There's so much I want to write about Ryan's 200m free victory. Ryan's time was 1:44.44, which I have heard criticized because it was slow. It's a personal best for Ryan by almost a second. Ryan's previous personal best, also in textile, was 1:45.30 at Pan Pacs last summer. This is tremendous improvement for a person at Ryan's level. There's no reason to believe he won't improve at least that much in 2012. All of Ryan's hard training in the past 3 years builds on itself. He doesn't have to cram 4 years worth of training into the next year.
The 200 free field in Shanghai was top notch. This was projected as the most competitive race of the meet. All of the top 200 free swimmers in the world were in the race: Park, Agnel, Biedermann and Phelps. Park and Bidermann are said to be in the best shape of their lives. Agnel is young and touted as the next Michael Phelps. Experts could not agree on who would win. Ryan outswam all of them.
The 200m free is an off event for Ryan. He didn't swim it in Beijing, although his semi-final time at the Olympic trials was second best. He didn't swim in the finals so it did not count. Ryan didn't swim the 200 free in Rome. Over the past several years, Ryan has swum the 200 free at Nationals in order to qualify for the 4 x 200m free relay, not to qualify as an individual event. That makes Ryan's achievement today even more impressive.
Ryan used strategy and experience to win. As noted in the article by Doug Lennox copied below, Ryan made his move in the 3rd leg because he knew Phelps breathes to his right and wouldn't see him. Ryan was patient and then used his superior walls (honed over the past 3 years of hard work) to make his move.
Ryan deserves all of the accolades he is receiving for this win.
I won't rehash my thoughts on the decision not to put Ryan in the finals of the 4 x 100 free relay. I'm over it (mostly).
http://ht.ly/5NYVk
By Doug Lennox
Two years after the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the headlines read the same: “Michael Phelps Stunned”. But this time, there were no suits to blame, no accusations made and no defensive statements issued. Heading into the race, the hype surrounded the rematch between Paul Biedermann of Germany and Phelps of the USA, but in the end the wise old Gator won out. Today’s 200m Freestyle race was taken home – literally and figuratively – by long-time American stalwart, Ryan Lochte.
In a field full of legitimate contenders – including 400m Freestyle champion, Park Tae Hwan of South Korea, and “the second coming of Michael Phelps”, Yannick Agnel of France – the race promised lots of drama. Immediately out of the gates, the shock was seeing Phelps take such an aggressive approach to the first 50m. Normally relying on his incredible underwater kick at the end of races, Phelps opted to go after the field at the start by posting a blazing 24.25 in the first 50m – only .02 seconds off of Biedermann’s World Record pace.
Phelps had a strong second 50m, holding onto the pole position through the first 100m of the race. But it was very clear that the halfway point was when Lochte had strategically decided to make his big move. In sports like swimming, it is easy to overlook the strategy that goes into a race-plan – especially if you do not study the sport like many athletes and coaches do. In this race, it was apparent that Lochte has been training his mind and his body to be the best in the world. By making his move at the halfway point, Lochte acknowledges that in order to beat strong finishers like Phelps, Park and Biedermann, you absolutely need to be one step ahead. That big move has to come just a little bit sooner.
Proving he now owns the world’s best underwater kick, Lochte leap-frogged past the man who has overshadowed him for years, and did it at the exact right moment. By swimming on Phelps’ left, and knowing Phelps only breathes to his right, you can be certain that these circumstances weighed into this calculated move. Pairing the element of surprise with a frantic sense of urgency, Lochte posted a blistering 26.29 in his 3rd leg, and took complete control of the race.
It was in the last 15m of the race that the brilliance of Lochte’s strategy shined through. With the best finishers and fiercest competitors in the world closing in on him, Lochte was obviously beginning to tighten up and shorten his stroke. As Phelps, Biedermann, Park and Agnel reeled Lochte in, the intensity of the crowd rose exponentially. Consistent with any true warrior, in his most physically weak moment, Lochte relied on his heart to follow through with his gutsy strategy. Instead of succumbing to the pain and losing his grip on gold, Lochte put his head down and got his struggling hand to the wall first – the sign of a true champion.
And at the end of the day, all the storylines about Biedermann and Phelps fell to the periphery as Lochte stole the show. But the truth of the matter is, the last 2 years have really been Lochte’s. Yet, we still herald Phelps as Batman as Lochte continues to play Robin. This 200m freestyle race might just be another step in Lochte’s climb to the top, but it should mean a lot more than just another loss for Phelps. Phelps has not been dominant since 2008, and he better take this as a strong indicator of what’s to come in London unless he makes some adjustments.
Stay tuned this week to see how Lochte and Phelps duke it out in the 200m Individual Medley on Thursday night.
