I watched Leisel Jones's interview on SWM this morning and it got me thinking... Is breaststroke the stroke where we are more likely to see the same athletes at the top of the rankings for the longest time?
If you look at the 2000 Olympics for example, Leisel took silver to Megan Jendrick winning gold. Eight years later, both are still on their respective Olympic teams and the person who took third to them, Penny Heyns, was around for many years. Further in that 2000 100-metres event you had Sylvia Gerasch who swam at Euro champs back in 1983, won world championships in 1986 and still finaled in 2000 (even after serving a doping ban). Sarah Poewe also swam in that final and also is still competing at the Olympic level.
Other names seem like they've been around forever too...
I bet that Ed Moses, if he chooses to swim again, can still go pretty fast. It looks like his 2:02 200br (scm) world record from 2004 still stands.
He swam that time without the benefits of the current hi-tech suits or the dolphin kick off the start and every turn.
And, I'd pay to see Steve Lundquist race John Moffet again.
As a counterpoint - Dara Torres is the best example of a free/fly swimmer competing at an elite level longer than anyone so far.
Neil Walker and Jason Lezak are not breaststrokers and competed at an elite level for 14+ years.
Based on anectdotal observations of Masters only - the number of older athletes swimming breaststroke is much smaller than those swimming freestyle or backstroke. Many seem to have knee problems.
I think that alot has changed in the female breaststroker arena. Before, a good breaststroker would burn out at 18, ie Anita Nall. It looked like Amanda Beard was on her way to burning out in her 2000 Trials and Olympic performance. But, she made an amazing comeback in 2004 and still made the team in 2008.
On the men's side, the top breaststrokers are the ones in their mid to upper 20s. Hansen should stay in the sport because there is no new top male breaststroker coming up. Plus, he will make a few extra bucks in the process. Wouldn't we have heard about the new rising breaststroker at Ultraswim? All I saw was Shanteau and Gangloff. Did Scott Usher retire? It is pretty much all the same players from 2004. We need someone to come up because we need a breaststroker who can finally get to the top of the podium at London. We haven't had a gold medal breaststroker since 1992.
On the men's side...We need someone to come up because we need a breaststroker who can finally get to the top of the podium at London. We haven't had a gold medal breaststroker since 1992.
Scott Spann Jr?
Lars Forlander fly/free has been competing at Olympics, Worlds, Euro Champs in 1992.
He just swam his fastest ever 50m fly last summer at the Swedish nations. and was ~.1 sec from the semi's at the last Olympics.
