Rio 2016: Swimming set to take centre stage in week one
Scandal, underperformance and misbehaviour appear to be all but a distant memory as the Australian swim team looks towards making amends in Rio, with swimming taking centre stage next week.
By LAURENCE ROSEN
Like it or not, the Australian swim team holds the key to the nation’s fortunes in Rio. Fail – like they did in London – and it’s a slippery slope down the medal tally.
In the "Olympics horribilis" that was London 2012, it was the high-profile movements of six members of the swimming team off the pool deck that punctuated a meet of high expectations, yet bitter disappointments.
In the pool the 42-person team failed to deliver a single individual gold medal, with the 4x100m women’s freestyle victory saving the squad from complete embarrassment.
Fast-forward four years to these Rio games and things are looking positive, with Australian Olympic officials banking on at least seven gold medals in the pool.
Team culture has been completely transformed and spirits are high as the team get ready to head to Rio from their pre-meet training camp at Auburn University in the United States.
HISTORY
Swimming has a rich and proud history in the Olympics, both when it comes to Australia and on a global scale.
Swimming was first contested as an Olympic sport in 1896 with four events, all freestyle – 100m, 500m, 1200m, and a 100m event for sailors.
It has become Australia’s most successful Olympic sport, with the country (then competing under the British flag) winning its first medals at Paris 1900 as Fredrick Lane stormed to victory in the 200m freestyle and 200m obstacle events.
In the modern era, there are 34 events at an Olympic meet, including two open-water events and six relays across the men and women’s programs.
KEY SWIMMERS – THE WORLD
Michael Phelps – USA
It is difficult to put into words the achievements of Michael Phelps as a pure athlete. Now 31, he has won a total of 18 gold medals across three Olympics and will look to defend his 100m butterfly, 200m medley, 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley titles at his fourth Olympics in Rio. He’s come out of retirement specifically for this meet.
Chad le Clos – South Africa
Renowned for his fierce rivalry with Michael Phelps, le Clos secured his first Olympic gold medal in London in the 200m butterfly, an event Phelps will be looking to take off him. Still just 24, he is a rising gun in the world of swimming and will head to Rio in good form after medalling twice – including a gold in the 100m butterfly – in last year’s world championships.
Katie Ledecky – USA
At just 19, Ledecky is one of the most dominant female swimmers to compete in Rio and has motored through the field since her 800m freestyle win in London, when she was just 15. She holds three world records (400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle) while also bagging five gold medals at the world championships in 2015. These Olympics come at a perfect time for her and, if successful, she will truly arrive as a dominant player in the world of swimming.
KEY SWIMMERS – AUSTRALIA
On the men’s side, Australia’s hopes largely rest with Cam McEvoy, who will contest both the 50m and 100m freestyle events. He currently holds the fastest time this year in the 100m while even after the hotly contested US trials, he is ranked second overall in the 50m freestyle.
Meanwhile, make sure to look out for Mack Horton in the 400m freestyle and Mitch Larkin in the 200m backstroke, who head into the Games still holding the best time for the year respectively.
On the women’s side, Australia’s gold medal hopes centre on the Campbell sisters. Both Cate and Bronte will compete in the 50m and 100m freestyle, with the former having broken the 100m freestyle world record at a meet in Brisbane earlier this year.
Emily Seebohm (100m backstroke) and Belinda Hocking (200m backstroke) also hold the fastest times this year in their respective events and are hot favourites to bring home gold.
PREDICTIONS
When the various relays that Australia are favourite in are considered, there is quiet optimism that the swimming medal haul could surpass the all-time Australian record of eight gold, four silver and two bronze set at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
Predictions of somewhere between six and 10 gold medals seem to be most people’s estimations, with this young swimming team looking about as good as anything Australian has seen in recent memory.
The Stillnox saga has been banished to the annals of history and on the surface, Rio 2016 looms as the meet for Cam McEvoy to truly announce himself across multiple disciplines. The Campbell sisters should steal the show as they continue their strong form of the past 18 months.
