The Week That Was: Global Heavy Hitters Take To the Pool

The best swimmers on Earth are getting ready for this summer’s world championships, putting up some impressive times in Australia, North America and Europe. Many of our top five headlines on The Week That Was focus on those meets as the countdown to Kazan continues.

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The Week That Was #5: Arkady Vyatchanin competes in first meet as a Serb

Arkady Vyatchanin is on the road to returning to international competition now that he’s officially been granted sports citizenship for Serbia. The former Russian Olympic medalist competed at the Serbian Open last week, and it should come as no surprise that he broke a national record in the 50 backstroke with a 26.19. He also won the 100 fly with a 55.73 and the 200 back with a 2:03.48. The times are not that fast, but the highlight here is that Vyatchanin is no longer A Man Without A Country. We’ll see how he progresses as he gets set to wear the Serbian flag on his cap for the rest of his swimming career.

The Week That Was #4: Many of Canada’s best ready for Pan Am Games and world championships

Last week’s Canadian nationals served as the selection meet for the two big meets of the year for the Canada: the Pan American Games and world championships. Because Pan Ams will be held in Canada, the swim team going to that meet will consist of the best Canadian athletes, some of whom will almost immediately hop on a plane to Russia for the world championships a couple of weeks later. Ryan Cochrane is the top name on the list, looking to earn more hardware in what is likely to be his final world championships. On the women’s side, Hilary Caldwell will be working to return to the medal stand in the 200 backstroke. One of the shocking events of the meet was the withdrawal of Brooklynn Snodgrass from the meet to treat an undisclosed illness. Snodgrass was definitely in line to challenge for a roster spot in the backstroke events, but it looks like she will not be able to make her way onto the team through appeals.

The Week That Was #3: New Zealand high performance director Luiz Villaneuva resigns

After just two years at the post, Luis Villanueva has resigned as the high performance director for New Zealand Swimming. Villanueva came to New Zealand from Spain to help boost the country’s chances for medals on the international stage. Lauren Boyle and Glenn Snyders are at the forefront of that effort, and the country is sending more athletes to the major international meets, which makes the announcement shocking. “The time is right to step aside,” he said, noting that a new face is needed to continue what he has started.

The Week That Was #2: France’s new blood shines at national championships

Though some of the top names in French swimming were on hand to qualify for the world championships, it was the new names in the sport that attracted attention in Limoges last week. Many of the winners earned a spot on their first world championship team, including Beryl Gastaldello and Thomas Dahlia, both of whom train in the United States for their respective universities. Charlotte Bonnet looks to be the new leader of women’s swimming in France, winning five events. On the men’s side, Jeremy Stravius was the busiest of the bunch, winning the 100 back and earning selection for worlds in four individual events and likely all relays. Yannick Agnel only qualified for the 200 free in a time that had stood as the fastest in the world, until Cameron McEvoy surpassed that a few days later. The meet was also highlighted by a moment of remembrance for the late Camille Muffat, who died in a helicopter crash a few weeks earlier. Many of the athletes dedicated their races to Muffat, who retired from competitive swimming last year.

The Week That Was #1: Grant Hackett makes world championship team after six-year hiatus

All eyes were on Grant Hackett in the first three days of the Australian nationals in Sydney, as many wondered if the legendary distance swimmer would get a spot on the world championship team six months after he made an official return to the sport. Hackett finished fourth in the 200 free, earning a spot on the 800 free relay for his sixth world championship roster spot. The 34-year-old hadn’t raced since the 2008 Olympics, but the talented Hackett put together a great race to defy the odds. While Hackett looks to be on his way back to form, two other notable names could be saying goodbye to the sport. Alicia Coutts and Christian Sprenger both were unable to automatically qualify for worlds, citing the rehab from major shoulder surgery as an issue. Both have said that they will retire if they don’t make the world championship team. In their places, Emma McKeon in butterfly and Jake Packard in breaststroke have stepped up to carry on the Aussie tradition in those events. The meet runs through Friday, and we are recapping the meet each day on SwimmingWorld.com.