Swimming Finals at the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain

No, Bert: Originally posted by Bert Bergen ... If a swimmers worth and place in history is based upon Olympic success along (in Ion's eye: gold medals),... ... A swimmer's "...place in history..." must be judged on about 50 different criteria, who knows... My 'flash-in-the-pan' criterion, is a criterion. For me. A criterion for me to claim this, on July 24: Originally posted by Ion Beza Confidential Information: ... Still, Popov went undefeated in the 100 meter free for eight years, got defeated a little in some major meets but kept in touch with challenging for #1 in major meets, and unlike a flash in the pan (see Matt Biondi (U.S.) before and after 1992) raised himself again to nail this one here. ... It then triggered the discussion of me defining the 'flash-in-the-pan' Olympic winner, as being an Olympic winner who doesn't win in other Olympics.

I was going to post this yesterday but didn't get to it. I think this is very important because the information that I have is backed up by facts and truths that are documeted in Swimming World Magazine. There were 3 statements that were made that were pure lies about Matt Biondi. In the November 1991 issue of Swimming World Magazine there was an interview with both Matt Biondi and Tom Jager in fact both were on the cover. In that interview Matt stated that it was his intention to retire after the Barcelona Olympics and that his main goal was to qualify for 5 events and skipping the 200 Free unlike 1988. The only swimming that he would do after those Olympics was promotional prize money races that were set up in 1990. He only did two competitions, one in France at the end of 1992 and one in early 1993 to fulfill his contractal obligations. When this interview was done Aexandar Popov was an unknown and never swam in a World Class event. So Lie #1 "I didn't like when in 1992 he splashed around for one more year and a half then quit instead of raising to the challenge". Matt Biondi never went in any sanctioned U.S. Swimming competition after the Olympics and announced his retirement on April 9, 1993. This is documented on the last page of the December, 1993 issue of Swimming World Magazine in Parting Shots. That 8 months and 4 days after the swimming events ended at the 1992 Olympics. Lie #2 "Since 1990 he was paid by U.S. Swimming $50,000 per year to stay in swimming and win". Again this is documented in the November, 1991 issue of Swimming World Magazine, "Biondi receives $2000 a month from the athletes assistance program of U.S. Swimming, got a one time payment this year of $3000 from the U.S. Olympic Committee and has earned $56,851 in prize money". It went on to say that he is represented by agent Parkes Brittain of the Advantge International whose responsibility was to set up the swim meets, endorsements, and public appearances and collect the earnings from the appearance money. He was in no way subsidized that amount from U.S. Swimming. Lie #3 "With no more character than winning repeately than a flake". Unbeaten in the 100 Free at a major competition from 1984 Olympic Trials until the 1992 Olympics. This includes 2 World Championships in 1985 and 1991 and the 1990 Goodwill Games which were the most important international swimming competitions between the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. The statement about the flake has no pride, no dignity, no honor to it at all. Especially from a person who at the USMS level of championship swimming has never won repeately, never made a National Top Ten, and has consistenly placed at the lower 20% level at Nationals.

TAPS Which means: THE END. FINIS. DONE.

Thanks Tom. I was luckly enough to meet Matt Biondi at the USAS convention in either 1994 or 1995. I think it was in Kansas City. I remember he was in one of the hospitality rooms and he seemed larger than life. He looked a lot thinner than I remember him being on TV and in the magazines. The big news at the time was that Melvin Stewart and Summer Sanders had announced that they were getting out of retirement and trying to make the 1996 Olympic team. One of the people asked him if he would consider doing that and afterall Pablo did it. He said he wished them luck but it was not his bag. He never ever set out to be a professonal swimmer after the 1992 Olympics. From 1988 to 1992 because he liked to compete, thought he could challenge himself to improve, and establish his independence he would give it a try. Plus opportunities were available with Tom Jager for prize money races. They became very successful with the sprint race from Nashville being seen by more than 8 million people worldwide. In 1990, swimming had more publicity in a non-Olympic year than any other time. It did real well for about a year and started to die but then Mark Spitz decides to come back and their prize money jumped from $20,000 to $75,000. When that ended the Olympic Trials and the the Olympics happened. He fulfilled his contractual obligations and then retired. He said he left the sport with no regrets. He said those 4 years were much harder to train and swim well because he trained with his California Berkley team and while they taper he is trying to train at a high level and everytime they had college meets he was pretty much by himself. He said post graduate swimming requires greater responsibilities and more freedoms and that you must strike a balance between trainning time and sponsorship responsibilities. He was always busy with autograph sessions, public speaking at social functions and racing for prize money and appearence fees. He said he was thankful for these revenue earning activities and also was proud to give back to the sport that was allowing him a opportunity to swim in one more Olympics. He said he was constantly travelling but it was fun for those 2 years and he could not see doing this for the rest of his life. He wanted to utilize his degree and be more involved with the environmental work with marine mammals. In fact he is the National spokesperson for the Humane Society and co-founderof the Delphys Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to study and protection of marine animals He said that he has had all sorts of Business people, Olympic people, Sponsors, Swim Clubs, Coaches, etc wanting him to make a comeback for the 1996 Olympics. But at 29 years old its time to move on to other prioritys in life. I still have the 1992 USA Swim Calendar called Lives in the Fast Lane" and I used to use it to post all the workouts that I did during that 1992 year. He was the January poster person. One of his quotes from the calendar is "You have to shoot for something you believe in, not what someone else believes in". I think that man lives by those words every day of his life.

