A Look Back - Part II 2003/04

At the end of Ryan's sophomore year in college, he was an Olympian. How he got there is interesting. Here's a newspaper article published in October 2003, at the start of Ryan's sophomore year: http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=6011 The article says that Ryan trains in the pool 30 hours a week and is hoping to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

What really struck me is that Ryan was not at all a backstroker at this stage of his swimming career. He also isn't much of an underwater kicker. He must really start to work on that after the Olympics. Improving his underwater kicking and becoming a great backstroker will be what vaults Ryan into the next level.

2003/04 Florida

US Open - December 2003

• 2nd in the 200m IM (2:02.53)
• 5th in the 800m free relay
• 3rd in the 200m free (1:50.75)
• 5th in the 400m IM (4:27.16)
• 7th in the 1,500m free (15:39.15)
• 5th in the 400 free relay
  
• 2nd in the US Open Male High Point Award
  

SEC Championships - February 2004

• 1st in the 400 IM (3:41.42)
• 1st in the 800 free relay
• 3rd in the 200 fly (1:43.84)
• 2nd in the 200 free relay
• 2nd in the 400 free relay
  
• 2nd in the 200 IM (1:43.84)(It certainly is strange that Ryan had the exact same time in the 200 fly and the 200 IM)
• 4th in the SEC Male High Point Award (53 points)

The guy who beat Ryan in the 200 IM was George Bovell, then a sophomore at Auburn.

NCAA Championships - March 2004

• 7th in the 200m free relay
• 3rd in the 200m IM (1:55.62)
  
• 1st in the 400m IM (4:04.52) (NCAA & American record, missed WR by .28)
• 3rd in the 800m free relay
• 9th in the 200m fly (1:56.35)
• 4th in the 400m free relay
• 11th in NCAA Male High Point Award (45 points)

A couple of interesting things about the 2004 NCAA Championships. First, they were swum in short-course meters rather than yards. I think this was because it was an Olympic year but I'm not positive. Ian Crocker, then a senior at University of Texas, won the high point award. He set world records in the 100m fly and 100m free and as part of the 400m medley relay with Aaron Peirsol, Brenden Hansen and Garrett Weber-Gale. George Bovell won the 200m IM and Eric Shanteau was 4th.

Olympic Trials - July 2004

• 4th in the 400m IM (4:18.46)
• 4th in the 200m free (1:48.65)* - qualified for Olympics in the 800m free relay
  
• 16th in the 100m free (50.79) - scratched semi-final
  
• 2nd in the 200m IM (1:59.41)* - qualified for Olympics
  
• 5th in the 1,500m free prelims (15:28.37) - scratched final

I didn't realize Ryan came so close to qualifying for the Olympics in the 400m IM. Here's some information about that experience:

"On the first day of the Olympic Trials, Ryan underperformed in the finals of the 400 IM. Whereas he and his inner circle were hopeful that Ryan would crack the 4:10 barrier, he missed his backstroke turn, and after that, the wheels came off as he finished fourth in 4:18.46. As a sign of Ryan's experience, however, he quickly rebounded the next morning in the 200 freestyle."

It's fascinating that Ryan did so well in the 200m free. He didn't really swim that event in college, at least not in the SECs or the NCAAs. Ryan was more of a distance freestyler but something in his training made him faster in the shorter distance. He improved almost 2 seconds from his time in the 200m free at the 2003 US Open in December to the Olympic Trials in July.

Athens Olympics - August 2004

• Gold medal in 800m free relay (American record)

Ryan swam in the prelims of the 800m free relay with Scott Goldblatt, Dan Ketchum and Peter Vanderkaay. Ryan's time of 1:47.39 was the fastest and qualified him to swim in the finals with Michael Phelps and Klete Keller. Peter Vanderkaay had the second fastest time in prelims so he won a place in the finals as well.

In the finals, it was Ryan swam second after Michael Phelps. It was Ryan's job to hold off Michael Klim, one of Australia's stars. Ryan not only held off Klim but built the lead established by Michael Phelps by another .10. Ryan's time was 1:47.52 and Klim's time was 1:47.62.

The race was very exciting with Peter Vanderkaay doing his job building the lead and then Klete Keller holding off the best 200m free swimmer of the time - Ian Thorpe - to bring in the Gold for the U.S. by only .13 seconds.

• Silver medal in 200m IM (1:58.78)

Ryan out touches another swimmer by .02 to win the silver medal in the 200m IM. Who is that swimmer? George Bovell of Trinidad & Tobago...the same swimmer who beat him in the 200 IM at the SECs and the NCAAs a few months earlier.
http://www.videosurf.com/video/athens-2004-mens-200-im-final-11934399?vlt=ffext