Before Champions were FAST...

 “Once a generation, an athlete puts himself against such overwhelming odds that even the most jaded spectator finds himself cheering.” – Iron Will

Before they were crowned champions of the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Tankers were either the cellar-dwellers or the dark horses. We were the perennial underdogs; the odds of landing a podium spot, let alone a championship, were, more often than not, not in our favor (though they were never overwhelming as the quote implies). Seventy-five long years it took (the latter ten of those I can personally vouch for) before the Blue Tankers were finally the kings of the UAAP swimming pool. And that makes the laurels on the heads of the boys sweeter to behold.

After receiving news that the Blue Tankers won their very first UAAP Swimming Championship last Sunday, September 30, a wave of emotions ran through me—the two most familiar and poignant were pride and regret. I was overwhelmingly proud of the Blue Tankers for having made history after seventy-years of heartbreak and frustration. And it is such a blessing that I got to swim with the current seniors and juniors of the team during my days as a Blue Tanker. After all that they have been through, I can honestly say that they have earned the euphoria of being champions.

Yet, as proud as I am, I regretted two things last Sunday. I will expound on the second thing later but the first was that I was not at Laguna. I would have wanted to witness the boys standing a top the podium making history before chaos ensues with bodies flying everywhere in a futile attempt to avoid being thrown in the pool good-naturedly. But that is the beauty of hindsight. I live with the knowledge of not doing something I should have.

As a former Blue Tanker, the championship the boys brought home means so much to me—as well as my fellow alumni—as it does to them. Not that I am attempting to get some of the glory the boys swam for. Absolutely not. Besides, I had no part in winning the championship; that was all them. In the last decade, I have witnessed and eventually experienced how the Blue Tankers transformed from a consistent cellar-dweller to a dark horse to eventual champion. I have deeply rooted personal ties with the team after all, despite graduating from college a couple of years ago.

If you would indulge me, I will share the history of FAST through my eyes. It will be a brief history lesson; I will be focusing on how the championship transition happened through a decade’s worth of trials, tribulations and recruiting and assembling the best UAAP team possible year in and year out.

The Frustration Years

When I first swam for the Junior Tankers (that’s the Ateneo High School swim team) back in 2003, though I have been training with some of them when I was in Grade 7 in 2002, the Mens’ Team was not a force to be reckoned with, let alone taken seriously. They had more than capable swimmers do not get me wrong. They had butterfly and sprint specialist Andrew Leong. They had breaststroker and future coach Ryan Tan. They had distance swimmer Joms Ortega. Leading them was the ever-dependable team captain and breaststroker Mark Sui. But UP, UST and DLSU had national swimmers, record holders and even Olympians. As such, finals appearances were rare; medals, even in the relays, were rarer. But our guys were fast and tough as hell. My teammates were fighters—they never gave up on anything. It was just that their opponents were of a different caliber in a very different league.

It was not until 2005 that the state of the Mens’ Team began to improve. Now boasting of veteran Raem Puno (who, by the way, won the only individual medal for the Seniors the previous year with a silver medal in the 200 butterfly) and reigning Juniors MVP Jonas Ramos as well as national athletes MM Danila and Janjan Chiu, the transformation of the Tankers from cellar-dweller to dark horse was beginning. With the four aces complemented by distance swimmer (and baritone-voiced) Kevin Barrios and breaststroker (and current FAST assistant coach) Aldo Tong, the boys put on a tougher fight than they did in the previous years. But alas, even with the addition of these top guns, team depth was the weakness they could not overcome in the end.

The following year was the first time the Mens’ team landed on the podium. With the seasoned roster reinforced by national athlete Evan Uy, NCAA Juniors MVP Jan Formalejo and breaststroker Bruce Sing, the guys got third place. At that moment, the future was looking very good.

