Golden Goggles Ballot: See Who Should Capture Awards in 2021?

Jul 31, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Caeleb Dressel (USA) celebrates after winning the men's 100m butterfly final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Caeleb Dressel after winning Olympic gold in the men’s 100 butterfly -- Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

Golden Goggles Ballot: Who Should Capture Awards in 2021?

As we near the end of 2021, it’s awards season. The COVID-19 pandemic deprived the swimming community of a real championship season in 2020, but 2021 saw another eight days of incredible swimming with the eyes of the world glued to the Olympic Aquatics Center in Tokyo.

From a global perspective, Swimming World just announced Caeleb Dressel and Emma McKeon as its World Swimmers of the Year. Now, it’s the turn of USA Swimming, which will hold its annual Golden Goggles tomorrow in Miami. Eight awards will be handed out, some of them with seemingly obvious favorites while others are up in the air with numerous qualified candidates. Every American Olympic champion from Tokyo is up for at least one honor.

So who deserves to win each trophy? Let’s break that down.

Breakout Performer of the Year

Nominees: Bobby Finke, Katie Grimes, Lydia Jacoby, Emma Weyant

Aug 1, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Lydia Jacoby (USA) in the women's 4x100m medley final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Lydia Jacoby at the Tokyo Olympics — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

This group represents four first-time Olympians in 2021, and exactly one of them was a consensus prediction to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. That was Finke, who had established himself as one of the country’s best distance swimmers during his college career at Florida, including setting an American record in the 1650 free. He looked like a potential spoiler for a medal, but his breakout came later as he stormed to gold medals in shocking upsets in both the 800 free and 1500 free.

Grimes, 15, was on absolutely nobody’s radar to make the Olympic team before she dropped 25 seconds in the 1500 free at Olympic Trials and placed third. Then, after barely qualifying for the 800 free final, she scorched the final and stunned a loaded field to finish second behind superstar Katie Ledecky. She ended up qualifying for the Olympic final and placing fourth. She missed a medal by just a second. That’s a heck of a breakout.

Weyant, 19, had been on the list of candidates to qualify for the Olympic team in the 400 IM, but after coming out on top of a scorching race at Olympic Trials, she swam away from most of the field in Tokyo on the way to a silver medal and put a real scare into gold medalist Yui Ohashi.

But the clear winner here is Jacoby. She’s 17 and the first-ever Olympic swimmer from Alaska. Yes, Alaska! She was on nobody’s radar before April or at least before late 2020, but she crushed her lifetime best race after race during the year. She rocketed the back half of the 100 breast at Olympic Trials to book a spot on the Olympic team, and then, in the final, she swam past defending champion Lilly King and Olympic-record holder Tatjana Schoenmaker.

Along with Finke’s performances, Jacoby’s swim was the shocking moment of the Olympics, and this is from a swimmer no one had ever heard of just a few months prior. No offense to the three other deserving candidates, but Jacoby is the clear choice here.


Perseverance Award

Nominees: Annie Lazor, Erica Sullivan, Tom Shields

annie-lazor-

Annie Lazor after winning the women’s 200 breaststroke at Olympic Trials — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

This award is sometimes tough to peg because it’s a little confusing to define. What is perseverance, anyway? USA Swimming says the award goes to “the athlete who came back from adversity, retirement, sickness, injury, etc., to have an outstanding performance(s) in 2021.”

Shields persevered after an up-and-down five years since his first Olympics in Rio, but he qualified for his second Games this year as the team’s oldest male swimmer. Sullivan, on the other hand, did not turn 21 until after the Games, and she has overcome significant obstacles, including the death of her father in 2018 and significant mental health struggles in the years since.

But from this perspective, the deserved winner is Lazor, who qualified for her first Olympic team at age 26. She finished 10th in the 100 breast and seventh in the 200 breast at the 2016 Olympic Trials, and afterward, she retired. Her college years at Auburn were over, and she did not see a path forward as a professional, so she was completely done. Prior to 2021, she had never qualified for a No. 1 international team, although she did win three gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2019.

But this year, Lazor finally broke through after overcoming even more significant obstacles. Two months before Trials, her father unexpectedly passed away. She ended up third in the 100 breast at Trials despite swimming the world’s third-fastest time. She had only one more chance to qualify for Tokyo, and she got it done, winning the 200 breast in dramatic fashion. And then, she capped off her amazing ascendance with a bronze medal in the event in Tokyo.


