The Week That Was: Competition Heats Up In USA and Australia

Photo Courtesy: Mike Comer/ProSwimVisuals.com

After a relatively quiet week in swimming pools around the world, competition heated up once again in the past few days, with some meets featuring many who will factor for medals at the world championships this summer, and some who are lining up to be the future of the sport. For this edition of The Week That Was, we will look back on the top five swimming headlines from the United States and Australia.

The Week That was is supported by AgonSwim.com

The Week That Was #5: Ryan Mallam moves up coaching ladder with appointment to Arizona State staff

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

Bob Bowman is starting to fill out his roster of coaches as he preps for his new chapter as head coach of the Arizona State University swim teams. He’s appointed Ryan Mallam to be his associate head coach to help oversee the men’s and women’s teams. This is a major step forward for Mallam, who had been associate head coach at Texas A&M for two years but hasn’t had the responsibility of essentially running a combined program, as Bowman will be dividing his time between the college team and his postgrad squad that includes Michael Phelps – at least until the Olympics next year. Mallam was also head coach at Indian River State College, where he molded such athletes as future NCAA Division I champion Brad Tandy.

The Week That Was #4: Australia, Japan mark collaboration with unique swim meet

Australia and Japan partner for 2020 Olympic success

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Swimming Australia and Swim Japan announced a few months ago that they would be joining forces to improve performances on the international stage. Their first official collaboration was last week at the Australian Grand Prix, where swimmers competed against each other in special broken swims. Cate Campbell, for instance, put up some fantastic times in a broken 200-meter freestyle: 25.07 for the first 50, then 54.98 in the next 100 after a three-minute rest followed by a 26.75 for the final 50. Ryosuke Irie and Mitch Larkin were evenly matched in the backstroke races, with Larkin winning the 100 back and Irie taking the 200 back, with just a couple of tenths separating each other in both races. One of the more exciting races was the men’s broken 900 freestyle, where legend Grant Hackett and future star Mack Horton pushed the pace hard in their three 300-meter swims . Horton got the better of Hackett by a few seconds, but it signaled that Hackett could be a strong factor in next year’s Olympic Trials, and will not be looking just for a place on the 800 free relay in Rio de Janeiro.

The Week That Was #3: Amy Van Dyken-Rouen stands unassisted 11 months after accident left her paralyzed

Photo Courtesy: Amy Van Dyken-Rouen/Instagram

It’s been 11 months since Amy Van Dyken-Rouen’s spine was severed in an accident last June, but with the hard work and determination that helped her become an Olympic star in the pool, she’s now able to stand without any help. In a video posted last Monday , Van Dyken-Rouen is shown standing from a seated position, with a few hands close by to catch her if she falls. She stands upright for about three seconds, then sits down again with a cheer. Van Dyken-Rouen has been making big strides in physical therapy, but mostly with the help of an exoskeleton or electronic impulses that stimulate her muscles. Now that she’s finding miraculous strength, the next phase of her recovery could be taking that literal step forward.

The Week That Was #2: National high school records tumble in California

Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott

Though the first California state meet is taking place later this week, several swimmers wasted no time in making statements in California high school competition. Five national records fell at various regional meets, all in southern California, with Abbey Weitzeil responsible for two of them. Weitzeil lowered her own 50 and 100 freestyle records in the Southern Section Division I prelims on Friday, breaking the 100 free record twice in the individual event and leading off the 400 free relay. Two days later in finals, she repeated the feat and lowered her records again to 21.64 in the 50 and 47.09 in the 100. Neither are personal bests, but with Weitzeil getting ready for the World University Games and world championships, it’s likely she was not fully rested. Weitzeil is reportedly not competing in the state meet this week, so this could be as low as the records go. But we could see faster swims from the remaining three record setters if they race at the state meet this week. Katie McLaughlin, another world championship team member, broke her own independent high school record in the 100 fly with a 51.53, also taking down the overall national high school record of 51.70. Ella Eastin got very close to the overall national record of 1:53.82 in the 200 IM with a 1:53.90, while Grant Shoults took down the oldest record with a 1:34.54, breaking Joe Hudepohl’s independent school record of 1:34.96 that was set in 1991. Can the California state meet provide even more record-setting excitement?

The Week That Was #1: Arena Pro Swim Series in Charlotte produces electrifying performances

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Each year in May for the past 20 years or so, the best swimmers in the world have come to Charlotte to get in some crucial racing before the big summer competitions. This year’s meet was one of the fastest in recent memory, with Ryan Lochte swimming one of his fastest in-season 200 IM times and others also making statements with some impressive wins. The one curiosity was Michael Phelps, who regularly wins a couple of events in Charlotte, but this year could get no higher than third in the 100 fly. He didn’t make the final of the 200 free or 200 IM, and was visibly frustrated with his performances. His North Baltimore teammate Chase Kalisz showed some life after a subpar NCAA championships, winning the 200 fly and 400 IM, while Nathan Adrian was his usual dominant self over a strong field in the 100 free. Natalie Coughlin, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Katinka Hosszu were stellar in the women’s races, with Hosszu posting the fastest 200 IM ever swum in the United States , and Coughlin winning the 100 free. Vanderpool-Wallace won the 50 free and was outtouched in the 100 fly just one hundredth of a second behind NCAA champion Kelsi Worrell. Connor Jaeger and Lotte Friis won the 800 and 1500 freestyles with impressive times that suggest both are in line for medals at the world championships. Swimming World covered the meet from all angles, and you can visit the event coverage page for recaps, commentary and photos.

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