I just read that the men's 200 MR was DQd at Worlds. That race could've given Phelps a record 8th gold medal... bummer.
Phelps was very gracious about it. He said, "We came in here as a team, we exit as a team."
Sigh.
PS Did you see the size of his HANDS! I would like to swim just one race with hands his size, and feet the size of Thorpe's. (Yep, I have puny little paws!)
Amen Lindsay! More often then not it's the swimmer in the waters fault!
I disagree. Crocker needs to make sure he has a safe start. It isn't the breaststroker's fault unless he really muffed the finish.
Crocker is a competitor. He knew prelims was his one chance to put down a great split and I'm sure he pushed just a little too hard on the start. It isn't the end of the world, but I think you're being a little too casual to just say "mistakes happen." This is the World Championships after all. Heck, every World Series people still bring up Bill Buckner's error in game six of the 1986 Series.
I think a lot of people think it "interesting" that Crocker's false start ruined Phelps' chance for an 8th gold. My guess is that this wouldn't have been more than an "oh crap" if someone else had false started...
Keep in mind that had he false started intentionally he would cost himself a gold medal too... I cannot and will not believe he did it intentionally.
Question: What the heck is this thing about the teams getting a .04 "break" on their starts, but .05 gets them DQ'd? I have never heard this. It is completely absurd. Swimming is such an accurate sport to the hundredth of a second (WRs have been won and lost by as much, not to mention gold medals), how could teams be given that leeway? I don't get it. It's completely assinine. You either DQ a team for false starting, or you don't. The time they left early by shouldn't matter- it's still a DQ. (I can see the argument coming that all teams get the same "benefit", but even that doesn't make sense.)
:confused:
If FINA is using an electric false start sensor, The .03 (not .04) is probably allowed as a makeup error to compensate for differing lengths of wire, connections, position of toes on the block, whatever. Either way, it is the rule, and every one in the race is using the same allowance.
Kirk all I was getting at is that we can't expect athletes to be perfect, they make errors, too. Expecting them to be perfect is holding them to too high of a standard.
Anyone know when the last time Ian swam that relay and wasn't diving in after Hansen? I can't remember it, probably was an exchange to Moses?? It's been awhile and his timing was off ... freakin' move on people! Geez ...
agreed. completly.
A more detailed look at the first two US swimmer's times reveals that very likely, they were just cruising to get into the finals and not going for a world record.
Lochte led off with a 54.08. He went 53.5 in the individual event.
Usher? Does not look like he even swam the 100 *** in the finals, but he went 100.84. Hansen went 59.8 in the 100 *** finals.
So, the first two were well off a world record pace.
Now that I look, I'm not sure why Piersol and Hansen weren't in this relay. Piersol won the 100 with a 52.98. A full second faster than Lochte's lead off swim and a half second faster than Lochte in the 100 back finals. Hansen won the 100 *** a full second faster than Usher. Phelps has the fly locked up based on winning the event, and Lezak has the free, based on his 400 free relay anchor split.:confused:
The final, world record breaking relay, should have been Piersol back, Hansen ***, Phelps fly, and Lezak free. 52.98,59.8,50.8,47.32
The more people that swim it in prelims....the more that get a gold if they win it.....that would be the reason I would let them swim it!
I agree that Lochte's time was a little off...about .5.....but Usher did a 1:01 in the 100 earlier.....so it kind of looks like he was pushing his with a 1:00........
Tj, I forgot about that.
So what you're saying is, the DQ in the prelims likely cost Piersol,Lochte, Hansen, Usher, Phelps, Crocker, and Lezak a gold medal?
TJ, Usher went 101.24 in the semi's and 100.84 in the relay. Those times are about equal, given the rolling relay start. We used to expect a half second advantage with a relay start. Not sure if that is still the case. Still, you're right, he wasn't cruising, but they had no chance at a world record in the prelims with the line up they had.
Crocker made a mistake as we all do. He will get over it and continue to swim on world record breaking relays. He also is a competitor, though, and while I have no doubt that he was not intentionally trying to undermine Phelps's gold rush, I also have no doubt that at some level he wanted to produce a better split than Phelps's.
Heather said it perfectly.
Ian probably wanted to have one heck of a split - and was just too overexcited. After reading many articles about Crocker - he doesn't seem like the type who would sabotage the relay because of Michael Phelps' quest for 8. Give the kid a break.
Every single one of us has made a mistake in the pool... it happens.
Life will go on.
