The news was announced this week that Nick Thoman will be training with Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman in Baltimore. http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/20034.asp?q=Hayley%20McGregory,%20Nick%20Thoman%20Make%20Move%20to%20North%20Baltimore%20Aquatic%20Club
Nick swam the third fastest time ever in the 100m back last summer: 52.91, which is only .37 off the world record held by Aaron Peirsol and is .10 faster than Michael Phelps' best time of 53.01. Ryan's best time in this event is 53.37. At the Olympic trials, when they raced head-to-head, Ryan came in 3rd and Nick came in 6th. However, Nick improved his time to 52.91 at the U.S. Open meet in August 2008.
Training together will be a huge boost for both Michael Phelps and Nick Thoman, and I'm wondering if Nick was specifically recruited for this role. They conceivably will be able to push each other to new low times in the backstroke events.
This news is bound to make Ryan train even harder. He is certainly capable of beating both Michael and Nick in the 100 and 200 back. Ryan trains with some really good backstrokers at UF, such as Rex Tullius and Omar Pinzon. I hope this will serve as fuel for Ryan's training.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Final Results - 100y fly, 100y back and 100y breast - So Cal Grand Prix - January 19, 2009
Ryan placed first in the 100y back and 100y breast and he placed second in the 100y fly. That's just impressive. I'm very tired now, so I will write more about this tomorrow. Here's a link to an article from Swimming World Magazine about this evening's races.
The photos are not from the So Cal Grand Prix.
100y Breast Prelims - So Cal Grand Prix - January 19, 2009
Event 28 - Men's 100 Yd Breast
1 Richards, Carter C 20 UN-CA 55.20 25.93 55.20 (29.27)
2 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 55.73 26.37 55.73 (29.36)
3 Miller, Cody W 17 SAND-CA 56.79 26.66 56.79 (30.13)
4 Mickelson, Carl H 18 RIO-AZ 57.06 26.94 57.06 (30.12)
5 Korth, Nicholas A 17 CANY-CA 57.29 26.75 57.29 (30.54)
6 Smith, Matt C 27 SCSC-PC 57.73 26.98 57.73 (30.75)
7 Chard, Thomas M 18 CPSU-CA 57.93 27.49 57.93 (30.44)
8 Lee, See Han B 16 TORR-CA 57.99 27.40 57.99 (30.59)
Carter Richards swam a personal best to place first in the prelims. Ryan did really well this morning with all 3 swims.
1 Richards, Carter C 20 UN-CA 55.20 25.93 55.20 (29.27)
2 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 55.73 26.37 55.73 (29.36)
3 Miller, Cody W 17 SAND-CA 56.79 26.66 56.79 (30.13)
4 Mickelson, Carl H 18 RIO-AZ 57.06 26.94 57.06 (30.12)
5 Korth, Nicholas A 17 CANY-CA 57.29 26.75 57.29 (30.54)
6 Smith, Matt C 27 SCSC-PC 57.73 26.98 57.73 (30.75)
7 Chard, Thomas M 18 CPSU-CA 57.93 27.49 57.93 (30.44)
8 Lee, See Han B 16 TORR-CA 57.99 27.40 57.99 (30.59)
Carter Richards swam a personal best to place first in the prelims. Ryan did really well this morning with all 3 swims.
100y Back Prelims - So Cal Grand Prix - January 19, 2009
Event 26 - Men's 100 Yd Backstroke
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 48.13 24.15 48.13 (23.98)
2 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 48.59 23.56 48.59 (25.03)
3 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 49.24 23.75 49.24 (25.49)
4 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 49.40 23.86 49.40 (25.54)
5 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 49.65 23.98 49.65 (25.67)
6 Cox, Tony L 18 PORT-CA 49.71 24.48 49.71 (25.23)
7 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 50.10 24.28 50.10 (25.82)
8 Segal, Ehud 24 UN-CA/TROJ 50.17 24.34 50.17 (25.83)
Ryan swam faster on the second 50 than on the first, something nobody else in the top 8 has done.
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 48.13 24.15 48.13 (23.98)
2 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 48.59 23.56 48.59 (25.03)
3 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 49.24 23.75 49.24 (25.49)
4 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 49.40 23.86 49.40 (25.54)
5 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 49.65 23.98 49.65 (25.67)
6 Cox, Tony L 18 PORT-CA 49.71 24.48 49.71 (25.23)
7 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 50.10 24.28 50.10 (25.82)
8 Segal, Ehud 24 UN-CA/TROJ 50.17 24.34 50.17 (25.83)
Ryan swam faster on the second 50 than on the first, something nobody else in the top 8 has done.
100y Fly Prelims - So Cal Grand Prix - January 19, 2009
Event 24 - Men's 100 Yd Fly
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 47.96 22.93 47.96 (25.03)
2 Kishida, Masayuki 23 FORD-AZ 47.99 21.78 47.99 (26.21)
3 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 48.04 22.55 48.04 (25.49)
4 Dash, Jeff J 28 FORD-AZ 48.23 22.80 48.23 (25.43)
5 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 48.29 22.49 48.29 (25.80)
6 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 48.46 22.59 48.46 (25.87)
7 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 48.51 22.65 48.51 (25.86)
8 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 49.03 23.00 49.03 (26.03)
I'm rethinking my hypothesis that Ryan is tired. He seems to have a lot of speed left on the last 50. He may be tired overall, but he is conserving his energy well.
