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.
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