The world of swimming

When we have little rugby to discuss and consequently have to deal with –

*    Mozart’s  distorted  stats on rugby with no present bearing;

*     relying on European Club Rugby  iro which very few members are really interested; and

*    very little else,

It may be the time to look at swimming as a sport to get some diversion on site, while also looking at cricket  especially since there are series of cricket matches  going  - but for the latter sport their is in fact adequate provision made on site – while there is no separate division n on site for swimming.

So  what discovery can one really come up with?    

There is no doubt that Michael Phelps was the best swimnmer ever.   For some reason he wa not really good in the 25 meter (short course)  competitions – so his fame must be seen  –

  *   the magic related  to his record  in breaking world records in individual swimming over distances of 100 and 200 meter distances;

 *    the crucial role he played in winning many  relay races  where he and Ryan Lochte and others in collection medals and breaking world records at will, for nearly a decade after the famous Sydney  “drug fest” of 2000,

The real  swimming hero in 2000 was  Ian Thorpe – the 17 year old “wunder kid” from Australia – but he left the scene under a cloud  by 2003.

Well  back to  Phelps  and what he achieved in the world of swimming.   There can never be  any doubt about his magnificient achievements .    However,  he  first announced his retirement after the 2012 Olympic  Games  and  despite a brief  comeback  in 2016 Olympic Games was effectively out of  swimming  for years now.  

The fact is that Phelps was a magnificent all round swimmer and that makes for a poorer world swimming scenario after his departure from swimming .   Did his departure from the game had major negative effects on the sport as a whole?  

The one way to look at it is to look which of the multitude of world records he broke are still  on the record books:-

Long Course

100 meters   butterfly

200  meters  butterfly

400  meters individual medley

Short Course

None

The American relay team held virtually all the world records and they are still standing – but the new generation of swimmers from the USA  seems to break records at will.   However,  the one record  previously held by the US  - ie the short course  200 x  4 men  relay  in the recent World Short  Course  Championship  -  was beaten by  more than 3 seconds by the Brazilian team  with both  the Russian and Chinese team doing much better than  the previous record and the US only coming in fourth more than three body lengths behind.

That brings me to anther observation  - the countries with large population and many more active swimmers reign the world when it comes to relay  events – while the smaller countries tends to have a much larger impact on world swimming  when it comes to individual events.

From an SA perspective  -‘

*     the  announcement of the retirement of Cameron van der Burgh from swimming is a real tragedy – he left in a blaze of glory winning gold in both the 100 and 50 meter breaststroke in the Short Course World championship last week;  and

*      the selection by FINA of Chad le Clos being the World Male Swimmer  of the year in 2018 – the second time in the past 4 years  he got that trophy.                  

BB

Van der Burgh still hold the 25 meter course breast stroke world record he attained in 2009.

I wish some of our rugby players would follow Van der Burgh's example while at the top of their game.    You are in fact right about your description about players plying past their sell-by date.

But it is nothing new in rugby.   I can still remember how Chris Koch - the famous prop of the 1950's  attained the highest number of prop selection at that time.   He was a friend of my father and my father took my brother and myself along to Newlands  to watch him play against NZ.   Koch buggered up by giving away 2 penalties converted by I believe Don Clarke.   .

Maybe wrong abut the  game - but what was not wrong was that it was Koch's last game as a Springbok.   That memory stuck with me as an example of what players should never do - ruin their reputation before they leave the sport.      It was confirmed badly - especially after 2011.

Listen - stupid idiot

I said that Koch buggered up badly in what was his last test for the Springboks.   I knew he gave away three penalties in the game,

However, that was what I remembered  for many years afterwards.   I was reminded of it constantly in the dismal Meyer era  as a coach - when a stream of elderly players failed miserably in tests.     But then you do not believe that elderly players lose their performance abilities and w ill never realize what really happened.     

So that is the only BS you can come up with.   So let me help you further/   Which players played past their sell-by date when it came to Myer and Coetazee:-

Meyer

Kirchner, Fourie, De Villiers (due to injury in the main), Pienaar, Alberts, Bakkies Botha, Matfield, Jannie du Plessis, Steenkamp, Van der Merwe

Coetzee 

Pietersen, Habana, Fat Fransie, Morne Steyn, Strauss

What a list of self-inflicted  reputation wreckers that list catered for.

Have a nice hissy fit!!!!