The SwimSwam Podcast

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In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

Episodes

Thursday Jul 29, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games: Day 5

Thursday Jul 29, 2021

#5 – M 800 Free: In a race of the ages, Greg Paltrinieri was out like a shot in lane 8, holding a solid lead through the first 600. However, the field began to catch him in the last 200, but it was Bobby Finke, who flipped 4th at the 750, who came home in 26.3 to pass 3 other competitors to win in an American record in 7:41.87

#4 – M 200 Breast: Zac Stubblety-Cook swam a similar race to Finke, biding his time throughout the first 150 and splitting 32.2 coming home to touch first at 2:06.38, the #3 performance ever and an Olympic record

#3 – W 200 Fly: Zhang Yufei was out like a shot, touching at 26.9 and 58.2. She didn't slow down either, taking gold in 2:03.86, the fastest time we've seen in the event since 2009, when the super-suited world record was set

#2 – M 100 Free: The men's 100 free delivered just as expected, with Caeleb Dressel going out fast and Kyle Chalmers coming home strong. In the end, Dressel held on for gold, his first individual Olympic title, in an Olympic record time of 47.02

#1 – W 4x200 Free Relay: This race was nuts. Australia put their big guns first and surprisingly China was able to hang with them, battling for first the first 600 meters while the US did a good job at lurking in 3rd. Then Katie Ledecky dove in, splitting a massive 1:53 to pass Australia and nearly China as well, but Li Jingjie held on for China and delivered them gold, with all 3 teams going under the previous world record and China ultimately owning it in 7:40.33

BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: Australia 4x200 Free Relay

We feel guilty saying it because they were under the old world record, but there were so many situations where Australia wins this relay. The heavy favorite on paper, we thought this was a shoo-in for the Aussies, and leaving a 1:55.11 lead-off from prelims off of the finals relay coupled with Titmus adding a second from her individual left them vulnerable, and USA and China took full advantage

HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Men's 200 IM Final - What the heck is going to Happen?

With big-time players Daiya Seto, Michael Andrew, Wang Shun and Duncan Scott looming, it is anyone's race in the 200 IM final. We know Michael will be out fast at the 150, so ultimately it comes down to who can come home the strongest on the freestyle leg.

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Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

Melanie Margalis on Why It's So Hard to Dominate 200 & 400 IM at the Same Meet

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

We sat down with Olympic champion Melanie Margalis, the IM savant who is enjoying being a swim fan for once. Margalis swim nerds it up, delving into why it is so difficult to have both your 200 IM and 400 IM fire on the same level at the same meet, how to improve a single stroke in your IM, and what she saw from double gold-medalist Yui Ohashi.

Margalis also recalls multiple stories from Olympic ready rooms, world championships, and NCAA meets, including when she thought she'd be anchoring the Olympic 4x200 free relay. Coming in at just under an hour, we cover a lot of ground!

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

Olympic Star Aaron Peirsol Talks Ryan Murphy and The Elite U.S. Backstroke Club

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

Aaron Peirsol has seven Olympic medals and still holds the 200 backstroke world record, 1;51.9. He has wisdom and insight to share. He unpacks that in this SwimSwam podcast, a part of our ongoing Olympic coverage bringing you stars to provide a deeper point of view on each and every event. Peirsol details the United States' long successful history in backstroke, going back to the 1976 Olympic Games and John Naber. Peirsol also allows us into their tight, inner-circle. They talk, they lean on each other, and they provide support to the next rising star...whoever that may be. I hope you enjoy it. Peirsol is great company and conversation on any topic.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games: Day 4

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

SWIMSWAM’S TOP 5 SWIMS OF THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: DAY 4

#5 – M 200 Fly: World record holder Kristof Milak backed up his world title, doing his thing and dominating the field in the 2nd 100, touching for his first Olympic gold in 1:51.25

