|
By John Lohn GILLETTE, New Jersey, May 10. AS we creep closer to the OlympicGames in London this summer, Swimming World will produceevent-by-event previews of the action set to unfold. As part ofthis series, we'll not only look at the leading contenders in eachevent, we'll also provide a historical perspective on eachdiscipline. This approach was successful in the leadup to theBeijing Games and we hope our readership enjoys the coverage forthis Olympiad. Event: Women's 800 Freestyle Relay Reigning Champion: Australia. Past Champions: United States (1996); United States (2000); United States (2004);Australia (2008). World Record: China (Yang Yu, Zhu Qianwei, Liu Jing, Pang Jiaying) 7:42.08. Notable: It would have been nice if this event had been added to theOlympic schedule prior to 1996, thus giving the likes ofAustralia's Dawn Fraser the chance at another medal to add to herstoried legacy. The Headliners: Heading into London, the United States will be the favorite forthe gold medal in an event which routinely offers shifts inmomentum. Coming off a victory at the World Championships lastsummer in Shanghai, the USA will benefit from a spectacular one-twocombination: Missy Franklin and Allison Schmitt. Both women will bein the mix for individual medals in the 200 free and will be askedto unload in relay duty as well. How the American team will be filled out won't be known until afterthe Olympic Trials, but Katie Hoff and Dagny Knutson did theirparts on the squad that won the world title. Of course, they'llfind themselves chased feverishly for those coveted relay slots. Asfor other nations, Australia will have a dangerous unit, paced byKylie Palmer and Bronte Barratt. Melanie Schlanger is expected tohandle another leg while Stephanie Rice did enough at the AussieTrials in the semifinal round to warrant a position in London. Regardless of the team it fields for the Olympic Games, China willhave a foursome capable of securing a medal and, potentially,pushing for gold. Tang Yi and Pang Jiaying have been consistentperformers for the Chinese. With Camille Muffat on the roster,France has a loaded gun to power its chances and Hungary hasseveral capable women of coming together to threaten a minor medal. On its home soil, Great Britain should be able to put together aquartet which is solid. Caitlin McClatchey and Rebecca Turnerprovide an immediate spark. For Canada, it will rely on the likesof Barbara Jardin. What Else?: It will be interesting to see if the Netherlands can piecetogether a team capable of making a little noise in the 800 freerelay. While Femke Heemskerk is an established performer in the 200free, she's going to need significant help for the Dutch to doanything noteworthy. Event: Men's 800 Freestyle Relay Reigning Champion: United States. Past Champions: Great Britain (1908); Australasia (1912); United States (1920);United States (1924); United States (1928); Japan (1932); Japan(1936); United States (1948); United States (1952); Australia(1956); United States (1960); United States (1964); United States(1968); United States (1972); United States (1976); Soviet Union(1980); United States (1984); United States (1988); Unified Team(1992); United States (1996); Australia (2000); United States(2004); United States (2008). World Record: United States (Michael Phelps, Ricky Berens, Dave Walters, RyanLochte) 6:58.55. Notable: The only two times Japan has won an Olympic relay title was inthis event. The Japanese prevailed in 1932 and repeated in 1936,although Masanori Yusa was the only athlete to compete on bothrelays. The Headliners: While the rest of the world has demonstrated the ability topackage much-improved relays, the United States is the favorite towin a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 800 free relay.Why? It starts with the duo of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.Phelps, of course, is the reigning Olympic champion and the fastest200 freestyler ever in a textile suit. Meanwhile, Lochte has soaredup the charts in this event and is the reigning world champion. Whoever occupies the other two slots will certainly be fast enough,given the United States' depth. Peter Vanderkaay, a longtime stapleon this relay, will undoubtedly be in the mix, along with RickyBerens, the man who took Klete Keller's place following hisretirement. The Olympic Trials will clear up a lot of questions ina little more than a month. Keeping an eye on China and Russia will be a must. While Sun Yangis a hammer for the Chinese, questions abound about its team,especially with Zhang Lin swimming poorly at his Olympic Trials.It's uncertain at this time which team will step to the blocks, buta loaded and peaking Chinese team will be difficult to handle.After all, China won bronze in the 800 free relay at the last WorldChampionships. For Russia, it has plenty of power in Danila Izotov,Nikita Lobintsev and Evgeny Lagunov. Coming of a silver medal at the World Champs, France will again bea factor in the medal hunt. With Yannick Agnel and Amaury Leveaux,the French look good. However, they possess depth as well, thanksto the presence of Gregory Mallet and Clement Leffert. Other pushesfor the final will come from Germany, fueled by Paul Biedermann,and Australia, which will need improvement across the board tocontend due to its lack of a star 200 freestyler. What Else?: The leadoff legs of this relay could make the event partlyresemble the 200 free. The likes of Michael Phelps, Yannick Agneland Paul Biedermann were leadoff swimmers at the World Champs,adding intrigue to the race from the start. Follow John Lohn on Twitter: @JohnLohn. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Formaldehyde-free Fixing Agent , China Acid Cellulase Enzyme for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Anionic Softener.
Related Articles -
China Formaldehyde-free Fixing Agent, China Acid Cellulase Enzyme,
|