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 47.96 22.93 47.96 (25.03)
2 Kishida, Masayuki 23 FORD-AZ 47.99 21.78 47.99 (26.21)
3 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 48.04 22.55 48.04 (25.49)
4 Dash, Jeff J 28 FORD-AZ 48.23 22.80 48.23 (25.43)
5 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 48.29 22.49 48.29 (25.80)
6 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 48.46 22.59 48.46 (25.87)
7 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 48.51 22.65 48.51 (25.86)
8 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 49.03 23.00 49.03 (26.03)
I'm rethinking my hypothesis that Ryan is tired. He seems to have a lot of speed left on the last 50. He may be tired overall, but he is conserving his energy well.
Final Results - 200y Free and 50y Free - 2009 So Cal Grand Prix
Ryan placed first in the 200y free with a meet-record time of 1:33.32. He tied for third in the 50 free with a time of 19.74.
Ryan's splits for the 200y free were: 21.97 45.93 (23.96) 1:09.91 (23.98) 1:33.32 (23.41). Ous Mellouli came in second at 1:33.55 and Matt Grevers placed third with a time of 1:34.31.
Matt Grevers won the 50y free with a time of 19.15. William Copeland came in second at 19.70 and Joey Hale tied Ryan for third at 19.74.
The race video for Sunday night's finals has not been posted on swimnetwork.com, and I did not watch live. I will post the video links and comment on the races once they are available.
I'm excited to see how Ryan does today, competing in the 100y fly, 100y breast and 100y back.
Ryan's splits for the 200y free were: 21.97 45.93 (23.96) 1:09.91 (23.98) 1:33.32 (23.41). Ous Mellouli came in second at 1:33.55 and Matt Grevers placed third with a time of 1:34.31.
Matt Grevers won the 50y free with a time of 19.15. William Copeland came in second at 19.70 and Joey Hale tied Ryan for third at 19.74.
The race video for Sunday night's finals has not been posted on swimnetwork.com, and I did not watch live. I will post the video links and comment on the races once they are available.
I'm excited to see how Ryan does today, competing in the 100y fly, 100y breast and 100y back.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ryan's Future Swimming Plans
Ryan has begun to flesh out his future swimming plans, as explained in an insightful article written by Lisa Dillman and published in today's L.A. Times. Read it here: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-swim18-2009jan18,0,6794892.story
Here are some of the interesting quotes from Ryan about his plans:
"I feel I haven't accomplished what I think I'm capable of doing," he said.Which would be?"I think I'm capable of getting like six or seven golds at an Olympics," Lochte said. "I know in the events that I swam, I know I'm a lot faster. And I know I can do more events. That's what I'll be going for."
It's exciting for him to say he believes he can win 6 or 7 golds at the next Olympics. I believe it too and am happy that he is going to train for this type of a program.
To that end, his program schedule will be adjusted leading up to London in 2012. Gone, probably after this year, will be the grueling 400 individual medley, barring a drastic change of heart. He earned bronze in Beijing in that event to Michael Phelps' gold, and Phelps has indicated he won't be swimming the 400 individual medley, either.All this finally gives hope to the other American men having to exist in the wake of the potent one-two punch of Phelps and Lochte in the event all these years.
Said Lochte, smiling: "They can go through that pain, not us. It's all yours."
This makes so much sense! Ryan can focus on the shorter, sprint events and the 200's. I don't think he'll have as much chance for disappointment with the 100 back if he eliminates the 400 IM. It's similar to what Michael Phelps is going to do.
The elimination of the 400 IM from Ryan's training also clears the way for guys like Tyler Clary. Tyler has been improving so much in the 400 IM during the NCAA season. I started writing a post about his accomplishments and hope to finish it soon. If Tyler keeps improving in this event, he could win gold at the 2012 Olympics.
[Ryan] still could swim the 400 individual medley at the world championships this summer in Rome, but hasn't made a final decision. Beyond that, he will be making changes.
It would be nice to see Ryan and Laszlo Cseh battle it out one more time in the 400 IM at the world championships in Rome. Nevertheless, they always have the 200 IM, and the 400 IM would not be quite the same without Michael Phelps, so it won't break my heart if Ryan decides to eliminate the 400 IM sooner.
"I'm going to start doing shorter events, so I think my training is going to go down a little," Lochte said. "Which is smart because I'm getting older, my body is getting older. It can't take the beating that much."
At 24, Lochte is clearly in his prime, and so it sounds funny to hear him talk about getting older. But the years of training have taken a toll.
"I can feel it," he said. "Before I could do back-to-back events, like no problem. I'd be fine. Now I do one event and I'm like, I'm tired. Very tired."It's all the hard work I've been doing. It's catching up. Especially now because I'm just starting to get back into things. Now, it's like, 'Man, I cannot get up. I'm sore!' "
Lochte and his longtime coach Gregg Troy are in agreement on paring his program, and Lochte sounded almost philosophical the way he is approaching his body of work in the pool.
"I guess I got through 2008 -- that was the end of my swimming career," he said. "And now, it's time to start another one. That's the way we're pretty much approaching it. We're off to a slow start. . . . It feels like I haven't been in the water in years.
Ryan does not say specifically what events he is going to focus on, but my guess is the 200 IM, 200 free, 200 back, 100 back and 100 free. He could eliminate fly and breast from his training altogether if he eliminates the 200 IM, but I hope he does not do that because he is so good in all four strokes and he's said in the past that 200 IM is his favorite event.
In order to win 6 or 7 gold medals in the Olympics, Ryan needs to qualify for all 3 relays. The 100 back would get him in the 400 medley relay and the 100 free would get him in the 400 free relay.
