Guttertalk: How Does It Feel To Have Solidified Qualification For The Olympics After A Year of Uncertainty? – Sponsored By Colorado Time

Swimming World June 2021 -Guttertalk - How Does It Feel To Have Solidified Qualification For The Olympics After A Year of So Much Uncertainty - Sponsored By Colorado Time

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Guttertalk: How Does It Feel To Have Solidified Qualification For The Olympics After A Year of So Much Uncertainty?

By Andy Ross

Sponsored By
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01 anna-hopkin-2019-d1wncaa-phbANNA HOPKIN
Great Britain
[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

It feels amazing to officially be part of the Olympic team especially after the year we’ve had…and it means now I can put all my energy and attention into the upcoming Games. It was definitely a huge blow to me—and I’m sure to many around the world—when the Olympics were postponed last year, as I was in a really good place going into the qualification.

There’s always that little bit of doubt as to whether you can re-create that form a year later, but I had a really good block of training going into trials, so I was definitely relieved to do myself justice. It’s obviously going to be a different kind of Olympics than previous years, but I think, in a way, that will make the experience even more special.

 

 

02 lewis-clareburt-by Jo Kleindl2LEWIS CLAREBURT
New Zealand
[PHOTO BY JO KLEINDL]

It’s super nice being able to have the Olympic qualification out of the way nice and early and putting together some solid times. Also, it gives me confidence moving forward to Tokyo and some really good information about how I’m tracking.

Obviously, it’s difficult with all of the same problems we had last year still lingering—if not, they’re worse—and I completely understand where the critics are coming from. However, from an athlete’s perspective, we really just want to get over there and race.

But sometimes we need to look at the greater good and what effects it might have on other areas if we were to travel into Tokyo. I’m lucky as an athlete—I don’t have to make those tough decisions, and, ultimately, I just get told what to do.

 

04 andrei-minakov-provided by Andrei Minakov
ANDREI MINAKOV
Russia
[PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDREI MINAKOV]

Despite the absence of swimming competitions in 2020 and other difficult circumstances, I think we needed that one extra year of preparation, and it worked for us. We spent time exploring and finding new opportunities, testing new tactics and trying specialized workouts that we hadn’t done before.

At this point, I feel strongly confident about the Olympics—the most important is that we secured a spot, and even if anything changes and the Olympics are canceled/postponed again, it will affect everyone.

But we shouldn’t put too much pressure on ourselves because the decision regarding the Games is not taken by athletes. Our main priority is to train and be ready for all possible outcomes.

 

03 molly-renshaw-200-breast-semifinal-2019-wc-by Becca Wyant2MOLLY RENSHAW
Great Britain
[PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT]

I think it’s just exciting the thought of it all going ahead. I think this time last year, we were all in a very different position where we were at home doing Zoom calls in our garages to fast-forward a year and kind of be excited to go toward a Games is a great feeling.

I had to switch off to a certain degree—obviously in the back of our minds, the preparation was always going toward Tokyo…that it was going to happen. But everything has been completely out of our control: We’ve just been doing whatever we can in the pool and the gym and with the staff around to be in the best condition we can be…and we’ve just been hoping and praying.

In terms of expectation, I’d just kind of like to go there and improve on what I did in Rio. I think going there was a great experience, and making the final was all I could have dreamed of at the time. But this time, I’d like to push things on and try and push for a podium place.


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Swimming World June 2021 - Nathan Adrian - A Natural Leader - COVER
[PHOTO CREDIT: TAYLOR BRIEN]


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Swimming World June 2021 Issue

FEATURES

12 | U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS PREVIEW
by David Rieder
The fastest swimmers in the United States will be putting their hopes and dreams on the line at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Swimming, June 13-20, in Omaha, Neb. If realized, they’ll have the opportunity to perform next month on the world’s grandest stage: the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

22 | A NATURAL LEADER
by John Lohn
Still producing elite-level performances, Nathan Adrian, now 32 and pursuing his fourth Olympic Games, has the opportunity to further his already lofty reputation. And whenever his days in the sport come to an end, Adrian will be viewed for his excellence in the sport as an athlete, teammate and ambassador.

25 | NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: QUALITY & QUANTITY
by Andy Ross
That’s the same winning formula that Indian River’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have been using for nearly a half-century at the NJCAA Championships. The Pioneer men now have won 47 straight team titles; the women, 39—and 43 of the past 47.

26 | TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: A FORGOTTEN STAR
by John Lohn
By all measures, Don Schollander is a legend in the sport, a Hall of Fame talent who was unrivaled in his heyday. Yet, his impact has been lost to a combination of unfortunate timing and modern-day fascination.

29 | DOMINANCE AND PARITY ON DISPLAY IN TOKYO
by Dan D’Addona
While the U.S. women have dominated international water polo since 2015—winning their second straight Olympics in 2016 plus three World Championships in 2015-17-19—a different men’s champion has emerged at each of the last three major international competitions—Serbia (2016 Olympics), Croatia (2017 Worlds) and Italy (2019 Worlds).

30 | ISHOF: REMEMBERING THE KALILI BROTHERS—90 YEARS AGO
by Bruce Wigo
As kids who preferred to dive for coins rather than race in a swimming pool, brothers Maiola and Manuella Kalili from Hawaii would eventually become national champions and Olympic silver medalists in 1932.

33 | NUTRITION: HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD I EAT?
by Dawn Weatherwax
As long course, Olympics and endurance events get underway, a common question is: “How much do I need to eat?” This is a loaded question—one in which the author will try to simplify.

35 | MENTAL PREP: BEFORE THE BEEP WITH AMY BILQUIST
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COACHING

38 | SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 2)—STROKE CYCLE PHASES
by Rod Havriluk
Swimmers typically decrease non-propulsive time to decrease stroke time, increase stroke rate and swim faster. Research shows that a further decrease in the non-propulsive time is possible and should produce further performance improvement.

40 | A COACHES’ GUIDE TO ENERGY SYSTEMS
by Michael J. Stott
In the first of two parts, Swimming World explores the concept of energy systems and how coaches can use them to maximize athlete development and performance.

42 | SPECIAL SETS: KATIE LEDECKY—RUN-UP TO RIO 2016
by Michael J. Stott
With this month’s Olympic Swimming Trials now upon us, Swimming World takes a back-to-the-future approach to revisit some training done by superstar Katie Ledecky prior to the 2016 U.S. team qualifying meet.

44 | Q&A WITH COACH CATHERINE KASE
by Michael J. Stott

45 | HOW THEY TRAIN HALEY ANDERSON
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

037 | DRYSIDE TRAINING: TRAINING AMY BILQUIST
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

47 | UP & COMERS: KEELAN COTTER
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS

08 | A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

11 | DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT BUSTER CRABBE?

48 | GUTTERTALK

49 | PARTING SHOT

 

Swimming World is now partnered with the International Swimming Hall of Fame. To find out more, visit us at ishof.org

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