Sunday, November 28, 2010

theswimmercircle.com blog on Ryan's swims at 2011 Worlds

http://theswimmerscircle.com/blog/featured/lochte-to-swim-6-events-at-2011-world-championships/

oops! Don't know how I missed this blog by http://theswimmerscircle.com when it was posted a few days ago. The blog reports that Ryan is going to be swimming 6 events at 2011 Worlds in Shanghai next summer: 200/400 IM, 200 free, 200 back and 400/800 free relays. This is a great lineup for him and exactly what he swam at Pan Pacs last summer. Ryan has a great chance of coming away with 6 gold medals, which would be quite an accomplishment.

The six events make for a very full schedule. It's hard to imagine adding in another individual event at Olympic Trials, especially with the semi-finals for some of the individual events, but I think Ryan could add in the 100 back, if it falls on the right day.

Read on below for the full blog post and be sure to visit http://theswimmerscircle.com for up-to-date swimming news:

Fresh off of his Golden Goggles award for Male Swimmer of the Year, in an interview with ESPN Ryan Lochte gave the first firm indication of what events he would be swimming in Shanghai at the 2011 World Championship next June.

His individual events will be the 200 IM, the 400 IM, the 200 backstroke, and the 200 freestyle. Additionally, he will swim the 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays. Assuming that he only swims the finals of the relays, this comes to 13 total swims over 8 days.

There has been a lot of speculation about whether Lochte would run at Michael Phelps’ 8 gold medal total from Beijing: a feat that Phelps says he has no desire to chase again. Lochte, in his own words, has said that in London, he wants to swim as many events as is possible. While he has not ruled that out, he won’t try for it at World’s.

The big question in my mind isn’t whether or not Lochte can match Phelps’ 5 individual events. I think five wins are well within his grasp. The question I’ve had is whether or not backstroker Aaron Peirsol or freestyler Nathan Adrian will relinquish their spots on the 400 medley relay, as those are the only two conceivable spots that he could steal.

The big problem with him not being on a relay is that most individual races require three swims, albeit some skip semi-finals, while a relay only typically takes one. When we’re talking about the level of exertion it takes to be the best in the world, every extra swim takes a huge toll on the body.

Here’s a breakdown of what his schedule will look like, assuming he doesn’t swim the heats of the two relays.

Day 1-400 free relay Final (PM)
Day 2-200 free Heats (AM), 200 free Semis (PM)
Day 3-200 free Finals (PM)
Day 4-200 IM Heats (AM), 200 IM Semis (PM)
Day 5-200 back Heats (AM), 200 IM Finals (PM), 200 back Semis (PM)
Day 6-200 back Finals (PM), 800 free relay Final (PM)
Day 7-OFF
Day 8-400 IM Heats (AM), 400 IM Final (PM)

Overall, his swims are pretty well spread out. The toughest day will be Day 5, where he has five swims. Unfortunately, the toughest day comes on the same day as the 200 IM finals, where many pundits are putting the world’s best hopes at a World Record in 2011.

His only off day will be well placed on the 7th day, just in time for the 400 IM on the final day. Now that things are becoming a little clearer, the focus turns from what he will swim to whether he can pull off all six. The biggest challenge the Americans will face could be in the 400 free relay, where the French and Russians will put up formidable opposition.

Individually, the only event that Lochte didn’t finish atop the world rankings in last year was the 200 free, where Korea’s Tae Hwan Park bested his mark by exactly one half of a second. Germany’s Paul Biedermann will also be very much a factor in that race.

And let’s not sleep on the man formerly known as Michael Phelps. Despite speculation that he might have lost the passion to compete at an elite level, it’s very possible that he will have something to say about both the 200 free and 200 IM. (Of course, he could decide to focus his efforts on the two butterfly events and three relays instead, which I see as a distinct possibility, but speculation on Mr. Phelps is another story for another post).

Lochte says he’s prepared for 6. He did it at Pan Pacs, so he knows how hard it’s going to be, and he feels confident that he can pull it off just like he did in Irvine.

Psych Sheet out for US Short Course Nationals - December 2 - 4, 2010

The psych sheet can be found here: http://www.usaswimming.org/_Rainbow/Documents/7268086d-fdf6-4cf8-8ec5-88abf4766600/SC%20Nationals%20Psyche%20Sheet.pdf

Ryan is entered in the following 8 events during the 3-day meet:

Event 4 - 500y free
seeded 55th with a time of 4:29.38

Event 6 - 200y IM
seeded 9th with a time of 1:45.35

Event 8 - 50y free
seeded 16th with a time of 19.94

Event 18 - 200y free
seeded 16th with a time of 1:36.19

Event 20 - 100y breast
seeded 20th with a time of 54.41

Event 22 - 100y back
seeded 10th with a time of 46.42

Event 28 - 200y back
seeded 5th with a time of 1:40.44

Event 30 - 100y free
seeded 15th with a time of 43.82

I really wish this meet was in meters and not yards

Monday, November 22, 2010

Ryan wins Golden Goggles for Male Athlete of the Year & Race of the Year






ESPN Interview with Ryan Lochte - November 22, 2010

http://espn.go.com/olympics/blog/_/name/olympics/id/5839707/qa-with-swimmer-ryan-lochte

Go to the site, there's a video.