Ryan says he has greater difficulty swimming more than one event per day as he gets older. If the 200 free and 100 back and the 200 back and 200 IM are again swum on the same day in international competitions, it will be interesting to see if Ryan competes in all 4 events. He may still have to choose between the 100 back and 200 free or he may decide to eliminate the 200 IM. These will be difficult choices.
I do think he is capable of performing well in all of these events and I can't wait to see how the next 3.5 years unfold.
Here are some of the interesting quotes from Ryan about his plans:
"I feel I haven't accomplished what I think I'm capable of doing," he said.Which would be?"I think I'm capable of getting like six or seven golds at an Olympics," Lochte said. "I know in the events that I swam, I know I'm a lot faster. And I know I can do more events. That's what I'll be going for."
It's exciting for him to say he believes he can win 6 or 7 golds at the next Olympics. I believe it too and am happy that he is going to train for this type of a program.
To that end, his program schedule will be adjusted leading up to London in 2012. Gone, probably after this year, will be the grueling 400 individual medley, barring a drastic change of heart. He earned bronze in Beijing in that event to Michael Phelps' gold, and Phelps has indicated he won't be swimming the 400 individual medley, either.All this finally gives hope to the other American men having to exist in the wake of the potent one-two punch of Phelps and Lochte in the event all these years.
Said Lochte, smiling: "They can go through that pain, not us. It's all yours."
This makes so much sense! Ryan can focus on the shorter, sprint events and the 200's. I don't think he'll have as much chance for disappointment with the 100 back if he eliminates the 400 IM. It's similar to what Michael Phelps is going to do.
The elimination of the 400 IM from Ryan's training also clears the way for guys like Tyler Clary. Tyler has been improving so much in the 400 IM during the NCAA season. I started writing a post about his accomplishments and hope to finish it soon. If Tyler keeps improving in this event, he could win gold at the 2012 Olympics.
[Ryan] still could swim the 400 individual medley at the world championships this summer in Rome, but hasn't made a final decision. Beyond that, he will be making changes.
It would be nice to see Ryan and Laszlo Cseh battle it out one more time in the 400 IM at the world championships in Rome. Nevertheless, they always have the 200 IM, and the 400 IM would not be quite the same without Michael Phelps, so it won't break my heart if Ryan decides to eliminate the 400 IM sooner.
"I'm going to start doing shorter events, so I think my training is going to go down a little," Lochte said. "Which is smart because I'm getting older, my body is getting older. It can't take the beating that much."
At 24, Lochte is clearly in his prime, and so it sounds funny to hear him talk about getting older. But the years of training have taken a toll.
"I can feel it," he said. "Before I could do back-to-back events, like no problem. I'd be fine. Now I do one event and I'm like, I'm tired. Very tired."It's all the hard work I've been doing. It's catching up. Especially now because I'm just starting to get back into things. Now, it's like, 'Man, I cannot get up. I'm sore!' "
Lochte and his longtime coach Gregg Troy are in agreement on paring his program, and Lochte sounded almost philosophical the way he is approaching his body of work in the pool.
"I guess I got through 2008 -- that was the end of my swimming career," he said. "And now, it's time to start another one. That's the way we're pretty much approaching it. We're off to a slow start. . . . It feels like I haven't been in the water in years.
Ryan does not say specifically what events he is going to focus on, but my guess is the 200 IM, 200 free, 200 back, 100 back and 100 free. He could eliminate fly and breast from his training altogether if he eliminates the 200 IM, but I hope he does not do that because he is so good in all four strokes and he's said in the past that 200 IM is his favorite event.
In order to win 6 or 7 gold medals in the Olympics, Ryan needs to qualify for all 3 relays. The 100 back would get him in the 400 medley relay and the 100 free would get him in the 400 free relay.
Ryan says he has greater difficulty swimming more than one event per day as he gets older. If the 200 free and 100 back and the 200 back and 200 IM are again swum on the same day in international competitions, it will be interesting to see if Ryan competes in all 4 events. He may still have to choose between the 100 back and 200 free or he may decide to eliminate the 200 IM. These will be difficult choices.
I do think he is capable of performing well in all of these events and I can't wait to see how the next 3.5 years unfold.
50y Free Prelim Results - 2009 So Cal Grand Prix - January 18, 2009
Event 18 - Men's 50 Yd Free
1 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 19.57
2 Hale, Joey L 18 UN-CA/GWSC 19.96
3 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 19.97
4 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 19.99
5 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 20.20
6 Kishida, Masayuki 23 FORD-AZ 20.28
7 Behm, Herbie M 18 FORD-AZ 20.35
8 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 20.56
It's a 50, who cares about a 50. It's a pretty good prelim result nonetheless.
1 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 19.57
2 Hale, Joey L 18 UN-CA/GWSC 19.96
3 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 19.97
4 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 19.99
5 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 20.20
6 Kishida, Masayuki 23 FORD-AZ 20.28
7 Behm, Herbie M 18 FORD-AZ 20.35
8 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 20.56
It's a 50, who cares about a 50. It's a pretty good prelim result nonetheless.
