Resurrecting an old thread to get some discussion going especially with the Olympics coming up. Alot of people will say the best race they saw was the 2008 Olympic 400 mens FR with Lezac's unbelievable anchor, but my favorite was the women's FR from 1976 wheb the USA women beat the GDR dopers in an unbelievable race.
I've been watching the trials on the Olympic Channel, and I'm an Olympics junkie! Still, the one race I will never forget is the one of YOU breaking the World Record in the 200 Breaststroke, in 2011, at the Auburn Summer Nationals! That race was so exciting, especially because I was cheering on King Frog in a close race. I wanted you to win; however, I was really hoping you would break the record!
The hardest thing about that race was trying to shoot a good video AND trying to contain myself at the same time! I finally gave up and yelled, so you have to watch the video with the sound muted!
I have to make a few differentiations here. Best finish to a race would be Lezak's anchor leg of the 400 FR relay or Phelp's win in the 100 FL at the same Olympics. Best race start to finish? I will go with either the 400M FR from the 1976 Olympic Trials, or the 2017 Men's 1650 at NCAAs (more here: https://swimswam.com/clark-smith-smashes-american-record-win-ncaa-1650-free-1422-41/ ). All of those were obviously ones I witnessed live (minus the 1976 400) on TV.
However, best race I ever witnessed live in person on the deck would be the 100 BR final at the 2003 YMCA Short Course Nationals, between Michael Alexandrov and Matt Lowe. A sort of "before they were REALLY FAMOUS" race. I watched those guys go stroke for stroke and they were tied at the 25, 50, AND 75 of the race, and then Lowe clipped Alexandrov by .01 at the finish, effectively winning the event with the last stroke of the race. Runner up would go to Josh Schneider in the 50 FR at the 2013 Oklahoma Elite Pro-Am. He dropped an 18.98 in the final of the 50 FR shoot-out. First (and only) sub 19.00 FR I ever witnessed live, and so I don't forget it. He made it look easy.
I don't remember the 1976 400 M FR, but I do recall the 1500 as being quite a good race. I don't know if I saw it "live", ABC may have run it on tape delay, but it was effectively live for me because I didn't know the outcome. I also remember being stunned by the size of the biceps and shoulders on the GDR women. I'd been swimming for a few years by then, enough to have been to quite a few swim meets, and I'd never seen a female swimmer who looked anything like that.
I don't remember the 1976 400 M FR, but I do recall the 1500 as being quite a good race. I don't know if I saw it "live", ABC may have run it on tape delay, but it was effectively live for me because I didn't know the outcome. I also remember being stunned by the size of the biceps and shoulders on the GDR women. I'd been swimming for a few years by then, enough to have been to quite a few swim meets, and I'd never seen a female swimmer who looked anything like that.
And that 2017 NCAA 1650 was just insane!
When I was 12 Jeff Farrell swam the 100 Free in the US Olympic trials 6 days after having an emergency appendectomy. He qualified for the team and swam on two relays at the Olympics, but was not able to qualify for his individual events. He was the fastest freestyle sprinter in the world before the appendix incident and at the that Olympics. .
I had started AG swimming 3 or 4 years before and his trials race and Olympics was an inspiration. Probably only saw it months later on Wide World of Sports, since live swimming coverage was almost non-existent. Seven years later in 1967, during my freshman swim season in college, my appendix ruptured and I had emergency appendectomy. It was about 2 months months before I could stand up straight or get back in the pool. I have no idea how Jeff Farrell was able to qualify for the Olympics 6 days after an appendectomy - talk about a race hurting!