My Initial Blue Tanker Days

While all of these were happening in the Mens Team, my high school teammates and I had just won our first UAAP Juniors Swimming Championship in 2005 and defended it the following year (Congratulations to the Junior Tankers, by the way, for bagging their 8^th straight title!). I was a senior during our repeat­ as well as team captain. I was eager to join the Mens’ Team for the 2007 UAAP campaign but after an eventful summer, I quit the team and swimming altogether. As I heard, they put up a good fight but missed third place by the slimmest of margins. However, the guys were finally improving on their depth problems as evidenced by their becoming a medal contender in the relays. 2007 also marked the first time in Ateneo Swimming history that all four swimmers qualified in the finals of an event. What’s more, the aforementioned four swimmers finished as the top four of that event—also a first and a record which persists up until now. If I recall correctly, Janjan, Evan, Jonas and Raem finished 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th in the 50 meters freestyle respectively.  

I returned—or rather the team accepted me back—in 2008 refocused and ready for the battles of the seniors division. With the past behind me, I was eager to swim again and face competition against some of the best swimmers in the country. We did not have a prized recruit that year and DLSU’s Enchong Dee was the undisputed King of the UAAP Pool while UP’s Ken Uy had a rightful claim to the sprint and middle-distance freestyle crowns. Evan, Janjan, Jonas and Jan battled these two swimming behemoths in their respective events but both Dee and Uy had too much firepower. We finished 4^th once more by the slimmest of margins. Yet, one event encapsulated why the ADMU Mens’ Team should be feared. Jan, Bruce, Janjan and Jonas broke the record in the 200-meter medley relay on route the gold medal—the Mens’ Team only relay gold. It was the first relay record in the history of the ADMU Mens Swim Team.

For my part, I did not perform up to standards. I was way off my best times in all my events, failing to qualify for the finals for the first time in my swimming career. My two consolations was that I swam the 100 fly with a 1:06, two seconds off my personal best and that I still brought home a bronze medal in the 400-medley relay with Jan, Bruce and Jan Changco.

By this time, frustrations were mounting after another fourth place finish. In fact, the frustrations were at an all time high. It came to a point that we (at least I was) were dangerously close to becoming bitter at the whole thing. While we were proud and equally joyous that the Women’s team won their first championship in history, I would be lying if I said that our egos were not bruised. In the darkest corners of our souls, we all felt insecure—even just a bit—when we saw the ladies honored on stage during the Victory Bonfire while us guys brooded (but cheered for them, of course) at our table in the muddy Bellarmine field. However, we did have hope for the following season. Jonas and Janjan (as well as Nikki Santiago of the Womens team) agreed to come back and swim for one more year. Aldo was also returning for his last year of eligibility. To top this of, Juniors MVP’s Adel Barlisan and Sean Tan were incoming freshmen. A strong and formidable team—second only to the current UAAP Champions this year, in my opinion—was materializing for the first time in ADMU Swimming history.

A point of clarification is in order here. You must think that the Mens Team accomplished nothing other than losing. Sure, we missed out on the podium on consecutive years but we did not lose entirely. Evan, Jonas, Janjan and Jan Formalejo were always medal contenders in all of their events. Our “support crew” which included myself can always sneak in the finals and contribute points. Also, we “support crew” guys were fast enough to always be in medal contention in the relays—a testament to how much our depth has improved in just three years. So we were winning, you see. It is just that we never actually won.

The team had a rather eventful interlude in between seasons that year. Both the Mens and Womens teams were invited to participate in the University Games at Dumaguete City over the sembreak. The ladies won; we did not. And though it was yet another disappointment in the pool for the guys and myself we did get a chance to bond outside the pool. Over the next seven days after our two-day competition, we were inseparable. We watched and cheered for the other varsity teams, ate out constantly, played Counterstrike, drank, partied and went to the beach. Some of us even trekked up a mountain for three hours to visit a waterfall and river that are major tourist sites. Those were breathtaking to behold, mind you. Team chemistry was at an all time high, aided probably by the fact that we were still on UAAP-high. In more ways than one, those bonding moments served as the foundation with which the following year’s UAAP team was built on.