200y Free Prelim Results - 2009 So Cal Grand Prix - January 18, 2009
Event 14 - Men's 200 yd Free Prelims:
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 1:36.27 22.90 47.48 (24.58) 1:12.46 (24.98) 1:36.27 (23.81)
2 Meichtry, Dominik J 24 CAL-PC 1:36.76 22.57 47.04 (24.47) 1:11.94 (24.90) 1:36.76 (24.82)
3 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 1:36.93 22.61 47.10 (24.49) 1:12.22 (25.12) 1:36.93 (24.71)
4 Mellouli, Ous 24 TROJ-CA 1:37.63 22.90 47.44 (24.54) 1:12.52 (25.08) 1:37.63 (25.11)
5 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 1:37.74 22.98 47.92 (24.94) 1:12.62 (24.70) 1:37.74 (25.12)
6 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 1:38.33 22.28 47.33 (25.05) 1:12.95 (25.62) 1:38.33 (25.38)
7 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 1:39.29 22.78 47.61 (24.83) 1:13.27 (25.66) 1:39.29 (26.02)
8 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 1:39.46 22.90 48.74 (25.84) 1:14.39 (25.65) 1:39.46 (25.07)
Ryan placed first in this morning's prelims with a time of 1:36.27. I took out the seed times and just left in the results so it is easier to read. I like how Ryan took this race out slow and finished very fast to place first.
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 1:36.27 22.90 47.48 (24.58) 1:12.46 (24.98) 1:36.27 (23.81)
2 Meichtry, Dominik J 24 CAL-PC 1:36.76 22.57 47.04 (24.47) 1:11.94 (24.90) 1:36.76 (24.82)
3 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 1:36.93 22.61 47.10 (24.49) 1:12.22 (25.12) 1:36.93 (24.71)
4 Mellouli, Ous 24 TROJ-CA 1:37.63 22.90 47.44 (24.54) 1:12.52 (25.08) 1:37.63 (25.11)
5 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 1:37.74 22.98 47.92 (24.94) 1:12.62 (24.70) 1:37.74 (25.12)
6 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 1:38.33 22.28 47.33 (25.05) 1:12.95 (25.62) 1:38.33 (25.38)
7 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 1:39.29 22.78 47.61 (24.83) 1:13.27 (25.66) 1:39.29 (26.02)
8 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 1:39.46 22.90 48.74 (25.84) 1:14.39 (25.65) 1:39.46 (25.07)
Ryan placed first in this morning's prelims with a time of 1:36.27. I took out the seed times and just left in the results so it is easier to read. I like how Ryan took this race out slow and finished very fast to place first.
More on the So Cal Grand Prix - 100y free and 200y back results
Great news, lenaorgana (Lisa) from The Daily Reezy met Ryan and Gold Medal Mel at the meet yesterday and she posted a detailed account of her experience at The Daily Reezy website. In addition to speaking with Ryan, she took some photos and videos and also appeared in a video with Ryan that was shot by GMM. I can't wait to see that.
Also, Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times interviewed Ryan about his future swimming plans and wrote an article about it. The article is very informative and will be covered in a separate post. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-swim18-2009jan18,0,6794892.story
Given the overall Grand Prix results yesterday and Ryan's times specifically, it appears that Ryan and most of the swimmers are tired. I've read that swimmers do some of their toughest training over the holidays, and this is probably why the times are generally higher than usual.
A notable exception was Mary Descenza breaking the American record in the 200y fly and nearly breaking it in the 200y back. That is quite an amazing accomplishment, not only given the time of the year, but also because swimming those two extremely difficult events back to back and doing so well is unbelievable. Mary is an amazing swimmer and her accomplishments deserve attention. Hopefully she will continue to do well and qualify for the world championships in Rome. It's a shame that she never made the Olympic team.
Ryan's time in the 100y free was 43.18, which placed him first in the "B" final by nearly 1.5 seconds and would have placed him third in the "A" final had he done better in the prelims. Lisa Dillman wrote the following about Ryan's 100y free performance:
That led to a particularly painful opening race Saturday, the "A" consolation final of the 100 freestyle. His time was 43.18 seconds."Let's just leave that out," he said, smiling. "The 100 free, let's just say I was in so much pain. I've never felt that bad before."
The official results for the 200y back were not available at http://www.socalswim.org/, but swimnetwork.com had the following information:
Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) also had a strong night Saturday, setting a meet record in the 200y back in 1:39.01. Olympic silver medalist Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.) was second in 1:40.42 and Adam Ritter (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) was third in 1:44.41.
Ryan broke the meet record in the 200 back. It's a nice accomplishment, although I'm sure he does not care about this one bit because his time was 3 seconds off his American record.
Swimnetwork.com also has videos of the individual races, which can be seen here:
http://www.swimnetwork.com/videos/v/20090118/2009_southern_california_grand_prix_of_swimming___men_s_200yd_backstroke___a_final-16087.html
As for the type of suit Ryan was wearing, Lisa at Daily Reezy told me he was wearing a regular speedo in the prelims and had some type of long legs-only suit on during the finals. In the videos, it doesn't look like a Speedo LZR. Ryan may be trying out a different brand of fast suit or it could be a different type of Speedo that I don't know anything about.
Also, Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times interviewed Ryan about his future swimming plans and wrote an article about it. The article is very informative and will be covered in a separate post. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-swim18-2009jan18,0,6794892.story
Given the overall Grand Prix results yesterday and Ryan's times specifically, it appears that Ryan and most of the swimmers are tired. I've read that swimmers do some of their toughest training over the holidays, and this is probably why the times are generally higher than usual.
A notable exception was Mary Descenza breaking the American record in the 200y fly and nearly breaking it in the 200y back. That is quite an amazing accomplishment, not only given the time of the year, but also because swimming those two extremely difficult events back to back and doing so well is unbelievable. Mary is an amazing swimmer and her accomplishments deserve attention. Hopefully she will continue to do well and qualify for the world championships in Rome. It's a shame that she never made the Olympic team.
