meet and just two events overall, the 800 free relay and 1-meter diving.
Reese has won more NCAA team championships than any other swim coach, with wins in 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021. Reese has coached 22 Olympic gold medalists and been the head coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic team in 1992, 2004 and 2008. He was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic team in 1996, 2000 and 2012. Three swimmers under his current tutelage qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic team, including Townley Haas, Drew Kibler and Gunnar Bentz, while three others missed the team by one spot.
In addition, this year, former Texas Longhorn, Brendan Hansen will be inducted as an 2021 Honor Swimmer on Saturday night, October 9, 20021 and will be inducted by his coach, the one and only, Eddie Reese.
This is the current list of individuals who will also be honored on October 9th, 2021 along with Coach Reese:
International Swimming Hall of Fame HonoreesBrendan Hansen – SwimmingRebecca Soni – SwimmingElvira Khasyanova– Synchronized (Artistic) SwimmerDavid Marsh– CoachBob Duenkel – ISHOF Contributor
Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame HonoreesClay Britt – Swimming David Cotton – Diving Kerry O’Brien – Coach Contributor Rose Cody – Artistic Swimming
Paragon and ISHOF Specialty AwardsEddie Reese – 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award Teri McKeever – Competitive Swimming Dave Burgering – Competitive Diving Betty Hazle – Synchronized Swimming Lynn Comer Kachmarik – Water Polo
HOTEL INFORMATION
Host Hotel: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa
Upscale retreat with private beach access, two pools, four restaurants, full service spa and oceanside bar. Location of the Saturday evening induction ceremony. ¼ mile south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
3030 Holiday Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 525-4000
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $259 per night
Book your group rate for International Swimming Hall of Fame
NOTE: RESORT FEE IS INCLUDED in the $259 rate
Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach
440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954) 524-8733
Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $169 per night
Honoree Ceremony October 9, 2021Start Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2021End Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021Last Day to Book: Friday, September 15, 2021
Book your group rate for Honoree Ceremony October 2021

International Swimming Hall of Fame Ceremonies a “Go” for this Year – USA Only, October 9th!

by MEG KELLER-MARVIN
26 August 2021,

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) has made the decision to move forward with its annual events to induct new honorees into its esteemed Hall and honor its Paragon Award winners.
The events will be combined into one evening on October 9th, and will honor only those living in the United States due to Covid-19 travel restrictions. The evening will honor 14 people, including 5 ISHOF Inductees, 4 Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame (MISHOF), 4 Paragon Award winners, and 1 Lifetime Achievement award.
The International honorees and award winners who will not be recognized this year due to travel restrictions, will be celebrated next year (2022) on October 14 and 15th in Fort Lauderdale.
Brent Rutemiller, CEO of ISHOF announced the decision to move forward when he sent the following letter to those being honored.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions in travel to the United States, we have made the tough decision to induct only USA Honorees this year on October 9th, in Fort Lauderdale.

We have also decided to induct the Masters International Swimming Hall of Fame USA Honorees and honor select USA Paragon ISHOF Award winners that are associated with the competitive sports on the same evening to create a meaningful and manageable three hour event.
As a result, all international honorees and other award winners will now be inducted with the class of 2022 on October 14 and 15th 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
This is the current list of individuals who we will honor on October 9th, 2021 (This Year)

Saturday afternoon – Tour Aquatic Complex and Presentation of new ISHOF Buildings.
Saturday evening – Honoree Ceremony hosted by Rowdy Gaines and Debbie Meyer

Tokyo Olympics Analysis (U.S. Women): Lots of Medals, Youth and Potential for Future Brilliance

by DAVID RIEDER

Tokyo Olympics Analysis (U.S. Women): Lots of Medals, Youth and Potential for Future Brilliance