Here's the Q & A:

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte sat down with us in New York City hours before the annual Golden Goggle Awards. His dominating performance at this past summer's Pan Pacific Championships, where he won four individual and two relay gold medals, made him a slam-dunk nominee for several honors including Male Athlete of the Year, which he won in 2009. The following are excerpts from the conversation.

Question from Bonnie D. Ford: You've been to two previous Olympics. Is there anything about the "year before" season -- I know it's a World Championships year -- that you're going to try to repeat or avoid in 2011?

Answer from Ryan Lochte: Getting injured. That was definitely a setback. At the same time, I think it helped me. But I really don't need to be out of the water for that long again. I'm trying to stay safe. I always end up getting hurt every year. Dancing was last year. [Editor's note: Lochte tore the meniscus in his left knee break-dancing in October 2009.] The year before that, I fractured my shoulder. Year before that, I fractured my foot skateboarding.

Q: How did you fracture your shoulder?

A: I fell out of a tree. I was playing hide-and-go-seek with my little baby brother.

Q: [Laughs] I know, it's not funny.

A: Actually, it's hilarious, because I'm not supposed to be doing those things. But I've got to be able to do those kinds of things no matter what the consequences are.

Q: Your playful nature requires it?

A: Yeah. If I just swam all day, I'd lose it. That's why I do so many other activities. It keeps me sane.

Q: So what's your compromise then, if you want to stay safe?

A: I don't know, I've got to find another kind of hobby ... I had my [knee] surgery last October, was out of the water for seven months, got back in the water around April, trained until July, went to Pan Pacs in August and now I'm back.

Q: So when you say being injured helped you ...

A: It helped me because I was getting really frustrated with myself because I couldn't work out, I couldn't do any kind of exercise. Once I got back in the pool, I was a more motivated swimmer. I was more dedicated to the sport, changing old habits, getting into things that were a lot better for me. It definitely made me a better swimmer all around.

Q: You must have lost a lot of muscle mass.

A: I lost all my muscle, and one of the things I did change was my diet. I couldn't eat the same stuff or else I'd just get fat and it would be that much harder to work off. I started eating healthy, so that was a plus.

Q: You ate a lot of McDonald's in Beijing.

A: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was comfortable with that. I knew what I was getting.

Q: But you're avoiding it now.

A: I'll go maybe like once every two weeks.

Q: You're slated to go to Dubai next month for the Short Course World Championships. Do you have any qualms about going there so soon after Fran Crippen's death? [Editor's note: Crippen died in an open-water race last month in another part of the United Arab Emirates.] I know there's a lot of anger among his friends.

A: It's a tragedy. He was a good friend and I know their whole family pretty well. What happened to Fran is going to be in all of our hearts. But as far as I'm concerned, it's just another swim meet in a different place.

Q: You've said your intention is to race as many events as possible in London [at the 2012 Olympics]. Are you going to use worlds [in China in July] as a sort of test run for that?

A: In Shanghai, I'm going to swim six events -- two relays and four individual events. The 200 and 400 IM, 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle, the 4x200 freestyle relay, the 4x100 freestyle relay. I feel like I can swim more, but since I did those events at Pan Pacs, I already have a feel for it, for how hard it's going to be. I'm ready for it. I love challenges.

Q: You obviously had experience swimming two medal events very close together in Beijing. I know it's hard physically because you have no time to recover, but is there any advantage to not having any time to think, or get anxious or stressed?

A: For me, no, because I don't get nervous before a race. But I have to train for it in practice. It'll be hard.

Golden Goggles Tonight

Last year I wrote a long blog entry making the point that Ryan should win athlete of the year. He won & I believe it was a great decision. None of that was necessary this year. Given his performance at Nationals and Pan Pacs Ryan should win athlete of the year easily.

Ryan is also up for two other awards - relay of the year and race of the year - that he should win as well. For race of the year, his 200 IM at Pan Pacs was the high point swim of the year at 1015. Not even Yang Sun's 1500m free (1010 points) or Camille Lacourt's 100m back (1006 points) were higher. For relay of the year, either the men's 4 x 100m free relay or 4 x 200m free relay at Pan Pacs could win, but I'd have to go with the 4 x 200, for which Ryan swam anchor. The 4 x 200 relay time was the fastest in the world by 3 seconds. Nobody else came close.