Ryan's time in the 100y free was 43.18, which placed him first in the "B" final by nearly 1.5 seconds and would have placed him third in the "A" final had he done better in the prelims. Lisa Dillman wrote the following about Ryan's 100y free performance:
That led to a particularly painful opening race Saturday, the "A" consolation final of the 100 freestyle. His time was 43.18 seconds."Let's just leave that out," he said, smiling. "The 100 free, let's just say I was in so much pain. I've never felt that bad before."
The official results for the 200y back were not available at http://www.socalswim.org/, but swimnetwork.com had the following information:
Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) also had a strong night Saturday, setting a meet record in the 200y back in 1:39.01. Olympic silver medalist Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.) was second in 1:40.42 and Adam Ritter (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) was third in 1:44.41.
Ryan broke the meet record in the 200 back. It's a nice accomplishment, although I'm sure he does not care about this one bit because his time was 3 seconds off his American record.
Swimnetwork.com also has videos of the individual races, which can be seen here:
100y free (B final)
200y back (A final)http://www.swimnetwork.com/videos/v/20090118/2009_southern_california_grand_prix_of_swimming___men_s_200yd_backstroke___a_final-16087.html
As for the type of suit Ryan was wearing, Lisa at Daily Reezy told me he was wearing a regular speedo in the prelims and had some type of long legs-only suit on during the finals. In the videos, it doesn't look like a Speedo LZR. Ryan may be trying out a different brand of fast suit or it could be a different type of Speedo that I don't know anything about.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
FINALS - 100 free and 200 back - So Cal Grand Prix
Ryan finished first in the consolation final of the 100 free with a time that would have placed him 3rd overall had he made the championship final.
Ryan placed first in the 200 back. :))
I'll add more information tomorrow, including Ryan's times and the kind of suit he was wearing. Hopefully swimnetwork.com will have videos of the races. I heard GMM was at the meet, which should mean more videos and insider information! A couple of people from Daily Reezy went too so that should mean photos.
Ryan placed first in the 200 back. :))
I'll add more information tomorrow, including Ryan's times and the kind of suit he was wearing. Hopefully swimnetwork.com will have videos of the races. I heard GMM was at the meet, which should mean more videos and insider information! A couple of people from Daily Reezy went too so that should mean photos.
Olympian Ryan Lochte Swears Off Hair Gel
I don't know if this will show up in google alerts, but if it does:
Sorry Candace, I could not resist.
It's my wish too.
Sorry Candace, I could not resist.
It's my wish too.
200y Back Prelim Results So Cal Grand Prix - January 17, 2009
Event 8 Men 200 Yd Backstroke
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 1:36.81 - 1:44.41 25.15 51.65 (26.50) 1:18.12 (26.47) 1:44.41 (26.29)
2 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 1:39.99 - 1:47.19 24.81 51.80 (26.99) 1:19.50 (27.70) 1:47.19 (27.69)
3 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 1:46.55 1:47.78 25.54 52.56 (27.02) 1:20.02 (27.46) 1:47.78 (27.76)
4 Kline, Peter R 19 CPSU-CA 1:47.92 1:47.98 25.56 53.01 (27.45) 1:20.48 (27.47) 1:47.98 (27.50)
5 Bloch, Chase E 17 CLSS-CA 1:49.96 1:49.87 26.10 54.39 (28.29) 1:22.12 (27.73) 1:49.87 (27.75)
6 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 1:51.28 1:50.06 25.11 52.51 (27.40) 1:21.27 (28.76) 1:50.06 (28.79)
7 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 1:40.85 1:51.22 24.98 52.94 (27.96) 1:22.21 (29.27) 1:51.22 (29.01)
8 Schwab, Daniel A 17 ICAC-SI 1:54.69 1:51.50 26.47 54.82 (28.35) 1:23.29 (28.47) 1:51.50 (28.21)
Ryan came in first in the prelims of this event, which was expected. Someone could sneak up on him in the finals, though, if he is tired and not wearing a fast suit.
1 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 1:36.81 - 1:44.41 25.15 51.65 (26.50) 1:18.12 (26.47) 1:44.41 (26.29)
2 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 1:39.99 - 1:47.19 24.81 51.80 (26.99) 1:19.50 (27.70) 1:47.19 (27.69)
3 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 1:46.55 1:47.78 25.54 52.56 (27.02) 1:20.02 (27.46) 1:47.78 (27.76)
4 Kline, Peter R 19 CPSU-CA 1:47.92 1:47.98 25.56 53.01 (27.45) 1:20.48 (27.47) 1:47.98 (27.50)
5 Bloch, Chase E 17 CLSS-CA 1:49.96 1:49.87 26.10 54.39 (28.29) 1:22.12 (27.73) 1:49.87 (27.75)
6 Nick, Chase E 20 UN-PC 1:51.28 1:50.06 25.11 52.51 (27.40) 1:21.27 (28.76) 1:50.06 (28.79)
7 Hesen, Ben E 22 IUCP-IN 1:40.85 1:51.22 24.98 52.94 (27.96) 1:22.21 (29.27) 1:51.22 (29.01)
8 Schwab, Daniel A 17 ICAC-SI 1:54.69 1:51.50 26.47 54.82 (28.35) 1:23.29 (28.47) 1:51.50 (28.21)
Ryan came in first in the prelims of this event, which was expected. Someone could sneak up on him in the finals, though, if he is tired and not wearing a fast suit.
