﻿{"id":474492,"date":"2021-05-29T09:05:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-29T16:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=474492"},"modified":"2021-05-29T09:05:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T16:05:36","slug":"5-uncertain-international-athlete-storylines-as-olympic-games-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/5-uncertain-international-athlete-storylines-as-olympic-games-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Uncertain International-Athlete Storylines as Olympic Games Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>5 Uncertain International-Athlete Storylines as Olympic Games Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a normal Olympic year, plenty of questions arise concerning athlete preparation and whether specific individuals will peak at the most-important point in the season. Of course, with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc around the world, additional uncertainties have dotted the Olympic landscape over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>In recent days, many headlines around the world have focused on the status of the Olympic Games in <a href=\"https:\/\/tokyo2020.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tokyo<\/a>. While the Japanese government and International Olympic Committee have repeatedly vowed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/senior-ioc-member-says-barring-an-armageddon-the-olympic-games-will-take-place\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Games can be held in a safe manner<\/a>, other voices \u2013 including Japanese citizens \u2013 have called for the Olympics to be cancelled.<\/p>\n<p>The countdown to Tokyo 2020 is now under two months, and several big names around the world have produced performances that suggest their prep for Tokyo is proceeding nicely. Take <strong>Kaylee McKeown<\/strong>, for example. The Australian recently just missed the world record in the 100-meter backstroke, in addition to delivering superb showings in the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley.<\/p>\n<p>For others, questions remain. Here is a look at six major names in the sport whose impact come Tokyo features a level of uncertainty.<\/p>\n<h3>Mack Horton<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_267624\" style=\"width: 178px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-267624\" data-attachment-id=\"267624\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/5-uncertain-international-athlete-storylines-as-olympic-games-approach\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"178,178\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"mack-horton-afterevent-australia\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;mack-horton-afterevent-australia&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy:&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-267624\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia.jpg\" alt=\"mack-horton-afterevent-australia\" width=\"168\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia.jpg 178w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mack-horton-afterevent-australia-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 168px) 100vw, 168px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-267624\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy:<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Historically, the reigning Olympic champion in the 400 freestyle is known for dropping large chunks of time in major competition. This year, however, he has not put forth any results that assuage doubt related to what he will do at the upcoming Australian Olympic Trials in Adelaide. While it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Horton, a leading voice for clean sport, flourished when it counts, he will have his hands full domestically with the likes of <strong>Elijah Winnington<\/strong> and <strong>Jack McLoughlin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Horton was dealt a disruption to his training in the past week when he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/olympic-champion-mack-horton-makes-mercy-dash-out-of-melbourne-to-book-his-ticket-to-tokyo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">forced to exit his Melbourne base<\/a> due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Victoria. By shifting to the Gold Coast, Horton avoided being stuck in Melbourne at the time of Trials.<\/p>\n<h3>Katinka Hosszu<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_384823\" style=\"width: 282px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-384823\" data-attachment-id=\"384823\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/life-lessons-taken-from-the-pool-to-the-classroom\/hosszu2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hosszu2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,584\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;PATRICK B. KRAEMER&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Katinka Hosszu of Hungary celebrates after winning in the women&#039;s 400m Individual Medley (IM) Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 28 July 2019.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"hosszu2\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Katinka Hosszu of Hungary celebrates after winning in the women&#8217;s 400m Individual Medley (IM) Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 28 July 2019.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Katinka Hosszu celebrates her 400 IM victory at the 2019 World Championships; Photo Courtesy: PATRICK B. KRAEMER&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hosszu2-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hosszu2.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-384823\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hosszu2-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"400 IM Katinka Hosszu of Hungary celebrates after winning in the women's 400m Individual Medley (IM) Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 28 July 2019.\" width=\"272\" height=\"194\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-384823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katinka Hosszu celebrates her 400 IM victory at the 2019 World Championships; Photo Courtesy: PATRICK B. KRAEMER<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Heading into the 2016 Olympic Games, the Hungarian star was on a roll. It wasn\u2019t a question of whether she would strike gold in Rio, but how many times. Ultimately, she claimed Olympic titles in both medley events and the 100 backstroke, with a silver medal added in the 200 backstroke. This Olympic cycle has been much different.<\/p>\n<p>Hosszu has not been the Iron Lady in the leadup to Tokyo and defense of her medley crowns will be a difficult task. At the recent European Championships, Hosszu won gold in the 400 medley, but was limited to bronze in the 200 medley. It is possible that her best will come in Tokyo, but this Olympiad brings a different look than five years ago. It is worth noting that Hosszu\u2019s best in the 400 medley provides such a cushion over the competition that she remains a leading contender in that event while off her peak.