Ryan Lochte

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I’ll wrap up the weekend of shooting swimming with a picture of 2nd best all-around swimmer in the world, Ryan Lochte. I’m a big fan of Lochte and I probably like him even more than Michael Phelps. Lochte is always in the shadow of Phelps because they swim the same events and are about the same age, so Lochte came second in many events behind Phelps. Yet take away Phelps, and Lochte is the best all around swimmer in the world. Phelps himself said many times that he’s a better swimmer because of Lochte.

Published: June 14, 2009

Filed Under: People, Sports

http://acspencerphotography.blogspot.com/ Andrew

Great photos. Why didn’t Ryan Lochte swim in the 4X100 in Bejing? He was in the Gold placing 4X200 team right?
I still get chills watching Jason Lezak’s leg in Bejing in the 4X100 relay, and his amazing come back against the French team, unbelievable.

http://www.ivanmakarov.com Ivan Makarov

Andrew -

Free style (especially sprint) isn’t Lochte’s specialty, and there are better swimmers in that event in US than Lochte. In fact, there are better swimmers in 100m freestyle than Phelps, and yet Phelps got placed in a 4X100 free relay simply because Phelps is Phelps and everyone wanted him to have a chance to win 8 golds in Athens and Beijing.

However, Phelps may get better in freestyle, as it appears he wants to compete in 100m free in London. He swam it here in Santa Clara, but came second. We’ll see where he’s at with that in three years – 100m free has always been the hardest event to win because it’s so competitive and so short but it’ll be interesting to see if Phelps can challenge the other sprinters.

Kate

“yet Phelps got placed in a 4X100 free relay simply because Phelps is Phelps and everyone wanted him to have a chance to win 8 golds in Athens and Beijing.”

LOL. Not true whatsoever. He went a 47.92 in the heats of the 100m freestyle at the Olympic Trials in 2008, qualifying 2nd out of the entire field. He scratched the semi-finals and finals, but only two people clocked faster swims, Jason Lezak (47.58) and Garrett Weber-Gale(47.78). Phelps currently holds the American record in the 100m freestyle from his lead-off leg of the relay at the Olympics, not Lezak/GWG. He wasn’t placed on that relay because of who he is. He earned it.
http://www.ivanmakarov.com Ivan Makarov

Kate -
100m free is the event that sprinters swim. Phelps has never been one, although he’s trying to become one for London Olympics. He even wrote about this in his first autobiography “Beneath the Surface” discussing controversy between him and Gary Hall Jr in Athens when Hall complained for being excluded from the 4X100 relay.

Lezak swam under world record during his last leg in the relay in Beijing, but of course it doesn’t count because it was the last leg.

To become a sprinter, Phelps is redoing his freestyle stroke because he knows he has to if he wants to beat those who only specialize in freestyle sprinting. Personally, I don’t think he’ll ever win gold in that event, but you never know with him.
Kate

I know all this. Yes, Phelps is focusing more on sprint technique, trying to improve the front half speed of the 100. He already has the best back 50. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t already a very competitive sprinter. I was responding to your claim that the only reason he was placed on the 2008 relay was because of the eight medal hunt. He’s the second/third best American 100m freestyler in the country. The coaches would have been fools to leave him off that relay. Breaking Spitz’s record wasn’t even a consideration in their decision-making.

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