ADMU Swim Team becomes FAST

Perhaps it was fate that Coach Archie Lim encouraged us to formally change our name from the politically boring ADMU Swim Team to FAST in 2009. Whether or not Coach Archie had the gift of foresight, 2009 was the debuting FAST Blue Tankers’ year in the sun. After a grueling four days exacerbated by Typhoon Ondoy, we finished second place—the highest podium finish at the time. As our team captain Chico Gueco put it, “Second place never felt so good!” And he was dead on.

Sean and Adel gave us much needed reinforcement as Janjan, Jonas, Evan and Jan went to work earning points and winning medals. But it was not just our stars that carried the burden. Everyone stepped up his swims with almost everybody qualifying for the final heats with personal best times to boot. We owned the relays winning all but one—the 800-meter freestyle relay. Yet, that was a victory in itself since Adel chased down UST’s anchor swimmer for the dramatic silver-medal finish. Lost in that race was the fact that UP broke the record in that relay; Adel’s intense chase down overshadowed that feat. But nothing can match the drama of the 200-meter freestyle relay. In a spectacular anchor swim, Jonas chased down both UP and UST anchors—both of whom dove a half-second before him—for the gold medal. The margin of victory was only a couple of milliseconds. It was truly a blessing to have been part of that relay (I swam the first leg). The drama and intensity of that moment is beyond words. The race may have lasted only a minute and 45 seconds but I think I speak for Jonas, Jan and Chem Ocampo that those moments will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

I came home with 3 medals that year—all of them gold and all of them won in the relays (in addition to the 200 free relay, I also swam the butterfly in the 200 and 400 medley relay). Minus the 50 meters butterfly, I got my personal best times in the 100 and 200 fly but of the two, the 100 fly holds a special place in my heart; my 1:02 more than exceeded my expectations for that meet.

Though the aftermath of Ondoy spoiled our triumphant homecoming, the FAST Blue Tankers were no longer the dark horses. We were now title contenders.

My Final Year

2010 was my 7^th UAAP Swimming Championships—my 3^rd in the seniors. It was also my last year in the Loyola Schools as a senior BS Management student. The real world was waiting for me but before I walked into her arms, I still had one year of swimming left to do.

But the team I was returning to was no longer the same. Janjan, Jonas, Jan, Chico, Bruce and Aldo were gone. This made our chances of moving up the rankings let alone defending second place very slim. But Evan was still around as were Sean and Adel. We also had national swimmer Lawin Dacera coming in so there was a glimmer of hope. Lest I forget, we acquired the versatile Islau Dapat from Elizabeth Seton High School and freestyle specialist Benjo Ramos from De La Salle Zobel. Incidentally, Benjo, an accomplished and outstanding swimmer in the UAAP Juniors, is the younger brother of Jonas Ramos.

Within the team, my teammates saw the void left by the graduates as an opportunity to shine. David Santos—our resident gentle giant—had improved exponentially over the summer so much so that his times in almost all the sprint events can crack the top eight in the UAAP. Freestyler Karlo Lim was still as consistent with his middle and long distance swims as ever, making him a mainstay in the 800-meter freestyle relay. My batchmate Anthony Co, much like David, improved greatly on his breaststroke abilities that he had a legitimate shot at making the UAAP team (and he did by the way).

My teammates elected me as team captain that year. For once in my life, I had my own team. Sure, I was captain in the Juniors when we won our second title but this time was different. I had the freedom to lead them as I saw fit and had the experience to back it up.

Anyway, I knew from the get go that winning the championship that year would require a miracle—and a big one at that. Our aces Evan, Sean and Adel will do their part and Lawin, Benjo and Islau will shoulder their load. But Evan and I were leading a young team—most of who had never swam in the UAAP before. Also, I was leading a support crew that, while reputable in our own right, did not have the depth of the previous year. Experience was not on our side but talent and potential were. These two are dangerous weapons in swimming if harnessed and utilized correctly, after all.