It’s true — the American women won just three gold medals in swimming at the Tokyo Olympics, their fewest at any major international meet in recent memory. Katie Ledecky brought home the inaugural Olympic gold medal in the women’s 1500 freestyle, and she earned her historic third straight gold in the 800 freestyle. 17-year-old Alaska-native Lydia Jacoby shocked the world by winning the 100 breaststroke. But the Americans were shut out of gold medals in the relays and in the remaining individual events.
But was this a poor performance in Tokyo? No way. Not even close. Look across the board, and you see an incredibly strong performance by one of the most well-rounded swim teams ever assembled.
Back at the 2016 Olympics, the Americans won eight gold medals and 15 overall medals. This time, the total was 18 medals, although the comparisons are slightly skewed because of an additional event (the 1500 free) on the Olympic program. That total included eight silver and seven bronze, and American swimmers also finished fourth in additional four events. Two American swimmers finished among the top four in eight out of 14 individual events, which is incredible, and of the 28 American individual swims, all qualified for the semifinals and 25 of them advanced to finals.
To only focus on the gold-medal count and lack of relay wins would be an absolute disservice to this American women’s team and the enormous strides taken in just the past two years. Let’s go stroke-by-stroke and see what happened.
Freestyle
In an unexpected twist, sprint freestyle turned out to be the weakest of the disciplines for the American women in 2021. It was a strength in 2019 when Simone Manuel captured world titles in the 100 free and 50 free, but she was diagnosed with Overtraining Syndrome and was not the oft-dominant sprinter of years past. With Manuel struggling, Abbey Weitzeil stepped up and qualified for very fast finals in the 50 free and 100 free and supplied the go-to leg on the 400 free and 400 medley relays. Cate Campbell edged Weitzeil for gold in the medley, but Weitzeil’s 52.49 split was elite.

Katie Ledecky picked up two gold medals and two silver medals in her third Olympics — Photo Courtesy: Grace Hollars/USA Today Sports

While the Americans had depth in the 100 free, plenty to earn an Olympic medal in the 400 free relay, no one came to Tokyo with a faster best time than 53.5, compared to four Australians under 53. It was the same story in the 200 free where American depth did not measure up to Australia on paper, but Americans like Paige Madden and Katie McLaughlin raised their game significantly and Katie Ledecky was amazing on the anchor leg while Australia underperformed in that event. Given the setup in the freestyle events, the Americans did great to walk away with bronze in the 400 free relay and silver in the 800.
Regarding the longer events, Ledecky did her thing in the 800 and 1500, and she swam one of the best races of her career in the 400 free on the way to the second-fastest mark of her career and best time in five years, only for Ariarne Titmus to be a little bit better. No shame in that. Ledecky and Erica Sullivan provided one of the U.S. highlights of the Games with the 1-2 finish in the 1500, and Katie Grimes was impressive in finishing fourth in the 800 as a 15-year-old.
Backstroke
The results here were fine and in line with pre-Olympicsexpectations, even if you would assume the swimmers were not thrilled with their times. Regan Smith took bronze in the 100 back in 58.05 behind rivals Kaylee McKeown and Kylie Masse after setting the Olympic record in the semifinals. Rhyan White took fourth in the 100 back before White and Phoebe Bacon ended up fourth and fifth in the 200 back, just behind Australia’s Emily Seebohm.
Going forward, American backstroke is still in really good hands. Smith will be motivated to get back to her world-record-setting level from 2019 in both backstroke events, and both White and Bacon were first-timers to the major international level on an upward trajectory. There is more college-aged depth back home with swimmers like Katharine Berkoff and Isabelle Stadden. These were the most competitive events in the country prior to Olympic Trials and will remain so, despite just one Tokyo medal.
Breaststroke

Lydia Jacoby was the shocking gold medalist in the women’s 100 breaststroke in Tokyo — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

