{"id":486400,"date":"2021-09-03T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=486400"},"modified":"2021-09-02T15:48:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T22:48:39","slug":"swimming-world-september-2021-presents-tokyo-olympic-game-superlative-awards-best-male-and-female-performance-of-the-meet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-world-september-2021-presents-tokyo-olympic-game-superlative-awards-best-male-and-female-performance-of-the-meet\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World September 2021 Presents – Tokyo Olympic Game Superlative Awards: Best Male and Female Performance of the Meet"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em><\/span>
\nis now available for download in the<\/span> Swimming World Vault<\/span><\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Non-Subscribers Can Download This Issue Here<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Superlative Awards<\/span><\/h1>\n

MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: CAELEB DRESSEL (100 FLY) – <\/span><\/strong>By John Lohn<\/span>
\nThere was no shortage of premium swims from the Tokyo Games. From Adam Peaty (100 breaststroke) to Kristof Milak (200 butterfly) to Bobby Finke (distance freestyle) to Wang Shun (200 individual medley), several individual efforts deserved consideration for Male Performance of the Meet.<\/p>\n

But only one was the fastest in history, and it was produced by the man who was expected to be the star of Games\u2014and delivered on that promise.
\nIn the history of the 100 meter butterfly, the 50-second barrier has been cracked on only 10 occasions. Seven of those performances belong to American Caeleb Dressel, headlined by the 49.45 showstopper he popped to mine gold in Tokyo over Milak, the Hungarian star who went 49.68 for the No. 4 mark of all-time and a European record.<\/p>\n

On the way to his second Olympiad, Dressel was\u2014arguably\u2014the most-hyped athlete of the Games. The pressure of that position is not easily managed, but Dressel found a way to compartmentalize each event and do what was necessary to win. In the 100 fly, that meant fending off Milak, the Olympic champion in the 200 fly who would surely charge down the last lap.<\/p>\n

Dressel applied pressure from the start, going out in 23.00 to establish a .65-second lead on Milak. On the homecoming lap, Dressel remained poised and dug deep for a closing split of 26.45, one of the fastest ever, and the world record. Dressel sliced 5-hundredths off his previous global standard, which was set at the 2019 World Championships. Making the swim even more impressive was the fact that Dressel had a mediocre turn and finish, suggesting something in the 49-low realm was doable.<\/p>\n

As dominant as Dressel has been in the 100 butterfly, the presence of Milak necessitated an aggressive front half from the U.S. star. Indeed, Dressel adopted that gameplan superbly, but he deserves plaudits, too, for the way he finished. With Milak registering the fastest back half in the history of the event, a split of 26.01, Dressel had no room to fade\u2014even in the slightest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to put me out of a job one day, so I\u2019m just trying to hang on as long as I can,\u201d Dressel said of Milak. \u201cKristof executed perfectly. We both swam exactly the race we needed to. It was extremely close. It took a world record to win the Olympic final. I don\u2019t think it happens that often in the Olympics. To have two of the fastest times in history, it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dressel\u2019s world record was the opener of a three-swim evening on Day 7 that also saw him contest the semifinals of the 50 freestyle and the final of the mixed medley relay. Triples are rarely contested in a single session, especially at the international level. But they have become commonplace for the 24-year-old, who has previously handled that daunting schedule at the World Championships.<\/p>\n

Dressel has been untouchable in the 100 butterfly for the past four years. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes world titles from 2017 and 2019 and a Pan Pacific crown from 2018. Capturing Olympic gold simply completed Dressel\u2019s championship set, the world record adding a bit of flair.<\/p>\n

FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: TATJANA SCHOENMAKER (200 BREAST) – <\/strong>By Matthew De George<\/span><\/span>
\nIt didn\u2019t seem like a challenge when Tatjana Schoenmaker said it, but the South African swimmer spent the rest of the week trying to prove herself wrong.<\/p>\n

Schoenmaker had just garnered a silver medal in the women\u2019s 100 meter breaststroke on Tuesday, the third finals session of the Tokyo Olympics. After an Olympic and African record of 1:04.82 in the heats a day-and-a-half earlier, Schoenmaker didn\u2019t betray a hint of disappointment in being overtaken by American Lydia Jacoby for gold in the shorter breaststroke race, which isn\u2019t her specialty. Instead, Schoenmaker was ecstatic in garnering the first swimming medal for a South African woman in 21 years since Penny Heyns added a bronze medal in the 100 breast at the Sydney Games to her breaststroke gold-medal sweep in 1996!<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be any more happy,\u201d Schoenmaker enthused at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.<\/p>\n

She worked to disprove that as the week wore on. Schoenmaker\u2019s win in the 200 breast three days later wasn\u2019t just another installment of joyous history for her and her country.<\/p>\n

It marked the first and only women\u2019s individual world record of the Games, a milestone that brought tears to Schoenmaker\u2019s eyes anew.
\nAnd with her compatriot, Kaylene Corbett, and the other two occupants of the podium\u2014silver medalist Lilly King and bronze medalist Annie Lazor, both of the United States\u2014Schoenmaker delivered not just an unforgettable swim, but one of the indelible images of the Games: the four women embracing in shared jubilation in the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would\u2019ve never even thought, because it\u2019s my first Olympics, that for me to get a lane in the final, then everyone stands a chance,\u201d Schoenmaker said. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing I\u2019ve always been after. This has exceeded all my expectations, so I couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schoenmaker\u2019s expectations were relatively modest entering the Games. Though the 24-year-old entered as the fifth seed in the 100 and tops in the 200, she was able to ease into the Games, with the 100 as her less favored event. Her ability to attack that swim with early speed to complement her tried-and-true back-half endurance boded well.<\/p>\n

