{"id":442630,"date":"2020-08-05T01:50:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T08:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=442630"},"modified":"2020-08-05T01:50:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T08:50:42","slug":"league-of-olympic-swim-legends-gould-egerszegi-share-gold-with-evans-ledecky-snap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/league-of-olympic-swim-legends-gould-egerszegi-share-gold-with-evans-ledecky-snap\/","title":{"rendered":"League Of Olympic Swim Legends: Gould & Egerszegi Share Gold With Evans\/Ledecky Snap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, Swimming World<\/em> Editors Craig Lord <\/em>and John Lohn<\/em>\u00a0put together an event-by-event\u00a0League of Olympic Swim Legends<\/strong> in which we considered the impact of the likes of Shane Gould, Krisztina Egerszegi, Katie Ledecky, Janet Evans, Dawn Fraser, Mary T. Meagher, Tracy Caulkins and many other pioneers and pace-setters.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the SW team, Liz Byrnes, Ian Hanson, Matt de George<\/em> and Andy Ross<\/em>, aided by the watchful eye of Dan D\u2019Addona<\/em>\u00a0compiled our Tokyo2020 Visions<\/strong>, following the Tokyo 2020 competition schedule<\/a><\/strong>, with previews that take races up to the closing metres of battle but not beyond. The Olympic future is a year away<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday we summed up with overall and stroke podiums for the men, introducing measures that recognise multi-medal-winning efforts<\/a> on one stroke or more.\u00a0<\/span>Today, Women:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If the men’s race was won by the most decorated Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps, by a massive margin that reflected the 16 solo medals in the mix of \u00a0his 23 gold atop 28 medals \u00a0in all over four Games, the women’s race was a much closer affair. Indeed, the top slots were split by just six points, while 6 points off the podium was Dawn Fraser.<\/p>\n

The imperfection and ultimate impossibility of such exercises is seen in the scores of the likes of Mary T Meagher: is it likely that she would have won the 100 and 200m butterfly titles at Moscow 1980 without boycott? Yes. Do we know? No.<\/p>\n

The thought ripples out to very many athletes for related reasons. No boycott, no GDR doping? What might Sippy Woodhead have achieved? Where would the count of measure of Tracy Caulkins have reached? To them and many other women whose sporting lives were shaped and framed by decision-making processes and criminality beyond their control, a nod of respect.<\/p>\n

Shane Gould & Krisztina Egerszegi Share The Crown<\/h2>\n
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Shane Gould – a Living National Treasure in Australia – Photo Courtesy: Swimming World Archives<\/p><\/div>\n

Based on what did unfold, following the rules and points scores we set for our virtual exercise, our League of Legends overall and stroke virtual podiums for women celebrate the towering achievements of swimmers who stood out in a crowded pantheon of excellence.<\/p>\n

In our event-by-event lists, Shane Gould<\/strong> made one podium: the 1500m freestyle, courtesy of the more subjective measures \u00a0that had to be applied to the 1500m freestyle for women, given that the event will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo202One. That she did not make the podiums in the 200 and 400m freestyle reflected the bright shooting-star nature of her career.<\/p>\n

Look at swimming history from the wider perspective and Gould’s Munich 1972 campaign amounts to one of the most outstanding and spectacular moments in Olympic history – all sports: at one Games – five solo medals, three gold in World-record times, freestyle and medley as a reflection of versatility and skill in her element – a unique achievement by “die goldfisch” from Australia that remains a record almost half a century on.<\/p>\n

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Krisztina Egerszegi – Photo Courtesy: Arena\/Hungarian Swimming Federation<\/p><\/div>\n

Krisztina Egerszegi<\/strong> has a five-medals record that remains unmatched, too: with one in 1988, three in 1992 and one in 1996, the Hungarian is the only woman ever to claim five solo gold medals. Three of the golds were won over 200m backstroke, granting Egerszegi membership of the Triple Crown club formed by Australian Dawn Fraser<\/strong> (100m freestyle, 1956, 1960, 1964).<\/p>\n