Coach of the Year

Nominees: Ron Aitken, Jack Bauerle, Todd DeSorbo, Greg Meehan, Anthony Nesty, Gregg Troy

When evaluating coach of the year, the logical method is to compare how the coach’s swimmers performed relative to expectations. All six of these men placed swimmers on the Olympic team and led their swimmers to medals in Tokyo, but the three whose athletes most overperformed were Aitken, DeSorbo and Nesty.

Aitken, the only club coach on this list from Sandpipers of Nevada, put three swimmers on the Olympic team. Sullivan was a serious candidate for the team, but Bella Sims and certainly Grimes were not. DeSorbo, after leading Virginia to a women’s national title during the college season, helped Paige Madden, Alex Walsh, Kate Douglass and Catie DeLoof make the team, and each of those women ended up with a medal. The two Virginia Cavaliers winning individual medals in the 200 IM was an outcome few could have envisioned prior to the summer. Finally, Nesty had two swimmers in Tokyo, Kieran Smith and Finke. Smith was the most surprising U.S. man in Tokyo with his bronze medal in the 400 free and 1:44 in the 200 free — or at least he was before Finke went crazy in the 800 and 1500 free.

Take your pick in this category, and there really is no bad answer. But we have to choose one, and here, it will be DeSorbo by a hair over Nesty. His efforts to turn Charlottesville, Va., into one of the country’s hubs for swimmers deserve serious recognition.


Relay Performance of the Year

Nominees: Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay, Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay, Men’s 400 Medley Relay

Aug 1, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Ryan Murphy (USA) and Caeleb Dressel (USA) and Zach Apple (USA) celebrate after winning the men's 4x100m medley final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Murphy, Zach Apple and Caeleb Dressel competed on the U.S. men’s gold-medal winning, world-record breaking 400 medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

There were less options to choose from in this category than a typical Olympic year, and that’s because the Americans won just two relays at the Tokyo Olympics, the fewest in any Games going back to 1960. The U.S. missed the podium entirely twice after no American relay had ever previously finished off the podium.

But that does not mean there were not deserving nominees. The women’s 800 free relay team of Allison Schmitt, Paige Madden, Katie McLaughlin and Ledecky was brilliant in Tokyo, with each swimmer recording their best swim this year and the team combining to beat heavy favorite Australia and break the existing world record. Only a shocking effort from China denied this team a gold medal.

The men’s 400 free relay faced serious challengers but still put together a golden performance. Veterans Caeleb Dressel and Blake Pieroni were solid, newcomer Bowe Becker came through to extend the lead, and Zach Apple proved that he deserved to be “that guy” anchoring relays as he pulled away for gold.

But the clear winner here is the men’s medley relay, which saw Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, Dressel and Apple combine to break a 12-year-old suit-aided world record from the 2009 World Championships, a team which had included world-record holders Aaron Peirsol and Michael Phelps. This team also faced a major challenge, with Great Britain having chased down the Americans for gold at the 2019 World Championships and all-star breaststroker Adam Peaty handling that leg.

But Murphy, Andrew and Dressel did their jobs, and Apple did not let British anchor Duncan Scott make up any ground. And they broke the first world record in a long course men’s relay since that World Championships in 2009.


Female Race of the Year

Nominees: Lydia Jacoby 100 Breaststroke, Katie Ledecky 800 Freestyle, Katie Ledecky 1500 Freestyle

Jul 27, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Lydia Jacoby (USA), Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) and Lilly King (USA) react after finishing first, second and third in the women's 100m breaststroke final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Lydia Jacoby (left) celebrates with Lilly King after Jacoby won Olympic gold in the women’s 100 breaststroke — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

There were plenty of impressive Olympic efforts that did not result in gold medals — Ledecky’s 400 free, Regan Smith’s 200 fly and Lilly King’s 200 breast all come to mind — but the decision here comes down to the three swims that produced individual gold for the U.S. women. Jacoby’s was by far the most shocking, and she was probably the most unexpected gold-medal winner in any women’s race at the Games. It is worth repeating: at the start of November 2020, Jacoby had never broken 1:08 in the 100 breast. But this come-from-behind effort in Tokyo made her Olympic champion.

