Lets have some real fun, Olympic predictions. I am starting with the men.
Phelps could win: My predictions for winning times:
100 fly 50.5
200 fly 1:52.5
200 backstroke 1:53.0
200 IM 1:54.0
400 IM 4:04.0
Medley relay USA
I have been following his improvement in breaststroke, he could also be world class in that stroke one day. A couple of 400 IMers are world class in the 200 ***, 2:12 or better. Phelps no longer looses ground to them
Phelps could also swim the 200 free, probably go 1:45.3 but I doubt that would win.
Also the 200 breaststroke will take a 2:07 to win There will be 3 swimmers below 2:10.
The 100 breaststroke will probably go at 58.2, but Moses has a 57.5 in him. All depends on how well he swims. There are at least 5 swimmers who could win the 100. Hardest thing in the world is to swim great on just one day out of many years of training.
Any more predictions from others? I am sure Swim Magazine will have their predictions out soon.
Women, the only prediction I have is the 200 breaststroke:
Amanda at 2:21.2 She is race hardened, she can swim well on any day of the week, any week. World Cup has moved her to another level.
Parents
Former Member
Ladies & Gentlemen,
If the U.S. wins the medley relay, why wouldn't both Crocker and Phelps win a gold? I am not totally hip to how people do prelims and finals at big meets like the Olympics, but doesn't the #2 flyer swim the prelim heat, and the #1 the final? And, don't the prelim swimmers also win the same medal as the finalists? Yes, yes, if you want to be a purist, only one of them gets to swim the finals, and so you could argue only 1 really "won" the medal, but don't they both take home the same hardware?
Actually, now that I think of it, why would the U.S. team even consider using EITHER Phelps or Crocker in the prelims of any relay if they are chasing Mark Spitz? Never mind...
As far as the U.S. winning the men's medley relay, I remind everyone that there are several countries in the world capable of pulling themselves off of the deck and challenging the U.S. Remember 1996 when the Russians were a moral lock in the medley, and we bushwacked 'em? Also, we still have the Omega timing system, which may DQ the U.S. relay team when it's microchips tell it that the U.S. breaststroker left 5 seconds before the start of the race. (Will someone from FINA please tell me why we are still using that chicken-choking system when in the last 4 years it has had two major pratfalls in the 800 free relay of a major championship.)
Matt
Ladies & Gentlemen,
If the U.S. wins the medley relay, why wouldn't both Crocker and Phelps win a gold? I am not totally hip to how people do prelims and finals at big meets like the Olympics, but doesn't the #2 flyer swim the prelim heat, and the #1 the final? And, don't the prelim swimmers also win the same medal as the finalists? Yes, yes, if you want to be a purist, only one of them gets to swim the finals, and so you could argue only 1 really "won" the medal, but don't they both take home the same hardware?
Actually, now that I think of it, why would the U.S. team even consider using EITHER Phelps or Crocker in the prelims of any relay if they are chasing Mark Spitz? Never mind...
As far as the U.S. winning the men's medley relay, I remind everyone that there are several countries in the world capable of pulling themselves off of the deck and challenging the U.S. Remember 1996 when the Russians were a moral lock in the medley, and we bushwacked 'em? Also, we still have the Omega timing system, which may DQ the U.S. relay team when it's microchips tell it that the U.S. breaststroker left 5 seconds before the start of the race. (Will someone from FINA please tell me why we are still using that chicken-choking system when in the last 4 years it has had two major pratfalls in the 800 free relay of a major championship.)
Matt