Janet Evans<\/strong> came close, with four golds, 400 and 800m freestyle and that Gouldian nod of versatility in her 400IM victory of 1988. Yana Klochkova<\/strong> came close, too: double medley gold in 2000 and 2004, plus silver over 800m freestyle in 2000. There there are the queens of the ‘What If’ sorority of women swimmers harmed by the years of State Plan 14:25, damage exacerbated by a boycott imposed by their own country: Tracy Caulkins<\/strong> and Mary T. Meagher<\/strong> – would it have been double gold on medley and ‘fly at Moscow 1980 in a parallel fairer world of Olympic sport? Probably – but we will never know.<\/p>\n

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Katie Ledecky and Janet Evans – Photo Courtesy: Jeff Commings<\/p><\/div>\n

What we do know is this: there is another four-gold winner who is still very much active. \u00a0At Tokyo 202One, Katie Ledecky<\/strong> has a big shot at becoming the greatest female swimmer all-time on measures of medals \u00a0and World records and outstanding pioneering. Heading into her third Games, Ledecky is already on our overall and freestyle podiums among all-time greats.<\/p>\n

It is when we look at Ledecky and many others at a variety of stages of their careers and consider that part of Olympic history that poured poison in the pool that we understand why the Olympic swim meet of the Tokyo 202One Games should go ahead spectators or non, in Tokyo or elsewhere. Their moment is now. Never to be had again. It should not be a case of now or never.<\/p>\n

League of Legends \u2013 Women<\/h2>\n
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Krisztina Egerszegi, left, and Shane Gould – Image Courtesy: SwimSketch<\/p><\/div>\n

Overall \u2013 Gold For Gould & Egerszegi<\/h2>\n
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  1. Shane Gould (AUS)\/\u00a0Krisztina Egerszegi (HUN); <\/strong>2.\u00a0Janet Evans (USA)\/ Katie Ledecky (USA)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    League of Legends Stroke Podiums<\/h3>\n

    The tightness of competition measuring medals, world records and related aspects of pioneering, distance and stroke spectrum and impact of campaigns was significant – and most noticeable in our overall freestyle podium below, where we award joint gold to four women who scored within 1 point of each other on a scale note far from that point reflecting a percentage point – and therefore too close to call.<\/p>\n

    Freestyle<\/h2>\n
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    Dawn Fraser – SwimSketch<\/p><\/div>\n

    Women:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Overall: 1. Dawn Fraser (AUS)\/Shane Gould (AUS)\/ Janet\u00a0Evans (USA)\/ Katie Ledecky (USA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Winners of the distance spectrum:<\/p>\n

    Sprint: Dawn Fraser<\/strong> (AUS). Distance*: Janet Evans<\/strong> (USA)<\/p>\n

    (* to the question why Evans tops Gould and Ledecky on distance freestyle when they are all matched overall: Gould’s achievement includes medals over 100 and 200m; Ledecky’s achievement includes a medal over 200m)<\/p>\n

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    Krisztina Egerszegi<\/p><\/div>\n

    Backstroke<\/h2>\n

    1-Krisztina Egerszegi\u00a0<\/strong>(HUN)<\/p>\n

    2-Kirsty Coventry (ZIM)<\/p>\n

    3-Natalie Coughlin (USA)<\/p>\n

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    Leisel Jones SwimSketch<\/p><\/div>\n

    Breaststroke<\/h2>\n

    1. Leisel Jones\u00a0(AUS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    2. Rebecca Soni (USA)<\/p>\n

    3. Galina\u00a0Prozumenshikova (URS)<\/p>\n

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    Mary T. Meagher<\/p><\/div>\n

    Butterfly<\/h2>\n
    \n

    \n<\/div>\n

    1-Mary T. Meagher (USA)<\/strong>;<\/p>\n

    2-Susie O’Neill (AUS);<\/p>\n

    3=Ada Kok (NED)\/ Petria Thomas (AUS)<\/p>\n

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    Yana Klochkova – SwimSketch<\/p><\/div>\n

    Medley<\/h2>\n