100y Free Prelim Results So Cal Grand Prix - January 17, 2009
Event 4 Men 100 Yd Free
1 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 41.85 - 20.86 43.56 (22.70)
2 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 47.59 - 21.33 43.67 (22.34)
3 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 43.71 - 21.17 43.91 (22.74)
3 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 41.75- 21.01 43.91 (22.90)
5 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 43.26 - 21.40 44.34 (22.94)
5 Mellouli, Ous 24 TROJ-CA 44.52 - 21.56 44.34 (22.78)
7 Meichtry, Dominik J 24 CAL-PC 42.86 - 21.26 44.48 (23.22)
8 Hale, Joey L 18 UN-CA/GWSC 44.53 - 21.09 44.51 (23.42)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 41.99 - 21.62 44.62 (23.00)
1 Grevers, Matt C 23 FORD-AZ 41.85 - 20.86 43.56 (22.70)
2 Shields, Tom A 17 MVN-CA 47.59 - 21.33 43.67 (22.34)
3 Morozov, Vladimir V 16 TORR-CA 43.71 - 21.17 43.91 (22.74)
3 Copeland, William F 22 CAL-PC 41.75- 21.01 43.91 (22.90)
5 Ritter, Adam J 24 FORD-AZ 43.26 - 21.40 44.34 (22.94)
5 Mellouli, Ous 24 TROJ-CA 44.52 - 21.56 44.34 (22.78)
7 Meichtry, Dominik J 24 CAL-PC 42.86 - 21.26 44.48 (23.22)
8 Hale, Joey L 18 UN-CA/GWSC 44.53 - 21.09 44.51 (23.42)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Lochte, Ryan S 24 DBS-FL 41.99 - 21.62 44.62 (23.00)
I think Ryan is tired. It's just the prelims, but he swam more than 2.6 seconds slower than his personal best and did not make the A final. From his splits, both his 50s were slower than the top 8, so it's not like he went out too fast and burned out. This is why I think he is tired.
Of course it also depends on what kind of a suit Ryan was wearing.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Laszlo Cseh article
This totally looks like a mug shot, but the black hair is somewhat startling and he looks so much younger.http://www.swimnews.com/News/view/6539
I found the article from swimnews.com about Laszlo Cseh that I was looking for a couple of days ago. He sounds so much like Michael Phelps in his attitude toward swimming and his intensity.
The article confirms that Cseh is resuming his training in January and intends to swim the same program as Beijing (400IM, 200 fly, 200IM) at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
I'm intrigued by Cseh and his abilities. I don't think we've seen his best yet.
I found the article from swimnews.com about Laszlo Cseh that I was looking for a couple of days ago. He sounds so much like Michael Phelps in his attitude toward swimming and his intensity.
The article confirms that Cseh is resuming his training in January and intends to swim the same program as Beijing (400IM, 200 fly, 200IM) at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
I'm intrigued by Cseh and his abilities. I don't think we've seen his best yet.
Ryan's Events at Southern Cal Grand Prix - January 16-19
Ryan is entered in 7 events. He's skipping the 200y IM and entered in the 100y breast and 100y fly. He's doing the 100's of all four strokes, which is very cool. I hope he doesn't drop any of these events but will not be surprised if he does, given that the 100 fly, back and breast are all on Monday and are pretty much back-to-back, separated only by the women's swims in between.
100y free (Saturday, Event #4)
Ryan is ranked No. 3, behind William Copeland and Matt Grevers, with a seed time of 41.99.
200y back (Saturday, Event #8)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 1:36.81.
200y free (Sunday, Event #14)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 1:32.40.
50y free (Sunday, Event #18)
Ryan is ranked No. 4, behind Matt Grevers, William Copeland and Masayuki Kishida, with a seed time of 19.22.
100y fly (Monday, Event #24)
Ryan is ranked No. 3, behind Masayuki Kishida and Matt Grevers, with a seed time of 46.02.
100y back (Monday, Event #26)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 44.60.
100y breast (Monday, Event #28)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 53.27.
Source: http://www.socalswim.org/News/Files/GP_PSYCH.pdf
100y free (Saturday, Event #4)
Ryan is ranked No. 3, behind William Copeland and Matt Grevers, with a seed time of 41.99.
200y back (Saturday, Event #8)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 1:36.81.
200y free (Sunday, Event #14)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 1:32.40.
50y free (Sunday, Event #18)
Ryan is ranked No. 4, behind Matt Grevers, William Copeland and Masayuki Kishida, with a seed time of 19.22.
100y fly (Monday, Event #24)
Ryan is ranked No. 3, behind Masayuki Kishida and Matt Grevers, with a seed time of 46.02.
100y back (Monday, Event #26)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 44.60.
100y breast (Monday, Event #28)
Ryan is ranked No. 1, with a seed time of 53.27.
Source: http://www.socalswim.org/News/Files/GP_PSYCH.pdf
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Laszlo Cseh
Laszlo Cseh won 3 silvers in Beijing, finishing second to Michael Phelps in the 400m IM, 200m IM and the 200m fly. Ryan Lochte came in 3rd in both IM races, which was a change from the 2007 World Championships where Ryan won silver in the 200IM and Cseh won bronze and in the 400IM where Ryan won silver and Cseh came in 5th. With Michael Phelps supposedly retiring from the 400 IM and possibly from the 200 IM, Cseh is Ryan's biggest competitor in these events.It's been difficult trying to figure out what Cseh is up to these days. I found the fishing photo on a Hungarian website and tried to translate the text (but failed miserably). What it seemed to say, though, is Laszlo Cseh (on the right, with the dark hair!!) is still relaxing after the Olympics by doing some fishing and eating, and is perhaps a bit out of shape but not fat. My reaction was that Hungary is a little like Wisconsin, what with the hardcore winter fishing, but the river is not frozen and there are no 4x4 trucks out on the ice so it must be a little warmer. I keep imagining there's polka music playing in the background while Laszlo and his friend are fishing.