The 200 free field in Shanghai was top notch. This was projected as the most competitive race of the meet. All of the top 200 free swimmers in the world were in the race: Park, Agnel, Biedermann and Phelps. Park and Bidermann are said to be in the best shape of their lives. Agnel is young and touted as the next Michael Phelps. Experts could not agree on who would win. Ryan outswam all of them.
The 200m free is an off event for Ryan. He didn't swim it in Beijing, although his semi-final time at the Olympic trials was second best. He didn't swim in the finals so it did not count. Ryan didn't swim the 200 free in Rome. Over the past several years, Ryan has swum the 200 free at Nationals in order to qualify for the 4 x 200m free relay, not to qualify as an individual event. That makes Ryan's achievement today even more impressive.
Ryan used strategy and experience to win. As noted in the article by Doug Lennox copied below, Ryan made his move in the 3rd leg because he knew Phelps breathes to his right and wouldn't see him. Ryan was patient and then used his superior walls (honed over the past 3 years of hard work) to make his move.
Ryan deserves all of the accolades he is receiving for this win.
I won't rehash my thoughts on the decision not to put Ryan in the finals of the 4 x 100 free relay. I'm over it (mostly).
http://ht.ly/5NYVk
By Doug Lennox
Two years after the 2009 World Championships in Rome, the headlines read the same: “Michael Phelps Stunned”. But this time, there were no suits to blame, no accusations made and no defensive statements issued. Heading into the race, the hype surrounded the rematch between Paul Biedermann of Germany and Phelps of the USA, but in the end the wise old Gator won out. Today’s 200m Freestyle race was taken home – literally and figuratively – by long-time American stalwart, Ryan Lochte.
In a field full of legitimate contenders – including 400m Freestyle champion, Park Tae Hwan of South Korea, and “the second coming of Michael Phelps”, Yannick Agnel of France – the race promised lots of drama. Immediately out of the gates, the shock was seeing Phelps take such an aggressive approach to the first 50m. Normally relying on his incredible underwater kick at the end of races, Phelps opted to go after the field at the start by posting a blazing 24.25 in the first 50m – only .02 seconds off of Biedermann’s World Record pace.
Phelps had a strong second 50m, holding onto the pole position through the first 100m of the race. But it was very clear that the halfway point was when Lochte had strategically decided to make his big move. In sports like swimming, it is easy to overlook the strategy that goes into a race-plan – especially if you do not study the sport like many athletes and coaches do. In this race, it was apparent that Lochte has been training his mind and his body to be the best in the world. By making his move at the halfway point, Lochte acknowledges that in order to beat strong finishers like Phelps, Park and Biedermann, you absolutely need to be one step ahead. That big move has to come just a little bit sooner.
Proving he now owns the world’s best underwater kick, Lochte leap-frogged past the man who has overshadowed him for years, and did it at the exact right moment. By swimming on Phelps’ left, and knowing Phelps only breathes to his right, you can be certain that these circumstances weighed into this calculated move. Pairing the element of surprise with a frantic sense of urgency, Lochte posted a blistering 26.29 in his 3rd leg, and took complete control of the race.
It was in the last 15m of the race that the brilliance of Lochte’s strategy shined through. With the best finishers and fiercest competitors in the world closing in on him, Lochte was obviously beginning to tighten up and shorten his stroke. As Phelps, Biedermann, Park and Agnel reeled Lochte in, the intensity of the crowd rose exponentially. Consistent with any true warrior, in his most physically weak moment, Lochte relied on his heart to follow through with his gutsy strategy. Instead of succumbing to the pain and losing his grip on gold, Lochte put his head down and got his struggling hand to the wall first – the sign of a true champion.
And at the end of the day, all the storylines about Biedermann and Phelps fell to the periphery as Lochte stole the show. But the truth of the matter is, the last 2 years have really been Lochte’s. Yet, we still herald Phelps as Batman as Lochte continues to play Robin. This 200m freestyle race might just be another step in Lochte’s climb to the top, but it should mean a lot more than just another loss for Phelps. Phelps has not been dominant since 2008, and he better take this as a strong indicator of what’s to come in London unless he makes some adjustments.
Stay tuned this week to see how Lochte and Phelps duke it out in the 200m Individual Medley on Thursday night.
2 comments:
i just watched andrea kramer interview ryan after he won and I hate that women. "Ryan how does it feel to swim in the lane right next to michael phelps" REALLY KRAMER. He just beat Phelps and thats what you ask him.. oh and that fact that she stumbled through saying the third wall.. is embarrassing
gerr find someone new to interview them
man she's bad. did she even watch the race?
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