Matthew De George - Senior Writer - (Author)

Federica Pellegrini One of Four Athletes Elected to IOC Athletes’ Commission Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini was one of four athletes to be elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission this week. Pellegrini and the other three successful candidates were chosen from a...

Olympics: USA Men’s Water Polo’s Journey Ends in Quarterfinal Loss The USA men’s water polo team’s medal quest ground to a halt Wednesday in Tokyo with a 12-8 loss to Spain. The U.S. came up small in the fourth quarter, with Spain running away to the tune of a 5-2 margin in the final 10 minutes. The...

‘Most Decorated’ Canadian Penny Oleksiak Relishes in Illustrious Second Chapter Penny Oleksiak was barely out of the water when she heard those two words, ones she tried not to think about entering the Tokyo Olympics but which soon became unavoidable. When uttered for the last time on deck at the To...

Even in Latest Star Turn, Caeleb Dressel Not Afraid to Show Vulnerability Caeleb Dressel walked through the mixed zone at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre for the final time Sunday, too spent to put on a shirt. As he stood with his teammates in the men’s 400 medley relay, minutes after they’d capped the Tok...

Rikako Ikee, who survived a bout of leukemia and recovered in time to swim at the Tokyo Olympics, shared her happiness to be back in the water after the conclusion of the Games. Speaking to the Japan Times, Ikee expressed joy at being able to be back even quicker than she had expected. "Really a lot...

‘We’re Learning Through This:’ U.S. Coaches Reflect on Mixed Medley Relay Flop There was a lot on the minds of Team USA coaches Greg Meehan and Dave Durden when they collected their staff to weigh options for the mixed medley relay. The beauty of the new addition to the Olympic relay gauntlet lies i...

Luis Martinez Caps Guatemalan Dream with Olympic Final in 100 Fly Seven summers ago, Luis Martinez was a kid trying to find his way in a country that wasn’t his own. He’d moved from his native Guatemala to the United States in 2013 in service of his academic and swimming dreams, and by the fall of 2...

Olympics: Caeleb Dressel Helps U.S. Men's Medley Relay to Redemption as Streak Continues Caeleb Dressel wasn’t even out of the water yet, but he could hear the page turning. The United States mixed medley relay had just finished a disappointing fifth in the first ever Olympic running of the event. B...

Olympics: Bobby Finke Does it Again to Claim Distance Double No one saw it coming when Bobby Finke went from fourth to first in the final 100 meters of the men’s 800 freestyle. This time, the anticipation grew the longer the American stayed in touch with the lead pack. And when he made his move, no ...

‘I’m a Champion’: Simone Manuel Offers Dose of Perspective on Olympics Simone Manuel hasn’t had the Olympics she would’ve wanted in Tokyo, after not having the Olympic Trials she would’ve wanted. But after opening about her mental health in dealing with the pressure and revealing a diagnosis of over...

After Ahmed Hafnoui’s Olympic Gold, FINA to Fund International Center in Tunisia Ahmed Hafnoui’s stirring gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics is already impacting swimming back in his home country of Tunisia in very concrete ways. FINA president Hussain Al-Musallam announced this week an agreement ...

Mestre Brothers Carry on Family Legacy For Venezuela In Solid First Olympics Alberto Mestre didn’t pay much attention to his phone in the last week in June, knowing he didn’t need any extra pressure. It was expectation enough that swimming in the Olympics is pretty much the family business, and the ...

Olympics: Caeleb Dressel Sets World Record in 100 Fly To Win Gold The question, after tying an Olympic record in prelims and breaking it in semifinals, was not necessarily if Caeleb Dressel would win gold in the 100 butterfly Saturday morning at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The query was if the American...

Olympics: Italy Set Pace in Men’s Medley Relay; U.S. Sneaks in as Seventh Seed The prelims are always a balance from the relay perspective. Yes, for medal contenders, you want to spread the wealth and reward the guys that got you there. For the top swimmers who are taking part in individual events, ...

Olympics: Maggie Steffens Sets Olympic Scoring Record in Romp Over Russia Maggie Steffens scored four times Friday, giving her 49 career Olympic goals to set the all-time tournament record. The goals helped the U.S. women's water polo team bounce back from its first Olympic loss in 13 years with an ...

Olympics: Mykhailo Romanchuk, Bobby Finke Set the Pace in 1,500 Free Bobby Finke’s interloping on the men’s 800 freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics was surprising, for how he got it done on the final 50 and for the hierarchy that the 21-year-old disrupted. With his gold in the 800 free, Finke is very mu...

Olympics: Caeleb Dressel Scares Olympic Record as 50 Free Top Seed In the 100 freestyle, it was Caeleb Dressel and Kyle Chalmers throwing down. In the 100 butterfly, the showdown looms between Dressel and Kristof Milak. In the American superstar’s third and final individual event of these Tokyo Olym...

Israel Mixed Medley Relay Squad Turns Heads with Finals Berth Itay Goldfaden wasn’t sure what the Israel mixed medley relay team could do Thursday night, but he was sure it was going to be good. He’d watched the men’s 800 freestyle relay not just qualify for the Tokyo Olympics but jump to 10th in a ...

USOPC Declares Mask-Less Michael Andrew Did Not Violate COVID-19 Protocols Michael Andrew failed to medal after a disastrous last 50 in the final of the men’s 200 individual medley Friday morning. He then failed to follow the Tokyo Olympics’ COVID-19 protocols – and further, doubled down on why they...

Olympics: Tatjana Schoenmaker Supplies First Individual World Record in 200 Breast Two black caps and two green caps bobbed in a puddle of joy at the Tokyo Aquatic Center Friday morning. The emotions ran the gamut, for satisfaction to surprise to utter, inexpressible elation. Together, the four wome...