Cseh did not compete in the 2008 European short-course championships in December, and this fishing photograph was recent, so my guess is he is still on a break but will be returning to training soon.
I read an interview in English after the Olympics where Cseh talked about losing to Phelps and was very gracious. However, he didn't mention Ryan's name as one of his competitors. I will post the article if I can find it because it was a very insightful interview with Cseh, talking about his training, how he earns a living, and even his personal life. I recall that it was on swimnews.com, but that site does not have a search engine so it's been difficult to locate again. :(
The interviewer said Cseh's English had improved dramatically only recently, which made me wonder if that's why Michael and Ryan seemed to talk only to each other to the exclusion of poor Laszlo all those times on the medal stand over the years.
Friday, January 9, 2009
200 Back - update
Two years ago in the 2007 Southern California Grand Prix, Ryan beat Aaron Peirsol quite easily in the 200y back. Their times were 1:40.99 and 1:42.02 respectively. This was 2 months before Ryan defeated Aaron in the world championships in Melbourne. Even though Ryan ultimately won the long course race, I think this shows that Ryan is the superior short course swimmer.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Ryan to Compete at Grand Prix in Long Beach, CA - January 16-19, 2009
I just read on Daily Reezy that Ryan is going to compete in the next Grand Prix event, which is a short course meet in Long Beach, California from January 16-19, 2009. No information yet on what events Ryan will swim.
It's really exciting to hear that Ryan will be competing again so soon. I guess this means his training with Leith Brodie in Australia will not start until some time after this meet.
The source cited by Daily Reezy did not indicate if the meet will be SC yards or meters, but I'm guessing it's yards given that $1,000 will be awarded for each American record broken at the meet and nothing was said about world records.
The source also stated that a $20,000 prize will be awarded to the swimmer with the highest point score at the last Grand Prix event in 2009. Ryan is currently tied for 3rd place with 13 points, having won two golds and a silver at the Minnesota Grand Prix event in November. Mary Descenza is in first place with 30 points (wow!) http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=162&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=564&ItemId=2991
Swimnetwork.com is going to have race footage and interviews, which is really great. They did a fantastic job at the SC Nationals and hopefully it will be the same type of coverage.
Source: http://swimming.about.com/od/swimminggrandprixmeets/qt/socalgp_109meet.htm
It's really exciting to hear that Ryan will be competing again so soon. I guess this means his training with Leith Brodie in Australia will not start until some time after this meet.
The source cited by Daily Reezy did not indicate if the meet will be SC yards or meters, but I'm guessing it's yards given that $1,000 will be awarded for each American record broken at the meet and nothing was said about world records.
The source also stated that a $20,000 prize will be awarded to the swimmer with the highest point score at the last Grand Prix event in 2009. Ryan is currently tied for 3rd place with 13 points, having won two golds and a silver at the Minnesota Grand Prix event in November. Mary Descenza is in first place with 30 points (wow!) http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=162&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=564&ItemId=2991
Swimnetwork.com is going to have race footage and interviews, which is really great. They did a fantastic job at the SC Nationals and hopefully it will be the same type of coverage.
Source: http://swimming.about.com/od/swimminggrandprixmeets/qt/socalgp_109meet.htm
Friday, January 2, 2009
100m back vs. 200m free
The schedule of events for the 2009 U.S. Championships indicates that the men's 100m back and 200m free will be swum back to back. Given that the U.S. Championships serve as trials for the 2009 Worlds in Rome, I'm assuming the order of events will be the same in both meets. Thus, Ryan will need to decide whether he will compete in the individual event for 100 back or 200 free or just swim 200 free in the prelims to qualify for the 800 free relay.
In the 2008 Olympic trials, Ryan elected not to swim the 200 free finals and instead concentrated on the 100 back. He came in 3rd, and did not qualify for the Olympics. Many felt Ryan had a better chance of finishing 1st or 2nd in the 200 free, and thus could have qualified for this individual event if he had elected to swim in the finals. After the Olympics, Ryan faced some criticism and appeared to express some regret at his choice. He will now be faced with the same dilemma in 2009.
I can see why Ryan went for the 100 back. Sure, it may have been a greater risk, but it had a greater reward given that qualifying for the 100 back would have put him in the 400 medley relay and he was already a lock for the 800 free relay due to his 200 free prelim time. Also, Ryan won a silver in the 100 back at the 2007 Worlds. He was the second best in the world in 2007 so why not go for the greater reward. Ryan is not afraid to make gutsy choices so it's not difficult to understand why he went that way. Despite the results at the trials, I think Ryan will choose this route again in 2009.
Here's Ryan's main U.S. competition for the 100m back.
In the 2008 Olympic trials, Ryan elected not to swim the 200 free finals and instead concentrated on the 100 back. He came in 3rd, and did not qualify for the Olympics. Many felt Ryan had a better chance of finishing 1st or 2nd in the 200 free, and thus could have qualified for this individual event if he had elected to swim in the finals. After the Olympics, Ryan faced some criticism and appeared to express some regret at his choice. He will now be faced with the same dilemma in 2009.