Ledecky’s two golden swims were both historic, although neither showed the 24-year-old at her best. In the 1500 free, she was competing in her second final of the night but still toughed it out and became the inaugural Olympic champion in the women’s mile. In the 800 free, she had to dig deep to hold off Ariarne Titmus, the Australian who won gold in the 200 and 400 free, and in the process, Ledecky became just the third woman to three-peat with gold medals in one event.

Ledecky made history with her two golds, but Jacoby should win this one for the the 17-year-old’s stunning jaw-dropper of a golden moment.


Male Race of the Year

Nominees: Caeleb Dressel 100 Freestyle, Caeleb Dressel 100 Butterfly, Bobby Finke 800 Freestyle, Chase Kalisz 400 IM

Jul 29, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Robert Finke (USA) celebrates with his gold medal during the medals ceremony for the men's 800m freestyle during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Bobby Finke was the shocking Olympic champion in the men’s 800 freestyle — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports

Four worthy nominees in this category, all individual gold medals but each remarkable for different reasons. Kalisz’s 400 IM came in the first final of the Olympics, and his 1-2 finish with Jay Litherland set a strong early tone for the U.S. men. In the 100 free, Dressel captured the first individual gold medal of his already-decorated career after he dug down to hold off Kyle Chalmers by six hundredths.

But from this vantage point, the decision comes down to a world record and an unbelievable comeback to win gold in the first-ever men’s 800 free. In the 100 fly, Dressel knocked five hundredths off his own world record, and he needed almost every bit of it to hold off star Hungarian Kristof Milak, who became the second man to ever break 50.

Finke, meanwhile, was in fourth place at the 750-meter mark before out-splitting the entire field by a second and a half on the last length. He blasted past the three best distance swimmers in the world from the previous few years, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Mykhailo Romanchuk and Florian Wellbrock. Even those watching could hardly believe what was happening. Finke would pull off the same amazing finish in the 1500 free a few days later, but at that point, everyone knew what he was capable of the last 50.

Tough call here, but thanks to the stunning and unexpected nature of his swim, advantage Finke.


Female Swimmer of the Year

Nominees: Lydia Jacoby, Katie Ledecky, Lilly King, Regan Smith

katie ledecky, olympics, Jul 31, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Katie Ledecky (USA) reacts after winning the women's 800m freestyle final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

Katie Ledecky after capturing her third straight Olympic gold medal in the women’s 800 freestyle — Photo Courtesy: Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Sports

Each of these women had some amazing moments at the Olympics. Jacoby pulled off the stunner in the 100 breast, and despite her defeat in that 100-meter event, King picked up a three-medal haul that included her first major international medal in the 200 breast, where King became just the second American to break 2:20. Smith was not on the same level as she was at the World Championships in 2019, when she broke world records in both backstroke events, but she won three medals in Tokyo. She showed impressive poise and leadership when she comforted her teammates following a narrow loss to Australia in the 400 medley relay.

But the best female swimmer in the country is still Ledecky, even if Ledecky was not in the record-smashing form that helped her win five medals, four of them gold, at the Rio Games. In Tokyo, Ledecky was the only American woman to win four medals, the only one to win three individual medals, the only one to win two gold medals. Each of her golds made some pretty remarkable history. Even without being perfect, Ledecky closed another chapter of her incredible career in style.


Male Swimmer of the Year

Nominees: Bobby Finke, Caeleb Dressel, Chase Kalisz, Ryan Murphy

Jul 31, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Caeleb Dressel (USA) with his gold medal at the medals ceremony for the men's 100m butterfly during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Caeleb Dressel poses with his Olympic gold medal after he won the men’s 100 butterfly in Tokyo — Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

With all due respect to Finke, Kalisz and Murphy, this one is no contest. Dressel has been the world’s best swimmer since 2017, and in Tokyo, he joined a very exclusive club with Mark Spitz (1972) and Michael Phelps (2004 and 2008) as the winner of three or more individual gold medals in one Olympics. He led the American men to a pair of hard-fought relay gold medals.

Finke had those two insane comebacks to win gold in the distance events, Kalisz had the 400 IM gold, and Murphy was solid in returning to the medal podium in both backstroke events. But even those other three nominees would not argue that Dressel deserves top honors here.

Voting for the Golden Goggle is available on USA Swimming’s website through November 18.

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