"I swam the race the way I train to swim races," said Thorpe, who set a new Olympic record on his way to victory. Van den Hoogenband, who led the field through the first three laps under a world record pace, settled only for the silver in 1:45.23. The 21-year-old from Sydney, who has size 17 feet and stands 6ft 5in tall, is on the verge of setting an Olympic record of his own, the first man to hold the 400m, 200m and 100m freestyle titles simultaneously. First published on Fri 13 Aug 2004 20.29 EDT. Pieter Van den Hoogenband etched his name into the swimming annals when he won the 100m and 200m freestyle gold medals at Sydney 2000. Van den Hoogenband set a storming pace as he attempted to defend the title he won in Thorpe's back yard four years ago. And then only after he had asked his mum for permission. "I said to Pieter that I'd like to race him again. Discover a wealth of Olympic swimming action with exclusive videos and features on the Olympic Channel. In this new gender-mixed race, both men and women will compete together in the same teams. It will be nice to see if Ranomi Kromowidjojo, one of the youngsters in London who won the gold there, can help and share her knowledge to the younger generation to perform well at the Tokyo Games. Without that expression of self-determination, his Olympic ambitions would have been abandoned.

While humans have likely been swimming ever since they dipped their toe in the water, it’s believed that swimming as a practice dates back as early as 2500 BC. I want to give that back.”. Phelps had not swum the 200 at a major international event before Athens but included it in his programme after announcing he would try and better Mark Spitz's record of winning seven gold medals at a single Olympics. Suits began to be made from materials such as Lycra, which reduced drag and, as a result, reduced lap times. That prototype is Michael Phelps and today, thrillingly, his Olympic launch is upon us.
The race became an annual event, and it was an early indicator for the future success of competitive swimming. "Seeing how he handles everything is definitely a learning experience.". He emerged triumphant in swimming's so-called "race of the century" in a time one minute 44.71 seconds -- just 0.65 outside the world record he set at the 2001 World Championships -- … What we are commenting upon is the speculation that surrounds him and the trashy interest in it." The event took place on 15 and 16 August. Experimental beginnings brought some rather unique events to those early Games. Winning seven gold medals at the Munich Games in 1972, he became a household name on the back of his astonishing achievements. Scott Heinlein, his physical therapist, summed it up when he said: "He's fine on dry land - he can walk.". The 35th event, though, is revolutionary. His gangling arms are such that his wing span is a remarkable 6ft 7in, three inches more than his body.

To outdo the Thorpedo, Aquaman would have to be so gangly as to be uncoordinated on dry land. In chiding Australia for its presumption, his response has been not as much "glad to be gay" as relaxed about being thought gay, rightly or wrongly. Now it is the 100m that is in his sights - and who would bet against the 'Thorpedo' claiming a third gold and sporting immortality? After being exposed to temperatures of 13°C in the Mediterranean (a modern Olympic pool is around 25-28°C) during the 1,200m freestyle race – in which he won gold – Alfréd Hajós said: “My will to live completely overcame my desire to win”, illustrating the precarious nature of the early swimming events.
[2] Meanwhile, Phelps finished the race with a bronze in an American record of 1:45.32, ending his hopes of emulating Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven gold medals.[2][3][4]. Let’s dive into the history of Olympic swimming. Women’s events were introduced at the 1912 Games in Stockholm – although women initially only competed in two events, the 100m freestyle and 4×100m freestyle relay. And in Tokyo in particular, we’ll see them fighting to become the inaugural winners of this new race. Phelps versus Thorpe in the 200 metres freestyle final on Monday has been billed in both the States and Australia as swimming's Race of the Century. Clear water, muddy issue: There's a lot to say about race and swimming. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands, the gold medallist in Sydney four years ago, took silver in 1:45.23 while American Michael Phelps collected the bronze in 1:45.32. Phelps claimed a grand total of eight golds – 36 years after Spitz’s era-defining performances in Munich – and later became the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals over four Games. His life out of the pool is that of a typical American teenager, a retreat into television, fast food and computer games. Thorpe is desperate to win the 200m freestyle that eluded him in his own pool four years ago when he was beaten by Pieter van den Hoogenband. But how did it become an Olympic staple? "I will decide (on the chef de mission role) before 1 October.

Australia, arguably the most macho sports society in the world, struggles to embrace new attitudes, and Thorpe remains polite, articulate, impossible to define. This left the swimmers at the mercy of the elements, contending with the weather and waves. Read 10 reviews from the world's largest community for readers.

