Minneapolis GP: Can't Miss Race

By: Mike Gustafson

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This is my inner-monologue, scrolling through my Can’t-Miss Race of the Weekend: “Okay, let’s look through this field.

Oh, there’s a six-time Olympic medalist. And there’s a 16-time Olympic medalist. Oh, and there’s a world champion and Olympic silver medalist. There’s a three-time Olympic medalist. There’s an Olympic gold medalist. A U.S. national champion. An NCAA champion. Another NCAA champion. An NCAA record-holder. Another Olympic gold medalist…”

Then I stopped. My head hurt.

Holy cow. This weekend’s men’s 200m freestyle is a virtual “who’s who” of swimming, a red carpet gala event, where the field is stacked with Olympians and national champions. I didn’t even go through the whole thing. I stopped short. I knew that I could make my point:

You won’t want to miss this race.

Minneapolis is your setting for the season premiere of what will be the most exciting swimming season we’ve seen in years. The Grand Prix series kicks off with a boom, bang, and explosion – the men’s 200m freestyle. Like a slew of 200m freestyles we saw last season, this event features the best-of-the-best: the biggest names, most depth, most Olympians, most firepower. True, we will see many great races this year, but this one holds special intrigue...

Why?

Well, for starters, the top 16 seeded times this weekend are FASTER than the 200 free semifinal qualifying times at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Which means: We’re going to see some fast swimming. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. You can’t compare times now from then, but swim fans in attendance and watching online should know just how fast these swimmers are seeded. Will we witness swimmers approach their seed times? Probably not all. Especially since we’re in the brunt of the training. But we could.

Then there are the superstars.

You have Michael Phelps. The Greatest Swimmer Ever. Anytime Phelps swims, it is a special moment. People pay attention. People DVR his races. You can tell anytime when Phelps swims: Other swimmers set down their iPhones and Droids and iPads, and they actually pay attention to the races. That’s when you know something big is happening. That’s “The Phelps Effect.” Phelps has been in the competition circuits this autumn, competing overseas at the World Cup. But he’s home now. And he’s training. And he’s getting prepared for a final run at Olympic glory.

You have Ryan Lochte. Swim fans won’t like me saying this, but he is now – and might always be – the “Robin” to the Team USA Batman & Robin duo (Phelps & Lochte). The sidekick. The cool, walk-with-a-swagger, laid-back athlete. Lochte has 10 Olympic medals to catch up to Phelps if he (or anyone else, for that matter) wants to be mentioned alongside The Greatest. On paper, it doesn’t translate. However. Lochte HAS climbed to the top of the fan favorite chart like a rocketing pop song. He signs autographs. He talks with kids. He’s goofy. He’s fun. Does he care about chasing Phelps’ record-haul? You bet. You couldn’t experience the Beijing Olympics as a competitor and not envy Phelps. But will he actually do it? This is the first race that answers those questions.

You have multiple foreign superstars. Zhang Lin, a Chinese world champion and Olympic silver medalist in the 400m freestyle. Yannick Agnel, a French teenage phenom, someone many are projecting to be the next great freestyle superstar. Ous Mellouli, the Tunesian Olympic gold medalist in the 1500m. The Fraser brothers, from the Caymen Islands, with their recent Pan Am and NCAA success. Any of these guys pose a major threat to the “Phelps and Lochte Show,” and any of them can win the race.

Finally, you have the potential upset bids. I’m talking about PVK. You know PVK as one of those fan-favorite, workhorse types of swimmers. I dubbed him “The Bruce Springstein of Swimming.” He works his butt off, every meet, every single race. He could have the ability to knock off anyone. But don’t count out other names too. Ricky Berens. Tyler Clary. Dominik Meichtry. Matt McLean. Michael Kleuh. The list goes on and on….

To be sure: There will be other great races this weekend. The women’s 200m freestyle could be as good as the men’s. Or how about Missy Franklin vs. Dara Torres in the 50m freestyle. And every single battle between Lochte and Phelps. Don’t forget about Brendan Hansen and Ed Moses potentially taking the field as a couple of 30-year-olds in the 100m breaststroke.

But the men’s 200m freestyle has the firepower. I believe it will be the best indication as to who has the fire, who has the drive, who has been training, and who is putting themselves in contention seven months before the Olympic Trials. Seven months may sound like a long time, but in the world of swimming, it is a blip on the radar, quick as a flash. Soon, we’ll be watching races unfold in Omaha, remembering the first race of the Grand Prix season, when we saw someone take command of the field, charge to the wall, and make a declarative, resounding statement.

Can’t miss it. Can’t wait.