#4 – W 200 IM: Yui Ohashi completed the IM sweep in her home country, taking the 200 in 2:08.52 to become the 7th woman in a row to win both medley events at the Olympic Games

#3 – W 1500 Free: After placing 5th in the 200 free, Katie Ledecky bounced back in a big way, getting back in the pool just over an hour later to dominate the first Olympic iteration of the woman's 1500 and win gold, her first of these Games

#2 – W 200 Free: That race where Ledecky got 5th, Ariarne Titmus earned her 2nd gold in Tokyo, swimming a similar race to the 400 and coming back on the rest of the field in the last 50 to touch the wall 1st

#1 – M 4x200 Free Relay: It was a perfectly executed race for Great Britain, who had 3 of the 6 fastest splits of the field to win their first gold in this event since 1904 and come .03 within the super-suited world record held by the USA

BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: USA Leaves Dressel Off Relay

Where was Caeleb Dressel? He should have been on the 4x200 free relay, even Michael Phelps agrees with us. Although USA put up some very solid splits, we're confident they would have got on the podium with Dressel leading off. Would they have gotten past Britain? No way. But they get a medal with Caeleb on it.

HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Men's 100 Free Final - What the heck is going to Happen?

The men's 100 free depth is overwhelming, with 47.9 missing the final altogether. Caeleb Dressel is just 2nd seed with a 47.2, behind Kliment Kolesnikov's 47.11 European record. Mel says there's too much speed in this field and Kyle Chalmers won't even medal... I think he's a fool and that the defending Olympic champ will absolutely put himself into the top 3. All will be revealed in this next finals session in what could very well be the race of the century.

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Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

Rebecca Soni Gives Insight to Exceeding Your Expectations as an Athlete

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

We sat down with 3x Olympic champion Rebecca Soni, the breaststroke legend who won back-to-back Olympic titles in the 200 breast. After seeing 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby take the title in the women's 100 breast, Soni compared Jacoby's reaction to what Soni felt when winning her first 200 breast title in 2008. Soni emphasizes that exceeding your expectations as an athlete at the top level is a very rare thing and something to be appreciated and enjoyed.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

Ricky Berens Dissects What it Takes to be Great in the 200 Free, 800 Free Relay

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

We sat down with Olympic and world champion Ricky Berens to get his perspective on the 2020 Olympic 200 free final and what he see's for the 4x200 free with USA. Berens breaks down the subtleties of what it takes to swim a great 200 free and where the world is at in that progression. While chances are grim, he explains why USA still has a chance to win gold tonight against Britain, Russia, and the rest of the field.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games: Day 3

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

SWIMSWAM’S TOP 5 SWIMS OF THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES: DAY 3

#5 – M 200 Free: Rising star and 16-year-old David Popovici drops a huge 1:44.68 in his first Olympic final, just missing a medal at 4th place and breaking the European Jr record

#4 – M 200 Free: The British are coming, with Tom Dean and Duncan Scott taking 1-2 in the 200 free, both dropping 1:44.2's to top the rest of the field by nearly half a second

#3 – W 100 Breast: 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby keeps her momentum rolling from Olympic Trials, getting her hand on the wall first to hit Gold, while defending champ Lilly King earns Bronze behind her

#2 – M 100 Back: Evgeny Rylov breaks a European record en route to gold (51.98) and a 1-2 Russian finish as his countryman Kliment Kilosnikov finishes right behind him at 52.0 for silver

#1 – W 100 back: This highly anticipated showdown did not disappoint, and once again Australia took control as Kaylee McKeown moved ahead of the field with 15m to go and touched first at 57.47, the #2 performance ever and just .02 behind her own world record

BELLY FLOP OF THE DAY: Men's 200 Fly

It was disappointing to see 14 men go 1:55 or slower in the semis, with #2 being 1:54.9. With Kristof Milak going the easiest looking 1:52 that has ever been swum, we would have thought the rest of the world might have been able to catch up a bit. But the real belly flop was Chad le Clos' 31.8 final 50, which was not only entertaining (and painful) to watch, but surprisingly effective, with the fly-and-die swim netting him the 3rd seed. le Clos could easily turn that belly flop into a medal today.

