The Week That Was: 2016 FINA World Cup Resumes In Beijing

Photo Courtesy: Li Yong

This week saw the return of the 2016 FINA World Cup Circuit, with many international stars returning to competition at the Beijing stop of the series. Check out the recaps of both days of the meet below as well as the biggest stories from The Week That Was!

The Week That Was #5 – Kosuke Hagino Undergoes Elbow Surgery

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Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Gold medalist Kosuke Hagino announced this week that he has recently undergone elbow surgery and will be out of competition for the remainder of 2016. Hagino had the surgery to remove an extra bone in his right elbow, which was fractured during a training camp in June last year. While his coach, Norimasa Hirai, explained he would be out of his cast within a week, he said Hagino will stay out of competition for the rest of 2016 as they monitor his recovery process. That means that Hagino will miss two high profile events coming up in Tokyo: a World Cup meet and the 2016 Asian Championships. An explanation for the timing of the surgery indicated that the focus was to give Hagino the best set-up for his preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games, which will be held in Tokyo. The Tokyo-based swimmer came away with a gold medal in the 400 IM at the Rio Olympics and a silver medal in the 200 IM.

The Week That Was #4 – U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams Visit White House

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Teams were guests at the White House this week, with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcoming the teams to congratulate and celebrate their accomplishments. Vice President Joe Biden was also on hand to offer his congratulations and socialize with the athletes before the President spoke directly to the athletes. Citing the team’s first place finish among the medal table, including the top number (46) of gold medals among all countries, Obama singled out Simone Manuel, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky for their historic performances in Rio de Janeiro. He also recognized Brad Snyder, the Paralympic swimmer who won three golds in Rio and lost his eyesight while serving in the military in Afghanistan. The welcome reception was hosted the same day that the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would eliminate the “victory tax” that has traditionally been charged to those Olympians who win medals. The USOC awards money based on medals won, which has until now traditionally been considered income and taxed as such. That bill is expected to be signed into law by the President later this year.

The Week That Was #3 – Ledecky And Phelps Crowned Top Athletes Of Olympic Games

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Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The Team USA Awards were held this week at Georgetown University in the nation’s capital this week, with Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps walking away with the top honors of the event. Three-time Olympians Elizabeth Beisel and Allison Schmitt were hosts at the event, interviewing U.S. Olympians and Paralympians. Both Ledecky and Phelps were honored as the respective female and male athletes of the Olympic Games. As a refresher, Ledecky became only the second person in history to sweep the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle events at the Olympic Games. She also broke her own world records in the 400 and 800 freestyles while providing key legs on both the 400 and 800 freestyle relays. Phelps further cemented his legacy as the Greatest Olympian of All Time, adding five gold medals and one silver to his collection. That brings his overall total to 28 Olympic medals, with 23 of them gold. In Rio, Phelps also made history by being the first swimmer to win four consecutive titles in an event. He has won the 200 IM at the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games. Aquatics was also honored with the “Building Dreams” award, with North Baltimore Aquatic Club taking the prize. The club team had five swimmers represented on this summer’s U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, while former longtime coach Bob Bowman led the men’s swim team in Rio.

The Week That Was #2 – Missy Franklin Announces Plan To Train With Dave Durden

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Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Following a disappointing summer at the Rio Olympic Games where she did not make it into any individual or relay finals, this week Missy Franklin announced her plan to train with the the Cal men’s coach Dave Durden upon her return to Berkeley. While Franklin had announced that she was planning to return to Cal following this year to finish her degree and train, she had not specified which team she planned on training with. The Olympic gold medalist had previously swam on the Cal women’s team for two years under head coach Teri McKeever, where she was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year following the 2015 NCAA Championships. Commenting on her decision, Franklin expressed gratitude to her former coach and team and excitement for her new training environment: “I had such an amazing time as a student-athlete at Cal, training under Coach Teri McKeever and swimming with such an amazing group of women, and I could not be more grateful to have spent my two years as a collegiate athlete with this group. Now, training as a professional athlete, I am confident that this environment is exactly what I need and it will be best for myself and those around me.” The move is similar to the one Natalie Coughlin made following the 2012 London Olympics, when she began to train with Durden after over a decade with McKeever.

The Week That Was #1 – 2016 FINA World Cup – Beijing

Photo Courtesy: Li Yong

The 2016 FINA World Cup continued this week in Beijing following the first cluster of meets across Europe. The leaders from that cluster, Russian Vlad Morozov and Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, continued to put themselves in a position to take home the top prize at the end of the tour. Morozov opened the meet with a win in the men’s 100 free (45.99) for the fourth straight meet and didn’t look back, further cementing his position atop the men’s leaderboard. Morozov also won the 100 IM (51.06), 100 breast (56.33), and 50 freestyle (21.06) throughout the two day meet. On the women’s side of the meet, Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu continued her usual schedule of swimming nearly every event to keep herself as the favorite to stay on top of the leaderboard. In total, Hosszu won seven events across the two day meet, including the 200 free (1:53.89), 50 back (26.68), 200 IM (2:07.37), 100 back (56.56), 400 free (4:01.65), 100 IM (58.10), and the 400 IM (4:33.60). Notably, China’s Zhu Menghui broke the junior world record in the 50 freestyle on the first day of the meet when she tied with Jeanette Ottesen in 24.00. The next stop on the World Cup Circuit will be in Dubai and begin on October 4th. For full recaps of the Beijing World Cup meet click on the links below.

Day One Results

Day Two Results

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