In the end, we wound up with a miraculous 3^rd place finish. We could have gotten second but we had to fight off a hard-charging La Salle squad during the last two days of the meet. That last stand made it all worth it. We may have finished 3^rd but we won a lot of victories too. Evan brought home 3 gold medals and two UAAP records in the 50 butterfly and 200 freestyle. These feats earned him MVP honors—a well-deserved title for the man who had been our top point-contributor for five years. Lawin won Rookie of the Year after a gold-medal performance in the 1500 freestyle. Sean won the 100 breaststroke to go along with the two medley relay gold medals Islau, Benjo, he and I won. Another consolation is that we beat the defending champions DLSU to the podium as they finished 4^th. Personally, I was proud of that fact.

For my part, my last UAAP could have been better. I did not qualify in any of my individual events including the 100 butterfly, my specialty. Because of a stupid miscalculation in the preliminary heats, I went out too slow in the first 50 that I ran out of room to charge back in the second lap. I just needed a 1:04 low to qualify but I timed 1:05 mid. I did, however, redeem myself in the 400-medley relay. I was not really given my split but judging by how my swim felt, I am guessing that it was a 1:01 high to a 1:02 mid.

So endeth my UAAP swimming career. On the bus ride home, I reflected how my final year panned out. Inasmuch as I wished that I ended my competing years as a champion, I consoled myself with the knowledge that I got to see the bright future that was definitely about to materialize. Sean, Adel and Lawin were the aces now. They proved that they were ready for the responsibility it entailed. Islau, Benjo and David were definitely going to be back hungrier and faster the following year after experiencing UAAP Seniors swimming. I may not have led the boys to the championship, but I knew that it was only a matter of two, maybe three, years before the boys win the big one. That was enough for me to call it a competitive career.  

The year after, I graduated from the Ateneo Loyola Schools with a degree in Management. The boys, I am told, now captained by Adel, again won 3^rd place that year despite being severely undermanned. They were never as joyous, I was told.

And the year after, well, that is history.

Or they made history, I should say.

What the 2012 Championship means for us Alumni

A full decade—that is how long it took to make the FAST Blue Tankers into champions from perennial cellar-dwellers. This is the reason why this championship means so much to myself and the FAST Alumni of my generation. We swam through the struggles, frustrations and endless disappointment for so long that it was our grand desire to win a championship during our time (remember my aforementioned second regret? This is it). We never did but we got close enough to realize exactly what it took to be a champion.

The reason why we value this championship as much as you guys do is because most of you were swimming with us during our years of frustrations. You understand what winning it all means especially when we were so close a few years back. It is through you boys that we see the fruits of our labor all those years ago. We dare not call ourselves champions; we may have deserved it but we never earned it. Through your valiant and fast (pun intended) swimming, you have proven that you are better than us. And nothing is more fulfilling than seeing your formerly younger teammates—teammates you have mentored, competed, trained and occasionally gotten drunk with—surpass the bars of excellence and standards of greatness that you have set during your time by tremendous leaps and bounds.

Thank you for honoring us old timers, boys. Thank you for besting us.

Congratulations! You have all been immortalized in the annals of Ateneo sports history. FAST has been called a lot of things during my time. Thanks to you guys, FAST will forever be remembered as Champions!

Born to Swim, Built to Last! One Team, All FAST!*

*Credits given to Anjo Querol and Benjo Ramos for coming up with this very first FAST cheer back in 2010. Thank you guys!

Take Your Mark!

Olympic Analysis: 50 Freestyle

The Splash-and-Dash event is finally down to the top eight fastest swimmers in the world. Here's the list:

50 Meter Freestyle Finalists

Cesar Cielo                21.54

Cullen Jones              21.54

Anthony Ervin          21.62

Bruno Fratus             21.63

George Bovell           21.77

Florent Manaudou     21.80

Eamon Sullivan         21.88

Roland Schoeman     21.88

Analysis: As you can see, only 0.30 seconds separates the finalists. Defending Olympic champion Cesar Cielo ties with the much improved Cullen Jones with a 21.54 while the 2000 Olympic 50 freestyle champion Anthony Ervin comes in at 3rd. 