For the first time ever, Golden Goggles will be live streamed by www.swimnetwork.com The broadcast begins at 7:15 pm Eastern Time. Hope I can get home from work in time to watch!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Gregg Troy Interview on Morning Swim Show

He doesn't rule out Ryan swimming 9 events at Olympic trials, but says it will be difficult. Also, he's not going to short course world championships with Ryan.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Minnesota Grand Prix - Sunday Finals (UPDATED)

Sunday finals begin at 5 pm CST, one hour earlier than Friday & Saturday's finals.

I assume Ryan qualified for finals in the 200y IM and 200y back, but the results have not been posted yet, less than one hour before finals.

I heard that Ryan did not swim the 100y free in prelims.

Watch finals tonight at 5 pm on www.swimnetwork.com

Edited to add results: Ryan won both the 200y IM and the 200y back and was high point leader for the males. His times were: 1:45.35 in the 200y IM and 1:40.44 in the 200y back.

Can't wait to see how Ryan does at U.S. Short Course Nationals, which take place on Dec. 2-4 in Columbus, Ohio.

Ryan in best shape of his life; Tae Hwan Park beats Ryan's 200m (LC) free time

Ryan in the best shape of his life:

In an interview with USA Today yesterday, Ryan said he's currently in the best shape of his life. This is great news leading into the 2010 Short Course World Championships in Dubai, which are just one month away. Here's the quote:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2010-11-13-2059006032_x.htm

Lochte, a two-time Olympian, picked up his first Grand Prix victory, taking the 100 backstroke in 46.42.

"I messed up my first turn on the butterfly, but other than that I feel good," Lochte said moments after putting his gold medal around the neck of a little girl at poolside. "Right now I'm in the best shape of my life. Normally I take some time off this part of the season, but I've been working and I feel really good where I'm at."

Tae Hwan Park - 1:44.80 in 200m (LC) free:

At Pan Pacs in August, Ryan won the 200m free in a time of 1:45.30, beating Tae Hwan Park who finished 2nd at 1:46.27, almost a full second behind.

At the Asian Games yesterday, Tae Hwan Park improved his time to 1:44.80, a half second faster than Ryan's best time. Park is going to be one of Ryan's biggest rivals in this event at the 2011 world championships in Shanghai.

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/25681.asp?q=Asian-Games:-Zhao-Jing,-Tae-Hwan-Park-Set-Asian-Records-on-Day-Two

Minnesota Grand Prix - Saturday Finals Results & Sunday Prelims

Saturday Finals

Ryan placed 1st in the 100y back with a time of 46.42 and 3rd in the 50y free with a time of 19.94. Here's what swimmingworldmagazine.com had to say about the races:

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/25678.asp?q=USA-Swimming-Grand-Prix,-Minneapolis:-Missy-Franklin-Up-to-Four-Wins;-Ous-Mellouli-on-Fire

Men's 100 Back
Ryan Lochte exploded on the third 25 to overtake Minnetonka's David Plummer, this year's long course national champion. Lochte, swimming unattached for Gator Swim Club, posted a time of 46.42 to earn his first win of the weekend. His time fell well short of his 2006 American record of 44.60. Plummer, meanwhile, posted a 46.72, a few hundredths shy of his lifetime best of 46.65. Longhorn's Ricky Berens' streak of wins at this meet came to an end, but he used a strong final length to pull away from the pack and earn third in 47.34.

Men's 50 Free
Tucson Ford's Simon Burnett showed off outstanding speed in the men's splash-and-dash, winning in a fast time of 19.52. Burnett jumped in front early in the race and held off charges from Club Wolverine's Bobby Savulich and superstar Ryan Lochte. Savulich took second in 19.85, edging Lochte's third-place time of 19.94.


Sunday Prelims

Ryan is competing in the following events on Sunday:

Event 25 - 200y IM
Event 27 - 200y back
Event 29 - 100y free


Don't be surprised if one of these events is scratched. Looking forward to seeing the races. Watch live in www.swimnetwork.com. Hopefully they will figure out a way to broadcast both the men's and the women's prelims even if they both take place at the same time in adjoining pools.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Minnesota Grand Prix - Ryan qualifies for A final in 50y free and 100y back

Ryan qualified for the A final in two of tonight's races - 50y free and 100y back. Here are his times:

50y free - 20.14 (qualified 2nd)
100y back - 47.07 (qualified 1st)


Ryan must have scratched the 500y free.