It cushioned any blow of Jacoby surging past her in the 100 breast final, though with Schoenmaker maintaining that merely making a final was her goal all along, there wasn\u2019t much to cushion.<\/p>\n

The 200 was hers from start to finish. She set an Olympic record in prelims at 2:19.16, dashing Rebecca Soni\u2019s mark from London. She was first in the semis and matched the early speed of King in the final, overtaking her on the third 50. When Schoenmaker hit the wall, she glanced at the board to see a margin of victory of nearly a second over King and a world record of 2:18.95.<\/p>\n

From the party hosted by her parents in the wee hours of the Johannesburg morning in South Africa to the celebration unfolding over the lane line in Tokyo, Schoenmaker\u2019s joy matched the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was exciting because it was such a good race,\u201d Schoenmaker said. \u201cIt was also amazing that all the girls could celebrate each others\u2019 victories. We all came together in the middle, and I really hope it stays like that and goes on to other strokes, because it\u2019s so amazing to celebrate with each other and leave the competition in the pool…and after the race is done, to just be with each other and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out who else won for:
\nBest Men’s and Women’s Relay Performance,
\nBest Individual Relay Performance,
\nBiggest Upset\/Surprise,
\nBreakout Performer,
\nCountry On The Rise,
\nand the Resilience Award,<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span>
\nClick here to download the full issue of Swimming World September 2021 –<\/a>\u00a0available now!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Swimming<\/a>
\n[PHOTO BY ROB SCHUMACHER \/ USA Today Sports]<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

FEATURES<\/p>\n

2020 TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES<\/strong><\/span>
\nby John Lohn, Dan D\u2019Addona,\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nMatthew De George and David Rieder<\/strong><\/p>\n

010<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 LIKE NO OTHER<\/strong><\/span>
\nThere has never been an Olympics like the one held in Tokyo from July 23 through Aug. 8. Even the Games themselves were known as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games despite the fact that the actual event was held a year later! Yet, once the competition got started\u2014at venues without any spectators\u2014the XXXII Olympiad provided all of the anticipated emotions, surprises, goal fulfillments and more.<\/p>\n

014<\/span> | MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: Caeleb Dressel (100 Fly)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

014<\/span> | FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE MEET: Tatjana Schoenmaker (200 Breast)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

015<\/span> | BEST WOMEN\u2019S RELAY PERFORMANCE: Australia (400 Freestyle Relay)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

016<\/span> | BEST MEN\u2019S RELAY PERFORMANCE: USA (400 Medley Relay)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

017<\/span> | BEST INDIVIDUAL RELAY PERFORMANCE: Adam Peaty (100 Breast\/400 Medley Relay)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

018<\/span> | BIGGEST UPSET\/SURPRISE: Ahmed Hafnaoui (400 Free) & Lydia Jacoby (100 Breast)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

019<\/span> | BREAKOUT PERFORMER: Bobby Finke (800 and 1500 Free)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

020<\/span> | COUNTRY ON THE RISE: Italy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

021<\/span> | RESILIENCE AWARD: Sarah Sjostrom (50 Free)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

022<\/span> | OLYMPIC PHOTO GALLERY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

027<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 RETURN TO NO. 1<\/strong><\/span>
\nby David Rieder<\/strong>
\nAfter a two-season absence as Swimming World\u2019s girls\u2019 high school national champions, Carmel High School (Ind.) has returned to claim its seventh overall team title since 2011.<\/p>\n

029\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE\u2019S GIRLS\u2019 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS MOCK HEAT SHEET<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Bob Klapthor<\/strong><\/p>\n

031\u00a0<\/span> | MAKING HISTORY<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Dan D\u2019Addona<\/strong>
\nCarmel High School (Ind.) is the first school in 21 years to have both its girls\u2019 and boys\u2019 swimming teams win Swimming World\u2019s national high school championships in the same year\u2014a feat last accomplished by Bolles (Fla.) in 2000.<\/p>\n

033<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE\u2019S BOYS\u2019 NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS MOCK HEAT SHEET<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Bob Klapthor<\/strong><\/p>\n

COACHING<\/p>\n

038<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 WHAT COACHES WISH PROSPECTS KNEW ABOUT RECRUITING<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong>
\nWhen it comes to college recruiting, swim coaches agree: they\u2019re looking at much more than swimming times. They\u2019re evaluating the whole package: academic, athletic, personal… and more!<\/p>\n

041<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 SPECIAL SETS: ERIN GEMMELL\u2014OLYMPIC BLOODLINES<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong>
\nBruce Gemmell of Nation\u2019s Capital Swim Club provides an interesting capsule of coaching for his 16-year-old daughter, Erin, as she prepared for her first U.S. Olympic Trials experience and earned a spot on the U.S. Junior team headed for the Berlin and Budapest World Cup stops in October.<\/p>\n

043\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 Q&A WITH COACH JEFF JULIAN<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

044<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 HOW THEY TRAIN\u00a0 TRENTON JULIAN<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Michael J. Stott<\/strong><\/p>\n

TRAINING<\/p>\n

037<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0 DRYSIDE TRAINING:\u00a0 GOLD MEDAL WORKOUT (PART 2)<\/strong><\/span>
\nby J.R. Rosania<\/strong><\/p>\n

JUNIOR SWIMMER<\/p>\n

047\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 UP & COMERS:\u00a0 HENRY WEBB<\/strong><\/span>
\nby Shoshanna Rutemiller<\/strong><\/p>\n

COLUMNS<\/p>\n

008\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

040<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 THE OFFICIAL WORD<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

046<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 HASTY HIGH POINTERS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

048<\/span>\u00a0 |\u00a0 GUTTERTALK<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

049\u00a0<\/span> |\u00a0 PARTING SHOT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n