The thing which makes the 50 meter freestyle very difficult to analyze and predict is that, by nature, it is anyone's race. Of course your lane assignment matters but even the outer extremities have a chance to win as much as those in the inner lanes. One does not need any special skill or tactic; it needs little technique other than having an explosive start, excellent finish and the ability to resist the urge to "spin one's wheels" by holding one's stroke pattern. 

That said, my prediction for this race will be Cielo (21-low), Ervin (21-mid) then Jones (21-mid-high). With how Cielo has been swimming in the heats and semi-final, taking him down will take a lot more than speed and power. Inasmuch as I have always been a fan of Cullen, my money is on Anthony challenging Ceilo since he knows what to it takes to win the gold medal in the 50 free. That and him earning a medal 12 years after his first Olympics makes one hell of a fairytale story.

Perhaps the two dark horses of this race would be George Bovell and Roland Schoeman. Bovell posted an Olympic textile best in the heats, proving that he has speed. Schoeman, on the other hand, has always been one of the greatest sprinters in the world and has always been a fixture in almost every 50 meter freestyle (or butterfly) final of any international competition. The fact that he is in lane 8 makes him all the more scarier since no one will notice him creep up for the finish. 

As I said before, it is very difficult to predict the outcome of the 50 free. In tomorrow's final, do not blink lest you miss a spectacular finish. 

Take Your Mark!

Olympic Analysis: 100 Butterfly

The landscape is set for one the glamor events of swimming. Here are the finalists for the Mens 100 meter butterfly.

100 Meter Butterfly

World Record        49.85    Michael Phelps

Olympic Record    50.58    Michael Phelps

1. Michael Phelps            50.86

2. Chad le Clos                51.42

3. Tyler McGill               51.61

4. Milorad Cavic             51.66

5. Joeri Verlinden           51.75

6. Steffen Deibler           51.76

7. Konrad Czerniak        51.78

8. Evgeny Korotyshkin  51.85

The question on everyone's mind is whether or not Michael Phelps can win his last individual Olympic event and be able to threepeat in two events. After Michael's stunning defeat at the hands of second seed Chad le Clos in the 200 fly, there is a cause for concern. Can le Clos or any of the other finalists deny Michael of his second individual Olympic gold?

My answer? I don't think so.

What is amazing about Michael's 50.86 semi-final time is that he did that right after receiving his gold medal in the 200 IM. That means he was not fully rested which begs the question how much faster could he have gone if he was not coming off a tough duel with Ryan Lochte. Add this to the fact that only Michael and the retired Ian Crocker--who still holds the textile best of a 50.40 (a former world record) in the 100 fly-- are the only swimmers in the world to have broken the 51 second barrier in the 100 fly without the aid of the infamous hi-tech suits should drive home the point. 

So unless le Clos, McGill or Cavic can somehow pull off something spectacular in the finals--say time a 50-mid--Michael would have achieved a second threepeat. 

Take Your Mark!

Olympic Analysis: Phelps & The 200 Butterfly

After the semi-finals, the landscape of the mens 200 butterfly is clear. The times put up by the finalists tell a great story which is about to unfold in a few hours. However, the greatest story is without a doubt Michael Phelps' chance to three-peat in his signature event. More than his date with destiny, what makes this swim sentimental is that the 200 fly is where it all began for Phelps. His Olympic debut as a lanky 15 year old kid in the 2000 Sydney Olympics is the first and only time he lost in the 200 fly in an international meet (not counting of course, the 2005 World Championships wherein he opted not to swim it). It is--and has always been--his baby. But with his loss in the 400 IM still looming, as well as his "slow" performance in the heats, people have been doubting his ability to dominate in this event in the finals. Will he dominate the field like he has used to? Or will he yield the 200 butterfly crown to someone else? 

To do answer that question, we have to look at the competition.

200 Butterfly Finalists

Takeshi Matsuda              1:54.25

Chad le Clos                     1:54.34

Chen Yin                          1:54.43

Michael Phelps                 1:54.53

Tyler Clary                       1:54.93

Dinko Jukic                      1:54.95

Pawel Korzeniowski        1:55.04

Volimir Stjepanovic          1:55.13

Michael Phelps qualifies fourth after the semi-final with a cruising 1:54.53 behind Takeshi Matsuda (1:54.25), Chad le Clos (1:54.34) and Chen Yin (1:54.43). His teammate, Tyler Clary is right behind him with a 1:54.93. 

