Swimming World Presents – Swimmers of the Millennium’s First 20 Years (2000-19)

Swimming World December 2020 - Swimmers of the Millenium's First 20 Years - 2000-19 - Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps, World and American Swimmers of the Millenium

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Swimmers of the Millennium’s First 20 Years (2000-19)

By John Lohn, David Rieder, Andy Ross, and Dan D’Addona

In lieu of its annual exercise of naming Swimmers of the Year—which was impossible in this COVID-19-impacted year—Swimming World decided to identify the top swimmers of the first 20 years of the millennium.

As the greatest swimmer in history, it was simple to name Michael Phelps, an athlete who—from 2000-16—attended five Olympiads and walked away with 28 medals. And the statistics pertaining to Ledecky also provided a no-doubt-about-it conclusion. Since 2012, she has won five Olympic gold medals and 20 World Championship titles. Also, her 14 world records since 2013 include times in the distance-freestyle events foreign to anyone but herself.

Phelps-114I1149

Michael Phelps
Male World and American Swimmer of the Millennium

He was a boy at the dawn of the millennium, and just one man envisioned a future anywhere near what ultimately unfolded. Bob Bowman was that guy, and through a combination of nerve and foresight, the coach recognized the potential of Michael Phelps to emerge as a once-in-a-lifetime performer. Oh, how Bowman’s prophecy was on target.

Because he is the automatic choice as the greatest swimmer in history, it was simple to name Phelps as the World and American Swimmer of the first score of the Millennium. The difficult part of the exercise was choosing how to fit Phelps’ list of achievements in the allocated space. After all, we’re talking about an athlete who—from 2000-16—attended five Olympiads and walked away with 28 medals.

When Phelps first stepped onto the Olympic stage, he was a 15-year-old racing the 200 butterfly at the 2000 Games in Sydney. The appearance was predicted by Bowman during a conversation with his pupil’s mother, Debbie, almost four years earlier. While Phelps finished fifth and off the podium in his Olympic debut, he proved he belonged and laid the groundwork for bigger moments ahead.

“Sydney inspired us to keep working and to really ask what was possible in the sport of swimming,” Bowman said.

The next year, there was a world record and an initial World Championship title in the 200 fly, and by 2003, Phelps had surpassed Australian icon Ian Thorpe as his sport’s headliner. Quite simply, Phelps was a never-before-seen force, even if he had yet to win an Olympic medal. That hole was filled at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where Phelps won eight medals—six gold and two bronze.

World records became the norm for Phelps, who set 39 global standards during his career. They came in the 200 freestyle, both butterfly events, each individual medley discipline and as a relay stalwart for the United States. Phelps, too, was one of the world’s best backstrokers, and only scheduling conflicts left him short of medaling in that stroke on the world scene.

In 2008, Phelps stamped himself further into Olympic lore when he followed a seven-title showing at the 2007 World Championships with eight golds at the Beijing Games, those medals complemented by seven world records. The effort surpassed Mark Spitz’s seven golds from the 1972 Munich Games, and was much more difficult, requiring 17 races over eight days—and against deeper competition. Really, the week in Beijing was enough to make Phelps the Swimmer of the Millennium.

“Everything was accomplished,” Phelps said after he wrapped up his Beijing program. “I will have the medals forever. Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that’s something I learned and something that helped me.”

Not surprising, Phelps lacked motivation after Beijing. Sure, he continued to collect huge medal hauls at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, but he was no longer invincible…and no longer fully dedicated to his training. At the 2012 Olympics, Phelps won six medals, but he failed to medal in the 400 individual medley and was beaten by South African Chad le Clos in the 200 butterfly.

Retirement followed for nearly two years, until Phelps decided he wanted to finish his competitive days on his terms—and with a devoted effort to his craft.

Indeed, Phelps closed his career in impressive fashion, as he left the 2016 Olympics with five gold medals and a silver, including a fourth straight victory in the 200 individual medley and the reclaiming of his title in the 200 fly. Of his 28 career Olympic medals, 23 were of the golden variety, and he produced a pair of eight-medal Games and two with six-medal hauls.

There is a tenet in the journalism industry to never suggest a feat will go unmatched. That principle can be discarded when it comes to Phelps. What he accomplished during the first score of this millennium is other-worldly, the stuff of video games.

“This all started and began with one little dream as a kid, to try to change the sport of swimming and do something no one else has ever done, and it turned out pretty cool,” Phelps said.

Sure did.

02 Katie Ledecky (2016)-ISHOF

Katie Ledecky
Female World and American Swimmer of the Millennium

Statistics play a key role in sports, this numerical data allowing media members and fans alike to compare athletes—often across generations. While some athletes still cannot be separated after the dissection of available stats, those pertaining to American Katie Ledecky provide a no-doubt-about-it conclusion.

In lieu of its annual exercise of naming Swimmers of the Year, which was impossible in this COVID-19-impacted year, Swimming World decided to identify the top swimmers of the first score—or 20 years—of the millennium. When it came to selecting the World Swimmer of the Millennium, Ledecky was the easy choice.

Since emerging on the global scene as the 2012 Olympic champion in the 800 freestyle, Ledecky has been an undeniable force. She has garnered world championships and world records with ease, her foes aware they were in a fight for silver—not gold. She has also flourished, similar to Michael Phelps, while under intense pressure and facing grand expectations.

Over the span of four World Championships (2013-19), Ledecky has won 15 gold medals, including four at the 2015 World Champs, where Ledecky won the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle—a feat known as The Quad. More, she has set 14 world records since 2013, her times in the distance-freestyle events foreign to anyone but herself.

