{"id":374078,"date":"2019-06-10T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=374078"},"modified":"2019-06-09T00:43:23","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T07:43:23","slug":"fun-swimming-history-facts-united-states-and-soviet-union-dual-meets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/fun-swimming-history-facts-united-states-and-soviet-union-dual-meets\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents “Fun Swimming History Facts: United States and Soviet Union Dual Meets”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did You Know?<\/span>
\nUSA-USSR Dual Meets<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fun Facts of Aquatics From ISHOF<\/span><\/h3>\n

By ISHOF’s Historian & Curator Bruce Wigo<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States and the Soviet Union used to host a dual meet between the two nations that started in September 1971.<\/p>\n

This set of meets was done to give the national team a chance to see the Olympic facilities in Munich, Germany the year before the 1972 Olympics.<\/p>\n

The 1981 matchup turned out to be the closest score in the dual meet series between the two countries, with the United States winning 203-141. However, the Americans were without a few of their superstars in Tracy Caulkins, Jesse Vassallo and Matt Gribble. Despite the absence of those big names, Team USA won the men\u2019s competition by 18 points, and the women\u2019s by 44.<\/p>\n

The Americans had boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games the year before in Moscow, so it was expected to be a tightly contested meet in Kiev. The Soviets showed up in better shape than in 1978, winning nine of the 29 events. But the Americans were still too strong, highlighted by a world record from American Craig Beardsley in the 200 meter fly.<\/p>\n

Even with the boycott fresh in everyone\u2019s mind, the 1981 meet was about the friendship between the two nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriendship first, competition second,\u201d Soviet head coach Sergei Vaitsekovski told Swimming World in its October 1981 issue. \u201cThis meet is a stepping stone, a preparatory exercise for us. It gives us a good opportunity to compete against the finest swimmers in the world from the United States, and gets us ready for the meet that is most important to us, the European Championships.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read more about the USA-USSR dual meets,
\ncheck out the June 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em>, available now!<\/p>\n

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