If I were to classify the two major threats to Phelps in the finals, Matsuda would be on top followed by Clary. 

Matsuda has been nipping at Michael's heels for quite some time now. The Beijing bronze medalist has always been able to challenge Phelps at some point in the race only to fade back in the final 50 meters when Michael shifts into overdrive. 

Clary, on the other hand, has shown that he can challenge Phelps and his comments about Phelps' poor work ethic may prove as extra motivation for him to overhaul the greatest butterflier in history. If anything, he can use this race to show how his blue-collar ethic can best Phelps' natural talent. 

But then again, as accomplished butterfliers as these seven swimmers are, I do not think that anyone of them can defeat Michael in his signature event. For one thing, though he looked struggling a bit, Phelps was clearly holding back, evidenced by his rather short underwater dolphins off the turns. Also, he has yet to fully build--steadily increasing one's speed until the lap ends--in the 3rd 50. Sure, he has engaged his patented closing speed but imagine how fast he could close the lap if he builds the 3rd 50 properly and come off the wall with seven underwater dolphin kicks. That will be scary as it will be fast. 

In the finals, I expect Phelps to come out faster than he did in the prelims and the semi-final, leaving his closest competitor by half a body at the first 100. He will then build his 3rd 50 then explode off the wall to engage his legendary closing lap. His time will be anywhere from 1:52.5 to 1:53.3.

Will there be a world record in the 200 fly? I doubt it. Will anybody, Phelps included, come close to Michael's textile best of 1:52.09? I doubt that too but if anybody can come close to that, it would be Phelps.

Will Michael Phelps win the gold and three-peat? Yes. 

 Take Your Mark!

Olympic Reaction: Aussie's WMD bombs in French Redemption

It has been all over the news now and I am guessing that I am probably one of the last people to blog about this but still, I have to give my two cents on the matter. 

In the most anticipated relay in London, surprises were abound as the USA failed to defend their gold and brought home the silver medal everyone expected they would. But the team they yielded their supremacy to was not the heralded Australians with their Weapons of Mass Destruction--the collective nickname of the sprint tandem of James "Missile" Magnussen and James "Rocket" Roberts. Rather, it was their French arch-rivals who did the dethroning behind the blistering chase down anchor swim of Yannick Agnel. 

In a rather surprising twist of fate, the Americans found themselves at the receiving end of an upset after a Jason Lezak-esque Hail Mary swim from Agnel who split a 46.74 to Ryan Lochte's 47.74. The French have finally won that elusive Olympic gold medal while the Americans, as a consolation prize of sorts, still managed to defeat the mighty Aussies.

The Duel that Never Happened
Many thought, myself included, that this relay will be a duel between the Aussies and the Americans while the other teams slug it out for third place. After all, America is the defending gold medalists while the Australians have their freestyle WMD's--Magnussen and Roberts--to reckon with. But what went wrong that this highly anticipated duel never materialized? Let's break it down and find out.

The Aussies went with the team of Magnussen, Matt Targett, Eamon Sullivan and James Roberts. Strategy wise, the arrangement of the swimmers is sound and should have been dominating. Their lead off swimmer is the fastest 100 freestyler in the world; more than capable of clearing 48 seconds and can possibly challenge the world record of 46.94. After him are two battle-hardened veterans who have the ability to swim a 48-low on a flat start. Special mention has to be made of course to third swimmer Eamon Sullivan who is a former record holder himself in the 100 freestyle. And to bring them home, you have the other half of the WMD in Roberts who should easily be able to time a 46-high to a 47-low given that he will be able to use a flying start--a relay turnover technique which would at least subtract half a second to his flat start personal best of 47.54.

On paper, the Aussies could have gotten a 3:09.1 with Magnussen timing a 46.90, Targett a 47.60, Sullivan a 47.50 and Roberts a 47.10. That would have been good enough for the gold as well as the second fastest time in history in the 4x100 freestyle relay.