HOT TOPIC OF THE DAY: Will USA Vets Show Up?

We've seen USA youngsters firing in Tokyo just as we did in Omaha, and I'm not saying that the Vets aren't swimming well. They just aren't getting their hands on the wall like we're used to seeing them do and it worries me as an American. But as Mel notes, it's early in the meet, and USA is used to being in situations like this and staying resilient through the latter half of big meets like this.

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Monday Jul 26, 2021

Jason Lezak Unpacks The 4x100 Free Relay and Dressel's 100 Free

Monday Jul 26, 2021

Gold Medal Mel Stewart sat down with sports icon Jason Lezak, the man who anchored the most exciting race in Olympic swimming history, the 2008 men's 4x100 free relay. Lezak unpacks Team USA's gold medal performance last night, detailing Dressel's leadoff, the exchanges and Zach Apple's monster anchor swim.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Monday Jul 26, 2021

Nathan Adrian Weighs in on 400 Free Relay, Why Top Seed Should Pick Their Lane

Monday Jul 26, 2021

We sat down with Olympic champion and USA sprinting legend, Nathan Adrian to get his wisdom through 2 days of the Olympic Games. The most interesting thing he said: we should start a petition that top seed gets to choose what lane they swim in at night. Why? Adrian prefers the outside lane for his events, especially a 100 free because that way competitors can't ride your wave as much. Adrian noted that on the lead-off of the 400 free relay, everyone knows US star Caeleb Dressel will be out fast and they gravitate to him like a magnet, trying to benefit from the wake he creates.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Monday Jul 26, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 2

Monday Jul 26, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 5 Swims of the 2020 Olympic Games: Day 2.

#5 - W 100 Back: Regan Smith breaks the 100 back Olympic record (4th time it went down in less than 24 hours) with 58.76 to take the top seed heading into the final tomorrow night

#4 - M 4x100 Free Relay: USA Men defend their gold in the 400 free relay, putting on a dominant performance of 3:08.97 and winning by over 1 second

#3 - W 100 Fly: Maggie MacNeil, after winning 100 fly gold at world champs in 2019, backs it up with an Olympic title, swimming the #2 time ever in 55.59

#2 - M 100 Breast: Adam Peaty defends his Olympic title in the 100 breast, swimming the #5 time all-time at 57.37 and dominating the field as per usual for him

#1 - W 400 Free: Ariarne Titmus vs. Katie Ledecky round 1 did not disappoint as we saw the two titans battle it out for 400 free gold, where Titmus ultimately got her hand on the wall first, touching at 3:56.69, the #2 time ever, while Ledecky finished at 3:57.36, the #3 time ever

Belly Flop of the Day: Russia Men's 4x100 Free Relay

Coming into the meet, our editor-in-chief Braden Keith had picked them to take gold, and just about everyone else knew they were looming as a title contender. After a shaky prelims, we saw Russia put together an even shakier finals performance, back-ended by a 48.1 from relay-stalwart Vlad Morozov and a 48.4 anchor from Kliment Kolesnikov, coming off of a 52.2 swim in the 100 back semi less than an hour before.

This led the team to finish 7th overall, nearly 2 seconds outside of the medals.

Hot Topic of the Day: Titmus vs. Ledecky

Titmus took round 1 of this Clash of the Titans, but what does this say about both swimmers moving into the rest of the meet? We know Ledecky is firing, and it seemed like she played into Titmus' hand in the 400 free strategically. In the 200, Ledecky could make it interesting but it seems like Titmus has too much speed to catch.

Meaning it all comes down to the 800 free.

We say Ledecky swims her own race at the end of the meet, learning from her 400 and staying away from Titmus early on so she has no wave to ride, successfully defending her last 2 Olympic titles i in the event.

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