I can see why Ryan went for the 100 back. Sure, it may have been a greater risk, but it had a greater reward given that qualifying for the 100 back would have put him in the 400 medley relay and he was already a lock for the 800 free relay due to his 200 free prelim time. Also, Ryan won a silver in the 100 back at the 2007 Worlds. He was the second best in the world in 2007 so why not go for the greater reward. Ryan is not afraid to make gutsy choices so it's not difficult to understand why he went that way. Despite the results at the trials, I think Ryan will choose this route again in 2009.
Here's Ryan's main U.S. competition for the 100m back.
- Aaron Peirsol
- Michael Phelps (*should he decide to swim this event*)
- Matt Grevers
- Randall Bal
- Ben Hesen
- Nick Thoman
Peirsol is the best in this event in the world. He is the current WR holder and has not lost an international competition in this event in something like 8 years. Aaron's WR time of 52.54 is nearly 1 second (.83) faster than Ryan's best time of 53.37 in this event. By contrast, at the 2007 Worlds, when Aaron won and Ryan came in second, Aaron's time was 52.98 and Ryan's time was 53.51, a difference of only .53. Thus, Aaron has improved more than Ryan in this event since 2007. In long course, the 100 only has one turn/wall, and thus probably favors someone like Aaron who may be a better swimmer than someone like Ryan who is a better athlete. If Ryan elects to swim the 100 back at trials next summer, and he wants to beat Aaron, he is going to have to work on technique and improve his time by at least 1 second.
Michael Phelps is an excellent backstroker and can literally win any race at any time. He is capable of winning this event at the U.S. Nationals, having swum a best time of 53.01 in 2007. Michael hasn't competed in the 100m back too often over the last 4 years, but nevertheless has one of the top 10 fastest times in the history of the event. It has been said that Michael is considering adding both the 100 and 200 back events to his schedule in 2009 (Bob Bowman said it in the January 2009 Swimming World Magazine). There is a history of Aaron beating Michael when they race head-to-head, but that appears to be mostly in the 200m back and not the 100. If Michael decides to concentrate on 100 back, or even if he swims it on a whim, he is certainly a threat to win at the U.S. Nationals.
Matt Grevers is a very dangerous threat to Ryan in the 100 back. He may be the biggest threat to Aaron too given his size and improvement over the past three years. Matt has always been good in this event and has improved more than Ryan and Aaron. In the trials for the 2005 worlds, Matt's time was 54.59. At the Beijing Olympics 3 yrs later, his time was 52.99, an improvement of 1.6 seconds and good enough for a silver medal behind Aaron. By contrast, Ryan's best time in 2005 was 54.55, an improvement of 1.04 seconds over 3 years. Aaron's best time in 2005 was 53.62, an improvement of 1.08 seconds over 3 years. If Matt continues to improve, then he may overtake Aaron as the best in the world at this event.
On December 1, 2008, Randall Bal swam a time of 52.59, the second best time ever in the world. He was within .05 of Aaron's WR. Randall is the oldest challenger on this list, currently age 28. He had the fastest time going into the finals at the 2008 Olympic trials, but then came in 4th behind Aaron, Matt and Ryan with a time of 53.48. Later in the year, however, he swam almost a second faster! He's on an upswing, has had tons of disappointments in this event long course, and must be very determined to win a gold medal in Rome. Randall's time has improved from 54.01 in 2005 to 52.59, a difference of 1.42. To make that kind of improvement between the ages of 25 and 28 is huge. Plus this is his signature event along with 50m back. I expect Randall to be a big factor in the 100m back next summer.
Ben Hesen finished his swimming career at Indiana University last year and is currently 22 years old. He continues to train at IU. Ben's specialty is the 50m back, for which he holds the American record and had the 2nd fastest time in the world last year, but he's very, very good at the 100m distance as well. Ben won the 100y back (short course) at the 2008 NCAA championships with a time of 44.72, with the second fastest time ever (Ryan Lochte swam the fastest time ever in 2006, a time of 44.60). Ben is very talented and if he concentrates his training solely on the 50m and 100m backstroke events, he has a very good chance of making the world team in both.
Nick Thoman missed the Olympic team for this event by finishing in 6th place at Trials with a time of 53.79. Then a month later at the U.S. Open, Nick swam a 52.91, which was the second fastest time ever in the world at that point (now the 3rd fastest after Randall Bal's 52.59 in December). After that swim, Nick said, "At Trials I didn't swim my own race. I stayed in my own head here rather than get in everybody else's. The plan is to stick around for four years if my body allows it. I am just ecstatic. I am so excited." If Nick concentrates on this event, he is going to be very dangerous this summer.
This post is already way too long so I'll write about the 200m free next time. It's been fun researching information about Randall Bal, Ben Hesen and Nick Thoman. The 100m back is going to be a very fun event to watch at the 2009 U.S. trials. I think Ryan can do extremely well if he decides to compete and can't wait to see how it plays out.
Video of Ryan's Swimming Accomplishments
An amazing video tribute to Ryan was posted on Reezy Daily today as part of Lochtepalooza. It's very cool and entertaining, and well worth watching. In terms of Ryan's swimming accomplishments, the best part is near the end, starting at 4:20, where all of Ryan's medals in international meets are listed. Wow. This doesn't even include his NCAA accomplishments and it is an amazing list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfwnNaf5T6M All credit for creating this fierce video goes to Heather (somexseptember) at Reezy Daily and of course to Ryan for providing the inspiration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfwnNaf5T6M All credit for creating this fierce video goes to Heather (somexseptember) at Reezy Daily and of course to Ryan for providing the inspiration.
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