SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Rewind: 1980 World Swimmers of the Year

The American, Rowdy Gaines of Florida Aquatics, and the East German, medleyist Petra Schneider of swim club Karl-Marx-Stadt, were selected by SW's editors on the basis of their outstanding long course seasons.

Gaines won in a very close race with the Soviet Union's double Olympic champion, Vladimir Salnikov, who was 1979 Swimmer of the Year. For Schneider, her selection was almost a foregone conclusion based upon her world records in the 200-400 meter individual medleys and her numerous other high world ranking positions.

Gaines has been America's hottest sprinter the past two years after an almost meteoric rise from obscurity. He set a world record in the 200 meter freestyle at this year's Indoor Nationals (1:49.16) and twice broke the American record in the 100 meter freestyle. He initially went 49.61 at Austin in April for the domestic standard and did it again during the U.S. Nationals/Olympic Trials at Irvine last July.

As fast as Gaines was in the 100 this year (and he was plenty fast, speeding to the second, third and fifth-fastest all-time world times) he couldn't quite get the global record (49.44 by South Africa's Jonty Skinner at the 1976 U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia).

"That's what's most frustrating, even more than not going to the Olympics," Gaines said recently. "It's a great thrill to be selected World Swimmer of the Year. It's something I kind of thought about after setting the world 200 record, but it still bugs me I didn't get that 100 record too. I should have and if I hadn't let up at Irvine I would have. Next time I'll know better."