Hey Skip: What do ya really think? Nice homework....

"Think about the body fat you carry at meets where I see you and in contrast to this sloppy body shape you see me slim and strong". Ok on the body fat issue I a working on it. In fact at last years Long Course Nationals Jim McConica said I was looking better. Compared to say Rob Copeland, Michael Heather, Rich Burns, Jim Matysek, well we are all in the same league. Bill Volenckening used to be in our league but he now inspires us to be better. The point I was trying to make about your swimming or take anybodys swimming for that matter is that Matt Biondi is in the Hall of Fame for his swimming accomplishments and I respect that. Who are we to question that. Now I know that you think he should have stuck around for 4 more years and try to go to the next Olympics at the age of 31 but in November of 1991 he told the swimming community that he did not intend to be a professional swimmer. That he was going to try and make history and win 10 or more gold medals in a career. He didn't win the 50 and 100 Free so he retired at the age of 27. That he fell short of his goal, he felt he accomplished all that could be done in his career in swimming. Mike Barrowman retired in 1992 and he was younger than Matt Biondi and he was 24. Professional swimming in America was a fairly new concept in the beginning of the 1990's. Matt did it for 4 years made some fairly decent money but was not guartanted that he would be able to earn that much in next 4 years if he continued to swim. He may also have realized that his best days were past in 1988 and it was time to move on to things he wanted to do. He also did want to risk the time and effort to put into this. People like Popov, Esposito, and Foster have been around since the 1992 Olympics and are truly succesful professional swimmers otherwise they would not be doing it. But that is there choice. If they quit tomorrow that is there right. I will be in San Diego from September 10 until September 14 and I invite you to the Town & Country where the USAS convention is and I will show you these old Swimming Worlds. You will also see many of the people that you communicate with on this forum. I look forward to continued dialog with you.

C'mon, Tom, is that all you got? If you included a mere one more bullet with achievements like, say, Supreme Swimmer Fellow of all Time, then maybe, just maybe I wouldn't consider him a flash in the pan. Ion is right, Biondi was a flash in the pan but let's not stop there. He quite possibly was an underachieving disgrace to America and a poor ambassador for swimming.

Excellent, well researched and well stated Skip. Thank you.

I enjoyed your humor. Now, I agree, let this thread RIP.

Okey dokey. I will bite into Thompson's challenge. Originally posted by Frank Thompson ... The statement about the flake has no pride, no dignity, no honor to it at all. Especially from a person who at the USMS level of championship swimming has never won repeately, never made a National Top Ten, and has consistenly placed at the lower 20% level at Nationals. Do you know of swimmers who started swimming in their late 20s -like I did- and overtake me? I don't. I must be very good then, when factoring this in. Because, who gets me in USMS races, developed swimming VO2Max prior to USMS, in kiddie age-group swimming like you did, but doesn't outdo me in USMS alone where my swimming is. For example, you don't outdo me in USMS alone: think about the body fat that you carry at meets where I see you, and in contrast to this sloppy body shape you see me slim and strong. By now, dragging yourself on this board to read enough times that I posted that the swimming VO2Max is developed in most USMS winners prior to USMS (at least in men 40 to 44), should make it within your comprehension also. Originally posted by Frank Thompson ... So Lie #1 "I didn't like when in 1992 he splashed around for one more year and a half then quit instead of raising to the challenge". ... "I didn't like when in 1992 he splashed around for one more year and a half then quit instead of raising to the challenge", has no lie in it: I didn't like it, indeed. Originally posted by Frank Thompson ... Lie #2 "Since 1990 he was paid by U.S. Swimming $50,000 per year to stay in swimming and win". Again this is documented in the November, 1991 issue of Swimming World Magazine, "Biondi receives $2000 a month from the athletes assistance program of U.S. Swimming, got a one time payment this year of $3000 from the U.S. Olympic Committee and has earned $56,851 in prize money". It went on to say that he is represented by agent Parkes Brittain of the Advantge International whose responsibility was to set up the swim meets, endorsements, and public appearances and collect the earnings from the appearance money. He was in no way subsidized that amount from U.S. Swimming. ... I remember that I read about $50,000. It might be a mixture of U.S. Swimming and prize money, like Nashville in March 1990... In my recollection it stayed and it stays as being $50,000 from U.S. Swimming. I have to refresh my memory from the source of this information. The point though, even for your comprehension, is that the money to support oneself and raise to challenges, was obviously there. Originally posted by Frank Thompson ... Lie #3 "With no more character than winning repeately than a flake". ... I refer to defending in 1992, the 1988. When 1992 failed, raising to the challenge and defending 1988 later on, say in 1996. I spelled this. Comprehension? I speak about this style of raising to the challenge, because I live in this style.