By M. Duncan Scott<\/p>\n
ATHENS, Greece, August 14. WHAT do you think was the most impressive story, positive or negative, from the opening session of 2004 Olympic swimming? <\/p>\n
Was it Michael Phelps\u2019 comfortable swim into the lead qualifying position in the 400 IM? Could it have been the second place position of Phelps\u2019 primary foe, Hungary\u2019s Lazslo Cseh, despite reports of a broken foot with surgical insertion of metal support pins just a few short weeks ago?<\/p>\n
Was it the obvious disappointment of American teenager Katie Hoff, 2004 world 400 IM leader, who finished 17th out of 24, 10 seconds off her U.S. Trials winning swim? Even with a 1:10.5 (1:04.13 at Trials) freestyle she still only missed the final by 2.33. And as terrible as it sounded, she was actually faster than her prelim swim at the trials by 1.67. Her coach Paul Yetter says there is nothing physically wrong with her. How can one predict teenagers? She could turn right around and win a medal at the 200 distance.<\/p>\n
For the most part, things went tightly according to form. Klochkova on top of the 400 IM. Thorpe and Hackett 1-2 \u2013 excuse me Grant, 2-1 \u2013 in the 400 Free. Likewise, Kitajima (Olympic record 1:00.03) and Hansen in the lead spots of the 100 breaststroke going into the semifinal. And it wasn\u2019t exactly out of line for the top three names in the women\u2019s 100 fly to include lead seed Petria Thomas and the world record-holders for the 200 and 100 distances, respectively, Jedrzejczak and De Bruijn. Even with several evening substitutions expected from each team the expected Australians and Americans were on top of the women\u2019s 4 x 100 freestyle relay qualifiers.<\/p>\n
No, you\u2019d have to ignore the international media and the crush of \u201cPhelps qualifies\u201d stories to find it, but the most impressive story of Session One was \u2026 THE GREEKS!! Now, of course, the session did not carry \u201cmedal\u201d importance, but don\u2019t tell that to the locals.<\/p>\n
Greece has waited since the last time the Games were in Athens \u2013 1896 \u2013 to have a swimming finalist, according to reports from Athens organizers. National Coach Ionnis Orfanidis is pleased with the progress of Greek swimming. \u201cI am convinced that we will have at least one finalist,\u201d he exuded before the meet. He was hopeful it might be his own athlete, Ioannis Drymonakos, in his 200 butterfly specialty. Others held hopes that Spyridon Giannoitis (7th in the 2001 World Championships 400 freestyle) might make the breakthrough.<\/p>\n
But it always seems like there is \u201csomething in the water\u201d for the host team at the Olympics, and it is no different for the Greeks. After going 108 years with no finalist the Greeks came up with THREE in the first session, and an alternate to boot! <\/p>\n
First, Ionnis Kokkodis broke the Greek record in the 400 IM (4:16.56) and stands, 5th. Drymonakos didn\u2019t wait for the butterfly to shine, finishing 9th, just .06 out of the final at 4:16.83. <\/p>\n
The Greek train was rolling. Eirini Kavarnou followed with a PB 1:00.43 in the women\u2019s 100 butterfly to finish only two spots out of the semi-final (after Franziska Van Almsick\u2019s scratch). <\/p>\n
Next Giannotis, probably the home hero with the most realistic hope of a final, carried the pressure to seventh in the 400 free in a PB 3:48.77. That\u2019s two.<\/p>\n
Then, in the 400 IM, Vasiliki Angelopoulou improved over one-and-a-half seconds and dropped from 22nd seed to qualify seventh at 4:44.90, becoming the first female Greek swimming finalist ever. <\/p>\n
Even their 13th seeded women\u2019s 4 x 100 freestyle relay stood just .08 out of 8th before the excitement of the moment overtook their third swimmer who jumped early. <\/p>\n
What a day! It may not translate into medals \u2013 what a thrill that would be for the home crowd \u2013 but at least for this session, it wasn\u2019t the Grecian weather that was hot \u2026it was the Greeks themselves!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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