Watch the finals at 6:00 p.m. CST on www.swimnetwork.com

Videos from last night's finals can also be found at swimnetwork

Minnesota Grand Prix - Friday Finals Results & Saturday Prelims

Friday Finals

Ryan placed 3rd in the 100y breast with a time of 54.41, almost a second faster than prelims. Ryan placed 2nd in the 100y fly with a time of 47.31. Ryan led the entire race until Ricky Berens shot ahead on the last wall.

Here's what www.swimmingworldmagazine.com had to say about the races:

http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/lane9/news/25630.asp?q=USA-Swimming-Grand-Prix,-Minneapolis:-Ricky-Berens,-Missy-Franklin-Double-on-First-Night;-Jillian-Tyler-Blazes-100-Breast

Men's 100 Breast
Tucson Ford's Mike Alexandrov obliterated the field in his specialty event. Alexandrov posted a fast 52.13, not far off his American record of 51.56. Barry Murphy, an Irish swimmer swimming unattached for Club Wolverine, claimed runner-up honors in 54.09, holding off superstar Ryan Lochte. Lochte, swimming unattached from Gator Swim Club, managed a 54.41 for third in one of his weakest events. Lochte looked particularly fatigued during the race, losing ground on his typically-outstanding turns. Notably, 100 back national champion David Plummer made a rare appearance in a breaststroke race. Plummer, representing Minnetonka Swim Club, posted a fifth-place time of 55.18.

Men's 100 Fly
Longhorn's Ricky Berens defeated his second Olympic gold medalist in one night, taking down Ryan Lochte in the 100 fly. Lochte led convincingly at the halfway mark, but Berens used a powerful final kickout and final 25 to chase down Lochte and earn the win in 46.77. Lochte, meanwhile, faded down the stretch, holding off Club Wolverine's Alon Mandel for second place, 47.31 to 47.42.

Saturday Prelims

Ryan's events on Saturday are:

Event 14 - 50y free
Event 16 - 100y back
Event 18 - 500y free


Prelims start at 9:00 a.m. Watch live on www.swimnetwork.com

Friday, November 12, 2010

Minnesota Grand Prix - Ryan qualifies for A final in 100y breast and 100y fly

Ryan qualified for the A final in both the 100y breast and 100y fly at the Minnesota Grand Prix. He finished third in the prelims for each event. Here are his times:

100y breast - 55.39

100y fly - 48.09


Watch finals tonight at www.swimnetwork.com at 6 p.m. Central Time

Minnesota Grand Prix starts today - Ryan Lochte entered in 8 events!

The Minnesota Grand Prix, a short course yards meet, begins today. It's disappointing that Michael Phelps dropped out, but Ryan will be there and he's entered in a lot of events.

Both prelims and finals can be watched on www.swimnetwork.com. Prelims start at 9:00 a.m. Central Time and finals begin at 6:00 p.m. Central Time (Fri-Sat) and 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Sunday.

Here's a preview for today's races:

Event 4 - 100y breast
Event 6 - 100y fly

Breaststroker Mike Alexandrov is also competing in the 100y breast. He is one of the country's best breastrokers and Ryan's former training partner. It will be interesting to see how they do in a head-to-head race.

Ricky Berens is competing in the 100y fly, which is a really good event for him. This should be an exciting race too.

Here's what the University of Minnesota athletic site says about today's races:

The top events to watch on Friday are the 100 fly and the 100 breast. The 100 fly will feature a matchup between Olympians Lochte and Behrens. [David] Plummer is also entered in the event. Gopher freshman sensation Kyler Van Swol is seeded 16th in the event and should get the opportunity to swim against at least one Olympian in his preliminary heat.

The 100 breast will also be a very interesting race. Lochte and Plummer are in the field. Gopher senior Ivan Gutesa is off to a great start to the season and is seeded 12th in the event.

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=205028007

If you can't watch swimnetwork, live results can be obtained here:

http://www.gophersports.com/fls/8400/stats/index.htm?ATCLID=205028007&SPSID=38573&SPID=3275&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8400

Sunday, November 7, 2010

There are 17 men's swimming events in the Olympics and Ed Moses believes Ryan can qualify for 10


This is a fantastic interview. I could listen to these guys talk about swimming all day long. Interesting insight into Fran Crippen's life, Ed Moses' return to swimming and Ryan's potential for the 2012 Olympics.

Of the 17 men's events, Ed Moses believes Ryan could qualify for 10: 100/200 back, 100/200 free, 200/400 IM, 400m free relay, 800m free relay, 400m medley relay and.....200 fly. Garrett believes Ryan would have a better chance in the 400 free or maybe the 100 breast for his 10th event. Can't wait for the next two years to unfold.

Coming up: In December 2010 we get to see how Ryan does at Short Course Worlds, where he's always excelled. But first, he's swimming at the Minnesota Grand Prix next weekend. Very happy the swimming season is starting up again.