All American women’s breaststroke swims in Tokyo earned medals. That’s a far cry from the 2016 Games, when no American women were in the final of the 200 breast, but in Tokyo, Lilly King became just the second American to ever break 2:20 while Annie Lazor dashed home to earn her first Olympic level, a bronze. A few days before that, King had been a little off her game in her signature 100 breast, and she ended up not winning the event for the first time at any meet in six years. But then, in an absolute stunner, Lydia Jacoby continued her meteoric rise to win gold.
This group had realistic hopes of a big Tokyo performance, and they completely delivered.
Butterfly
The teenagers representing the U.S. in the 100 butterfly were not perfect in their Olympic debuts. 18-year-old Torri Huske was mere hundredths off her American record in the event, at 55.73, but in the most unlucky of finishes, she ended up fourth by 0.01. Huske was then about four tenths slower in swimming the fly leg on the mixed and women’s 400 medley relays at the end of the week. Meanwhile, Claire Curzan could not replicate her form from the spring and from Olympic Trials as she was 10th in the 100 fly.
In the 200 butterfly, the Americans were aiming to win their first Olympic medal since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and they won two behind gold medalist Zhang Yufei of China. Hali Flickinger, one of the best in the world in the event since 2018, took bronze while Regan Smith stormed ahead to win silver become the second-fastest American in history in the event. Zhang became the fastest performer ever in a textile suit in the event, so she was never going to be caught. Silver and bronze was an A+ performance for the Americans in the event.
Individual Medley

Hali Flickinger and Emma Weyant embrace after both won medals in the women’s 400 IM at the Olympics — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

It’s no secret that the Americans had been in the midst of a rough stretch in the women’s IM events, particularly the 400 IM after the retirements of Rio silver medalist Maya DiRado and stalwart Elizabeth Beisel. Since 2016, they had won just one medal at the World Championships, a 200 IM bronze by Madisyn Cox in 2017. And none of the swimmers qualified for the IMs in Tokyo had ever previously represented the U.S. in IM in at a World Championships or Olympics (and other than Hali Flickinger, all were national team rookies).
But the Americans rocked it in the IMs. Sure, they benefitted from generally slower finals than we’ve seen in the IMs at major meets in recent years and from Katinka Hosszu’s drastic decline this year, but they still got the job done. Yui Ohashi turned out to be the IM star of the Games (and also Japan’s only gold medalist in the pool), but Emma Weyant fought her all the way to the finish in the 400 IM. Three days later, Alex Walsh did the same thing in the 200 IM, coming up only 0.12 short of the Japanese winner. Flickinger (400 IM) and Kate Douglass (200 IM) each secured bronzes.
The IM results were by far the biggest surprise for the U.S. women this year, given the struggles of recent years. And Weyant, Walsh and Douglass — all current or soon-to-be Virginia Cavaliers — all competed at the Olympics at 19 years old (Walsh turned 20 three days after the 200 IM final). All of them will be back.
Overall
The U.S. women’s 400 medley relay team that concluded the meet with a silver medal represented this women’s team in a nutshell: good, even if not quite quick enough to secure Olympic gold, and really, really young.
Two years earlier at the World Championships, Regan Smith had forced her way onto the U.S. women’s medley relay by virtue of her performances, and she combined with veterans Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia and Simone Manuel to set a world record. Smith was the youngest swimmer in that group by five years.

The U.S. women’s 400 medley relay team after taking silver at the Tokyo Olympics — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

By Tokyo, Smith was the only member left as Lydia Jacoby, Torri Huske and Abbey Weitzeil had earned their way on. Now, Weitzeil, at 24, was the oldest by five years. The American women took 10 teenagers to Tokyo, and eight of them earned at least one medal.
All of these swimmers have years of college swimming ahead of them, so you expect them to continue to grow and improve. And the gap between the Tokyo Olympics and the next edition of the Games, in Paris in 2024, is just three years, the shortest ever. Compared to the massive turnover of the U.S. team from the 2016 Games to 2021, we could see a lot of familiar faces back again in Paris.
And the Tokyo Games were hard for the swimmers, more stressful than even the normally very-high-pressured Olympics, thanks to the restrictions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic — swimmers totally secluded, no families in Japan and so on. The swimmers who got through these Games should be so well prepared for a more normal Olympics in 2024, should they make it back to this level.
Despite all that, the American women still won 18 medals, finished 2-3 four times and stacked up medals in breaststroke, butterfly and IM events that had been obvious weaknesses in the not-too-recent past.
So even though the gold-medal count was not quite as impressive as normal, this was a really good American women’s team and perhaps just the beginning for a group that could carry the torch for years to come.

Category: ISHOF News