“I’ve seen Michael win eight medals in Beijing. That was hard-fought,” said Frank Busch, USA Swimming’s national team director, of Ledecky. “I’m sure he’d be the first one to say Katie’s a freak. She’s a freak of nature in what she’s done.”
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro represent Ledecky’s finest hour, as she left South America with four gold medals and a silver. By registering solo triumphs in the 200, 400 and 800 free, Ledecky joined American Debbie Meyer (1968 Olympics) as just the second athlete to win three freestyle events at a single Games.

Her victories in the 400 and 800 free arrived in world-record time, and her decision in the 200 came against one of the deepest fields assembled in Rio. Yet, few were surprised by what Ledecky accomplished, such is the level at which she competes.

“This is the end of a four-year journey,” Ledecky said following her performance in Rio. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of our sport, and I have to wait another four years to have that moment, so I just wanted to enjoy it. The memories mean more than the medals to me. I hit all my goals right on the nose this week. I’m proud to be part of history.”

For all of Ledecky’s Olympic and World Champs success, it is necessary to look deeper at the numbers to truly understand the special nature of her talent. So, sit back and enjoy:

Ledecky owns the seven fastest times in the history of the 400 freestyle, and 12 of the 13 swiftest marks. Her world record of 3:56.46 is 2.30 seconds faster than Ariarne Titmus, the No. 2 performer of all-time.
In the 800 freestyle, Ledecky boasts the 22 fastest performances ever, and 24 of the top 25. Her world record of 8:04.79 is nearly 10 seconds quicker than No. 2 performer Rebecca Adlington, the 2008 Olympic champion in the event.
In the 1500 freestyle, Ledecky occupies the top 10 slots in history, and her world record of 15:20.48 is an astounding 18-plus seconds clear of No. 2 performer Lotte Friis.

When Janet Evans ruled the distance world in the late 1980s, her performances were considered far beyond the era. Ledecky has done things that are even more awe-inspiring, and she has done so while remaining humble and among the most likable athletes in the sport.

“Katie Ledecky is the student who takes 20 credits a semester at Harvard and gets a 4.0 every semester—and nobody likes that person,” said two-time Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel. “But everybody loves Katie Ledecky. You just love to love Katie.”

And you can’t wait to see what she does next.

To read about all of our Swimmers of the Millennium’s First 20 Years, European: Pieter van den Hoogenband & Inge de Bruijn; Pacific Rim: Ian Thorpe & Leisel Jones; and African: Chad le Clos & Kirsty Coventry…
Check out the full article in Swimming World’s December 2020 issue.
Click here to download now !

[PHOTO CREDIT: PETER H. BICK]

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Swimming World Magazine December 2020 Issue

FEATURES

012 SWIMMERS OF THE MILLENNIUM’S FIRST 20 YEARS (2000-19)
by John Lohn, David Rieder, Andy Ross and Dan D’Addona
World & American: Michael Phelps & Katie Ledecky
European: Pieter van den Hoogenband & Inge de Bruijn
Pacific Rim: Ian Thorpe & Leisel Jones
African: Chad le Clos & Kirsty Coventry

019 PROVING THEIR METTLE
by Andy Ross
After the South African media made several disparaging comments about the women’s swimming team in 2016 when none of their swimmers had qualified for the Rio Olympics, Tatjana Schoenmaker and her South African teammates have been supporting one another and working together to show just how good they can be.

021 FIT TO BE TIED
by John Lohn
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Sweden’s Gunnar Larsson was awarded the gold medal in the men’s 400 IM, edging USA’s Tim McKee by 2-thousandths of a second. Subsequently, international swimming rules were changed to record results to 1-hundredth of a second, allowing for ties among swimmers with identical times.

034 MENTAL PREP: BEFORE THE BEEP WITH CLAIRE CURZAN
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COACHING

010 TOUGHEST WORKOUTS (Part 2)
by Michael J. Stott
Swimming has had its share of taskmasters over the years. In the second of a two-part series on workouts designed to push swimmers to their limits are some sets from respected authoritative figures at Germantown, Arden Hills, Bluefish and Florida who have trained exceptional athletes that have excelled on the international stage.

038 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: BREASTSTROKE BREATHING HEAD TIMING DELAY
by Rod Havriluk
In breaststroke, most swimmers learn to synchronize their head and arm motions to breathe and to recover to the non-012 breathing position. However, a delay in the head motion both to breathe and to recover affords benefits of less resistance, more propulsion and a faster stroke rate.

040 SPECIAL SETS: DAVE SALO—THE MAN AND THE METHOD
by Michael J. Stott
Dave Salo has represented the United States as an Olympic, World Championships and Pan Pacific Championships coach and has guided the USC Trojans to 18 NCAA Top 10 finishes in 14 years. But his enduring legacy will most likely be his training mindset that emphasizes race-pace training and quality over quantity.

043 Q&A WITH COACH MICHAEL BROOKS
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN THOMAS HAGAR
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

037 DRYSIDE TRAINING: POSSIBLY THE 5 BEST DRYLAND EXERCISES EVER!
by J.R. Rosania
If done properly and regulary, these exercises can enhance your stroke, technique, power and speed.

JUNIOR SWIMMER

047 UP & COMERS: ERIKA PELAEZ
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT THE ART OF SWIMMING?

026 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

036 DADS ON DECK

046 HASTY HIGH POINTERS

048 GUTTERTALK

049 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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