{"id":587308,"date":"2024-06-14T16:54:44","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T23:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=587308"},"modified":"2024-06-14T19:22:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-15T02:22:07","slug":"usa-swimming-brass-confident-in-american-teams-capabilities-against-australia-rest-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/usa-swimming-brass-confident-in-american-teams-capabilities-against-australia-rest-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Swimming Brass Confident in American Team’s Capabilities Against Australia, Rest of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

USA Swimming Brass Confident in American Team’s Capabilities Against Australia, Rest of the World<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the first time in more than two decades, Australia was the clear top team at the 2023 World Championships<\/a>. Australia won 13 gold medals, including topping four of the eight relays, while the United States had only four golds before capturing three more on the final day of the meet. The Americans did not win a relay until the meet-concluding men’s and women’s 400 medley relays.<\/p>\n

World Aquatics gave the team-of-the-meet award to the U.S. because of a higher overall medal count and number of finalists, but Australia had every reason to claim victory, the first time in that position since the previous Worlds held in Fukuoka in 2001.\u00a0Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> won three individual gold medals while\u00a0Mollie O’Callaghan<\/strong> had two and\u00a0Ariarne Titmus<\/strong> won a race-of-the-century-type victory in the 400 free. All three finished the year as world-record holders.<\/p>\n

This week at Australia’s Olympic Trials, more of the same, with the Dolphins’ dominance most showcased as Titmus and O’Callaghan both smashed the world record in the 200 freestyle, swimming more than a second quicker than any other active swimmer in an emphatic statement of the country’s dominance in the women’s freestyle events<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, the Americans are chasing those times, seeking to post the sort of times at this week’s Olympic Trials in Indianapolis that can set themselves up for an Olympic performance up to their own high standards.<\/p>\n

In a pre-meet press conference Friday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, USA Swimming National Team Managing Director\u00a0Lindsay Mintenko<\/strong> and the two head coaches set to guide the Stars and Stripes in Paris,\u00a0Todd DeSorbo<\/strong> and\u00a0Anthony Nesty<\/strong>, expressed plenty of optimism about what the Americans are capable of, despite the results from last year.<\/p>\n

Mintenko, a two-time Olympian during her own swimming career, repeated the oft-parroted line that the crucible of the U.S. Olympic Trials, the deepest of any national selection meet<\/a>, uniquely prepares American swimmers to perform at the Olympics.<\/p>\n

“The Australians obviously are swimming well. They have for many, many years, but we\u2019re going to, too,” Mintenko said. “We have the advantage of having the last trials of all the countries. Like Anthony said, this is a pretty difficult meet. You have to be on your game to even make the team, the U.S. Olympic team. I fully anticipate our athletes will be on their game starting tomorrow, and that momentum will lead into our camps and into Paris. We\u2019re really looking forward to what\u2019s to come in the next few weeks.”<\/p>\n

DeSorbo viewed the selection meet through a different lens, focusing on his approach with the swimmers from the University of Virginia he is guiding toward spots on the Olympic team. Above all else, Trials is an individual experience for each swimmer, with no use obsessing over what the times mean and how they stack up globally until athletes have successfully secured their spots in Paris.<\/p>\n

“Every swimmer in the United States has been working toward this for an entire year,” DeSorbo said. “Regardless of who\u2019s swimming fast outside of the U.S., it doesn\u2019t really matter, right? Everybody right now is focused on themselves and doing the best they can and getting through the gauntlet of the U.S. trials, and that\u2019s what\u2019s going to set us up to do really well in Paris. I\u2019m not, and I\u2019m guessing Anthony\u2019s not too worried about what\u2019s going on in the rest of the world right now. We\u2019re just focused on what\u2019s happening here.”<\/p>\n

Nesty concluded with a reminder of the time that has passed since Fukuoka and that which has changed in a year. U.S. coaches and swimmers often plan their year-to-year plans to peak with the Olympic year, using the intermediate seasons as preparation for the ultimate test. For evidence of that, think back to less-than-stellar American performances at the 2015 and 2019 World Championships, both of which were followed by excellent Olympics.<\/p>\n

“I think every year is different,” Nesty said. “Last year is last year. It\u2019s a new season. Obviously, we have to get through the next nine days to select a fantastic team, and then it\u2019s game on. I\u2019m pretty confident, like Todd said. Everybody\u2019s been gearing up for this summer. The meet starts tomorrow, and I\u2019m pretty confident we\u2019re going to have a great team, great staff heading into Paris to do the best we can and win as many medals as we can.”<\/p>\n

More Olympic Trials Coverage<\/h2>\n