The SwimSwam Podcast

Erika Fairweather Looks to Catch New Eyes in Swimming with New Zealand's First LCM World Title

20-year-old Erika Fairweather won her first world title in Doha last month, touching first in the 400 free while also winning medals in the 200 and 800 free. The Kiwi swim star reflects on her experience in Doha and tells us about her training environment in New Zealand and how she's approaching the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

NCAA Psych Sheets, Men's Pac-12s, and the Westmont Pro Swim | SWIMSWAM BREAKDOWN

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the 2024 Men's NCAA Pre-Scratch Psych Sheets, Men's Pac-12 Championships, and the Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont.

Emma Weyant Unpacks Her Sporti Collab, Riviera Reverie Swim & Activewear Collection

Sporti, in collaboration with Olympic Silver Medalist swimmer, and 2024 Paris hopeful, Emma Weyant, is proud to announce the launch of their Riviera Reverie swim and activewear collection. Inspired by the timeless elegance of the French Riviera, this collection offers an array of training swimsuits, activewear, and swim caps designed to blend performance with style, inspired by one of Emma’s favorite destinations that she has traveled to.

A Deep Dive into the Men's 50 Free Controversy at the Westmont Pro Swim

As it turns out, Caeleb Dressel’s block malfunction in the 50 free A Final in Westmont was just the beginning of the errors that would occur during this race. When the swimmers finished the race and looked up at the scoreboard, as did the rest oof the venue, the scoreboard was black.

Turns out, the timing system had failed to activate. In that case, Per the USA Swimming Rulebook, backup stopwatches (operated by human timers) determine the finish order and times of the event. The results were announced over the loudspeaker, with Jack Alexy placing 3rd (21.90), Santo Condorelli placing 2nd (21.87) and Caeleb Dressel placing 1st (21.84). This was a surprise to many on deck because, at first glance, it had looked like Alexy had won in a close race with Dressel.

When you go back and look at the finish, it looks plausible (to me) that either Dressel or Alexy could have won, with Condorelli touching right after both of them. It seems that the results from the touchpads may have been different than the results garnered from the stopwatches, but alas, we will never know.

The fun didn’t stop there, however. Swimmers in the A Final were offered a time trial for a chance to improve their time. Times swum in this time trial would not count towards the official results of the race but they would count for official times. This ‘re-swim’ was contested at the conclusion of the A and B finals. Notably, Jack Alexy swam a 21.86, .04 faster than his official result. Caeleb Dressel and Santo Condorelli did not participate in the re-swim.

See USA Swimming’s statement on the matter below:

During the final of the Men’s 50m freestyle, the automatic timing system failed to activate. As outlined in the USA Swimming Rulebook, backup stopwatches determine the finish order and times when a timing system fails. The finish order and times from the final are official. However, swimmers in the final were offered the opportunity to swim the event again as a time trial at the end of the session for a chance to improve their times. Certification of the times swum in the time trial is pending review by World Aquatics (AQUA).

How Underwater Training Helped Claire Curzan Flourish in Long Course at the 2024 World Champs

At the 2024 Doha World Champs, Claire Curzan became just the 3rd athlete (Qin Haiyang and Kaylee McKeown) to sweep all 3 individual events of one stroke at a LCM world championships. Curzan shares her thoughts on the meet and gives insights into how she's been training at her new home in Charlottesville. The soon-to-be sophomore said she's been doing more aerobic free to build a base for her 200 back and a lot of underwater work, which serves her well in finishing her LCM races.

Defining the Differences Between Healthy and Unhealthy Coaching

Athlete-coach relationships are an integral part of youth sports and often numerous lives, including the athlete, their parents, and the coach. But where is the line between healthy coaching and unhealthy coaching? When is it "tough coaching" and when is it abuse? SwimSwam sat down with Kathryn McClain, MSW, MBA, Program and Partnerships director at We Ride Together, a nonprofit organization created to cast light upon the endemic issue of sexual abuse in youth and amateur sports. Kathryn discusses the key differences between healthy and unhealthy coaching and how coaches can change their mindset, language, and actions to better serve the athlete in the short and long term.

World Champion Finlay Knox Wins 200 IM World Title With Crooked Ceiling for Backstroke

Finlay Knox won his first world title, and Canada men's first since 2007, at the Doha World Championships in the 200 IM. We saw many backstrokers in Doha hitting the lane line during their races and Knox explained that the ceiling wasn't straight, so the competitors swimming backstrokes were not always swimming in a straight line. Knox explains that he got lucky by landing in lane 7 for the final, where a pillar was straight across the ceiling to follow during the backstroke leg of the 200 IM.

Braden Holloway Assesses ACC Performances After Winning Week for Wolfpack

NC State's men won their 3rd straight ACC title (and 9th in 10 years) last week in Greensboro. Head coach Braden Holloway gives his thoughts on both the men's and women's teams and their performances at the conference championships.

Todd DeSorbo Analyzes Virginia Women's and Men's Teams After ACC Championships

The University of Virginia women won their 5th straight (and 20th overall) ACC team title this past week in Greensboro while the UVA men placed 5th. Head coach Todd DeSorbo shares his thoughts on how his team performed overall at the conference championship.

Owen Lloyd, Ross Dant Give Full Account of 1,650 DQ at ACCs

NC State’s Owen Lloyd touched the wall in 14:37.04 in the 1,650 free, ostensibly winning the ACC title. In celebration of his victory, Lloyd mounted the lane rope, eventually falling into the lane of his teammate and the runner-up Ross Dant, who was two seconds behind. While Dant, who was stroke-for-stroke with Lloyd for most the race, had finished his swim before Lloyd fell into his lane, some swimmers of the heat had not (Jordan Yanchev in lane 8 was about 50 seconds back). Lloyd was declared disqualified after the completion of the race. “Interfered with another swimmer” was the official declaration on the results as the reason for the disqualification. Dant, who finished in 14:39.34, was declared the winner. Owen Lloyd and Ross Dant joined SwimSwam to give their full perspective on the matter.