The Collings Foundation will host a […] At the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens, swimming events included the 100m freestyle for sailors, which only members of the Greek navy could compete in. Phelps, who took bronze behind Thorpe and van den Hoogenband in a new American record, is certainly impressed and says his Aussie foe is the perfect role model. Thorpe was the subject of a collage produced by two Melbourne artists, Natalie Starr and Alexandra Sanderson, in which an arrow was pointed to him and the word "gay" scrawled in marker pen. "He is one of the greatest middle distance swimmers of all time, if not the greatest," said Phelps. But less than two hours after taking his second gold of the Athens Games, Ian Thorpe was already talking about renewing rivalries with Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps in 2008. But, in the water, what majesty unfolds. Then top it all up with the obligatory helping of all-American goo. Even when they are not in direct competition, Phelps and Thorpe will vie for recognition as the star of the pool. He would need to be hyperactive, to help him cope with incessant training demands, and would need freakish powers of recovery setting him apart from his closest rivals.

It is as if the United States, humbled in the Sydney Olympics by Ian Thorpe and his size 17 feet, instructed that a prototype be produced of the world's perfect swimmer. He eventually retired at Beijing 2008, after breaking his own 100m free national record, but failing to medal in the final. The sidestroke was originally used with both arms submerged. His image remains chaste; he still refuses to answer questions about whether he has had a girlfriend - as he refused in Sydney when, as a 15-year-old, he finished fifth in the final of the 200m butterfly. I don't worry about what my competitors are doing.". As the sport progressed, swimwear become more hydrodynamic. “That’s a big honour but I told him I want to think about it and make my own strategy. "Our ladies have quite a reputation in the relay. Phelps versus Thorpe in the 200 metres freestyle final on Monday has been billed in both the States and Australia as swimming's Race of the Century.

He already has the first two tucked safely beneath his giant all-in-one body suit. Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. A recent commercial, where he had to complete a few simple dance steps, had him smiling bashfully at his gawkish attempts. But less than two hours after taking his second gold of the Athens Games, Ian Thorpe was already talking about renewing rivalries with Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps in 2008. Thorpedo and the Aquaman are not alone. Presumably that goes for … All rights reserved. Swimming has been part of the Olympic schedule since the very first modern Olympic Games in 1896. "We have the girl Marrit Steenbergen who won gold at the (2015) Baku European Games and is a very good swimmer. The post-World War II era brought better technology, facilities and improved training techniques, resulting in significantly quicker times compared to the early, wave-fighting competitions. Not only did the Dutchman do ‘the double’, but he also set a 200m free world record, defeating much-fancied local hero Ian Thorpe in the process. Phelps versus Thorpe in the 200 metres freestyle final on Monday has been billed in both the States and Australia as swimming's Race of the Century. “Our technical director Maurits Hendricks asked me to maybe become the chef de mission of the Dutch Olympic team at the Olympics in Tokyo,” Van den Hoogenband told the Olympic Channel. 2020 - All rights reserved. It all flared up again last month at the National Gallery of Victoria. He would have to be hyperflexible to a rare degree. Ian Thorpe’s legend lives on, Thorpe gets gold and world record in the 200m free | Athens 2004.

And by refusing to rule out another tilt at Spitz's record, he has ensured he remains firmly in the limelight. Unlike Thorpe and van den Hoogenband, Phelps was barely noticed in Sydney when he failed to win a medal competing as a 15-year-old but he made everyone sit up and take notice when he set five world records and won four gold medals at last year's world championships. With the lure of a $1 million bonus if he could beat or equal Spitz's 1972 haul, Phelps won the 400 individual medley on Saturday before settling for a bronze when the U.S. suffered a shock loss to South Africa in Sunday's relay.

In the media-contrived furore that followed, Starr said: "I don't know if he is gay, and who cares? Phelps, only 19, has been fondly described by a fellow swimmer as "just this big goof". He should prove unsurpassable in the butterfly and individual medleys, beginning with tonight's 400m individual medley final. The feat would certainly put Phelps into the shade. "But I wasn't focused on that. Swimming started its sporting journey in the mid-19th century, when the world’s first swimming organisation was formed in London in 1837. That practice was modified toward the end of the 19th century by bringing forward first one arm above the water, then the other, and then each in turn. So in the late 19th and early 20th century, swimming pools were almost … Originally, female and male swimmers wore body suits, which increased resistance and slowed them down. But the challenge goes deeper than that. In the early years, Olympic swimming events were male-only. He shuffles forward shyly, his torso not designed for dry land. In the lead-up to the final, the event was billed as The Race of the Century or the "greatest swimming race of all-time", due to its significance and high-class field. Australia's Ian Thorpe sets a new Olympic record in beating Michael Phelps ... Now, 14 years later, the Limburg-born star is considering a return to the Olympic fold as the head of the Dutch party. In the water, results have remained the same for the Century girls swimming team.


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