But, like I said in my previous entry, what is good on paper does not necessarily translate to reality especially when your two aces did not quite deliver.

The middle-swimmers of Targett and Sullivan could have swum faster but timing a 47 point is a good enough. But the WMD's bombed greatly, so to speak. Magnussen led the Aussies off with a 48.03--a full second off his personal best. Roberts closed with a 48.09--from a flying start I might add; which means he could have gone slower if it were a normal flat start--half a second off his personal best.

What happened you might ask? I really do not know the answer to that. Perhaps the pressure got to Magnussen and Roberts who, mind you, are first time Olympians. Perhaps the two miscalculated their speed and employed a wrong strategy. Whatever the reason was, your guess is as good as mine.

Reshuffling the Aces
For the USA, I have to give them credit for assembling the best swimmers at their disposal to go up against their rivals. Everyone was wondering who would join Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones in the finals. Would it be the ever reliable Michael Phelps who holds the world record in that event with Jones, Garett Webber-Gale and Jason Lezak? Or would it be the inexperienced 100 freestyler but the current holder of the Greatest Swimmer in the World moniker Ryan Lochte?

Or would it be both of them? Which makes perfect sense because in times like these, you need your best swimmers in the front lines; swimmers who do not crack under pressure but rather, thrive in it.

In the end, the USA was represented by Nathan Adrian, Michael Phelps, Cullen Jones and Ryan Lochte. Reading into their arrangement, with Phelps ceding his traditional lead-off spot to Adrian, the Americans wanted to get as close to Magnussen as possible by having their fastest swimmer go first. That would give Adrian enough incentive to go a 47-mid to high since he will be holding off a hard-charging Magnussen in the return 50. After Adrian, it would be Phelps' turn to chase the leaders and turn in a 47-mid. Jones would then turn in a 47-mid to low to give Lochte enough of a lead to close it or enough distance to make up. Lochte then would be tasked to bring it home possibly with a 47-mid to high.

And the plan worked! But only to a degree, of course. Adrian out-swam Magnussen, finally breaking 48 seconds in the process by turning in a 47.89. Phelps left everybody in his wake by turning in a 47.15 split--the fastest among his teammates. Jones did his part by swimming a 47-high though I thought he could have gone a bit faster to give Lochte enough of a cushion to bring it home. Lochte, though being chased down in the end by Agnel, still managed to get a decent 47.74.

Second Guessing the Greatest
After that chase down, as well as Matt Grevers' 47.5 split in the morning prelims, some have been second guessing the decision to insert Lochte instead of Grevers in the finals. It makes sense that Grevers could have swam faster by almost half a second from his morning time. Also, Grevers is a much more experienced freestyle relay swimmer--or a 100 meter freestyler for that matter--than Lochte. So why would Lochte be inserted when it seems that Grevers is the better choice?

Like I said, in times like these, one needs to assemble the greatest swimmers in one's line up--swimmers who do not crack under pressure. Ryan Lochte is without a doubt one of the greatest swimmers of all time. If such an ace is at your disposal, does not logic dictate that you utilize him? For a decorated swimmer such as himself, his genius and skill in the water trumps whatever disadvantage his inexperience may bring about.

Also, one has to remember that the US team was built to withstand the challenge imposed by the Aussies, them and them alone. If you look at the splits, Lochte clearly got the better of his counterpart in James Roberts, 47.74 to 48.09. That should count for something.

Ryan Lochte was the best choice to be the fourth man of the team. He and Phelps are the two greatest swimmers in the world and to have them both in one relay team makes that foursome a powerhouse.

Yannick Agnel was simply faster than Lochte. Lochte did not let up nor did he allow Agnel to chase him down.

The Americans lost to the better team. While everyone expected--even wanted--that team to be the Australians, it was the French, who were all but forgotten but nonetheless had a score to settle, who dethroned them.

If anything, that is the Olympic spirit right there. Never giving up and fighting until the very last moment.

Take Your Mark!