<\/p>\n<h3>Sarah Sjostrom<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_372130\" style=\"width: 235px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-372130\" data-attachment-id=\"372130\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/2019-fina-champions-series-day-2-flickinger-hosszu-king-post-world-leading-times-in-signature-events-photos\/sarah-sjostrom-13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/sarah-sjostrom-_PB61035-e1564054302668.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;sarah-sjostrom-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1559434999&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;sarah-sjostrom-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"sarah-sjostrom-_PB61035\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Sarah Sjostrom&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Sarah Sjostrom &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/sarah-sjostrom-_PB61035-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/sarah-sjostrom-_PB61035-1024x768.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-372130\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/sarah-sjostrom-_PB61035-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"Sarah Sjostrom\" width=\"225\" height=\"161\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-372130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah Sjostrom &#8211; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The tale of the Swedish standout is one that shows how unfair sports can be. On the road to Tokyo, Sjostrom was dealt a major blow earlier this year when she slipped on ice and suffered a broken elbow that required surgery. Although Sjostrom has been in the water, her buildup to past work has been a gradual process, with butterfly work just recently added to her program.<\/p>\n<p>The reigning Olympic champ in the 100 butterfly might not even be able to defend her gold medal in that event, with a decision on that possibility coming at a later date. As for the sprint-freestyle events, in which Sjostrom is the world-record holder, will she be recovered enough and have the proper preparation to battle with the world\u2019s elite?<\/p>\n<h3>Yuliya Efimova<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_371946\" style=\"width: 198px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-371946\" data-attachment-id=\"371946\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/5-uncertain-international-athlete-storylines-as-olympic-games-approach\/yulia-efimova-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/yulia-efimova-_PB60414.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2400,1800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;E-M1X&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;yulia-efimova-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1559349068&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;yulia-efimova-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"yulia-efimova-_PB60414\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;yulia-efimova- 2019, FINA Champs Indy&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/yulia-efimova-_PB60414-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/yulia-efimova-_PB60414-1024x768.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-371946\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/yulia-efimova-_PB60414-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"yulia-efimova-\" width=\"188\" height=\"134\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-371946\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Russian breaststroker has already had her Tokyo program shortened by her inability to qualify at the Russian Trials in the 200 breaststroke. Consequently, Efimova is solely focused on the 100 breaststroke, where she will likely engage in another chapter of her rivalry with American and world-record holder <strong>Lilly King<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Is it possible that Efimova will benefit from not racing both the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke in Tokyo? With greater focus on the shorter event, maybe Efimova will be better suited for the event, in which she was the 2016 Olympic silver medalist.<\/p>\n<h3>Kosuke Hagino<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_216285\" style=\"width: 233px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-216285\" data-attachment-id=\"216285\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-week-that-was-queens-wins-fifth-straight-ncaa-division-ii-championship\/kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics-e1501059649960.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1331,933\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;3\/15\/19&lt;br \/&gt;\n7\/13\/17 &#038; 7\/26\/17&lt;br \/&gt;\nkosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics-e1501059649960-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics-e1501059649960-1024x718.jpg\" class=\" wp-image-216285\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/kosuke-hagino-400-im-prelims-2016-rio-olympics-e1501059649960-700x500.jpg\" alt=\"kosuke-hagino-\" width=\"223\" height=\"159\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-216285\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Courtesy: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There will be no defense of the Japanese star\u2019s 400 medley title from Rio, as Hagino opted out of the event to focus on the 200 individual medley. It has been anything but a smooth Olympic cycle for Hagino, who took time away from the sport to deal with mental-health issues. Just seeing him back in the water and on the Japanese Olympic roster is a bonus.<\/p>\n<p>The silver medalist from Rio in the 200 medley, Hagino will face a stacked field in Tokyo, including dealing with countryman <strong>Daiya<\/strong> <strong>Seto<\/strong>. Hagino has been 1:57.43 this year, but he will need to be considerably faster to contend for the podium for a second consecutive Games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5 Uncertain International-Athlete Storylines as Olympic Games Approach In a normal Olympic year, plenty of questions arise concerning athlete preparation and whether specific individuals will peak at the most-important point<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7533,"featured_media":453217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[121252,25129,25002,25316,237,32196,695,25311],"class_list":["post-474492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-world","tag-covid-19","tag-katinka-hosszu","tag-kosuke-hagino","tag-mack-horton","tag-olympic-games","tag-sarah-sjostrom","tag-tokyo","tag-yuliya-efimova"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>5 Uncertain International-Athlete Storylines as Olympic Games Approach<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the Olympic Games in Tokyo approach, several international athletes are surrounded by uncertainty concerning their readiness.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/5-uncertain-international-athlete-storylines-as-olympic-games-approach\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Uncertain International-Athlete Storylines as Olympic Games Approach\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the Olympic Games in Tokyo approach, several 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