Olympic Analysis: 4x100 Meter Freestyle Relay

All things considered and held constant, the 4x100 meter freestyle relay is going to be duel between Australia and the USA. The French and Russians may keep things interesting by challenging USA just like what they did in the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai. But something tells me that it will not be the case this time around. The Americans are the defending Olympic champions while the Australians are extremely fast. 

My Thoughts after the Prelims

Australia won the prelims over the USA after James "The Missle" Magnussen chased down Jason "The Miracle Man" Lezak. That prelim win guaranteed the Australians top seed in the finals while the USA will be right beside them in Lane 5. 

Team Australia was composed of Cameron McEvoy (48.94), James Roberts (48.22), Tommaso D'Orsogna (47.78) and James Magnussen (47.35). 

Team USA, on the other hand, was represented by Jimmy Feigen (48.49), Matt Grevers (47.54), Ricky Berens (48.52) and Jason Lezak (48.08). 

Before the relay, rumors circulated that the Australian coaches wanted to insert Magnussen in the prelims. The reasons I heard were varied but in my mind, the inclusion of the fastest 100 meter freestyler in the preliminary heats can only mean one of two things. Either the Australians are making sure that they have the top seed coming finals or they are using The Missile as an intimidation tactic. Whatever the reason, it worked.

However, I was kind of surprised that both the fastest and second fastest 100 meter freestyler swam in the heats for Australia. The inclusion of James "The Rocket" Roberts was very much a mystery to me since conventional strategy dictates that one does not immediately show your best hand until the time is right. I was actually expecting to see Eamon Sullivan in the heats instead of Roberts so that the latter will be fresher and more rested in the finals. Whatever the reason, the test fire round of the Missile and the Rocket was successful. They had decent splits but it was evident that they were holding back plenty. 

Team USA went with the line up I expected. Their strategy was sound, relying on an eager youngster to start them off (Feigen), two freestyle veterans to keep them in pace (Grevers and Berens) and a living legend and tough-as-nails closer to bring them home (Lezak). Sure, Lezak may have been overtaken by the hard-charging Magnussen but one has to credit Lezak for two things. One, he actually had to make Magnussen work to overtake him and two, he held off the Russians who were always coming in fast. His split may be off of his legendary 46.06 in Beijing but his 48.08 got the job done nonetheless. 

The Finals

As is the case in such meets, the final heat will feature different line-ups from both teams, with one or two swimmers from the morning prelims being retained to swim once more. 

For the Australians, their finals team will obviously be Magnussen, Roberts, Matt Targett and Eamon Sullivan, swimming in that order too. They will be relying on pure speed--capitalizing on having the top two sprinters in the world as well as the former world record holder in Sullivan. For them to secure the gold, they have to leave everybody in their wake and keep them all at a distance. Simple enough.

The Americans, on the other hand, have to rely on experience, timing and of course luck to pull out all the stops and defend their gold. Their luxury, of course, is having either Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte (or both of them if need be) in their finals team along with Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones. In my opinion, Michael will be the better option since he has swam a 48-low in a meet before the Olympic trials and has always been faster in the 100 free than Lochte.

From their prelims team, I wager that Grevers will be called up on account of his 47.54 split. With that, I thinking that the best possible order for the US will be Phelps, Jones, Grevers and Adrian. Phelps can, at best, swim a 47.89 or at worst a 48.10. Either way, his job will be to stay as close to Magnussen as possible since the Missile will surely be swimming anywhere from 46.90 to 47.20. Making up for that 1 second difference will now be the task of Grevers and Jones, who will have no problems swimming a 47-mid to high thanks to the relay turnover or "flying start". Adrian will have the toughest job yet of either sustaining a very narrow lead or chasing down a former record holder. He will have to time a 46-high or 47-low, I imagine.

Conclusion

On paper, the Australians have got this one in the bag. But then again what is written on paper does not necessarily translate to reality in the Olympic Games. Just ask Alain Bernard and the French if you do not believe me. We will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. If there is one thing is certain in this race it is that it will be a battle. Pure aquatic battle.

Take your mark!