The 2000 Olympic Games Swimming Review

Dateline:  9/28/00

The swimming events at the 2000 Olympics are in the record book - and it took a lot re-writing to fit everything. 15 World records, 37 Olympic records, and countless national records for many swimmers, from Ian Thorpe to Eric Moussambani. The United States set 4 world records, 10 meet records, 12 American records, and 5 National Age Group Records (USA Swimming). In the race for hardware, the US took 33 medals, followed by Australia with 18. In total, there were 19 countries that finished in the swimming Olympic medal count, with gold spread between 8 countries, silver among 12, and bronze brought home by 14 of them.

Day 1 (Saturday)
The first day of the meet featured World records from Ukraine's Yana Klochkova (400 IM, 4:33.59), Australia's Ian Thorpe (400 free, 3:40.59) and 4 x 100 men's free relay (Michael Klim, Fydler, Callus, Ian Thorpe, 3:13.67); the lead off swimmer, Klim, also set a world record in the 100 free (48.18), and the USA's 4 x 100 women's free relay (van Dyken, Torres, Shealy, Jenny Thompson, 3:36.61). An Olympic record was set by the Netherlands de Bruijn (100 fly, 57.14). The men's relay was a minor upset when the Aussies beating the USA for the first time in many Olympics.

Day 2 (Sunday)
Sunday had more records. Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands began to show his speed by setting a world record (200 free, 1:45.35) in placing first in the semi-finals over the Australian Thorpedo, Ian Thorpe. Hoogie's teammate, Inga de Bruijn, set a World record while wining the women's 100 fly (56.61) by over a second. Tom Dolan, from the USA, had a great race, setting a world record winning the 400IM (4:11.76), followed closely by teammate Eric Vendt. Italy's Domenico Fioravanti won the 100 breast (1:00.46) over Ed Moses (USA) in an Olympic record time. The other medal race of the day was a one-two finish by the USA's Brooke Bennett (400 free, 4:05.80) and Diana Munz.

Day 3 (Monday)
This day's world record came from the men's 200 free champion van den Hoogenband (1:45.35). Olympic records were set by gold medal winner Diana Mocanu from Romania (100 back, 1:00.21), Tom Malchow (USA, 200 fly semi-finals), and Lenny Krayzelburg (USA) in the 100 back (53.72). Megan Quann from the USA won the gold in the 100 breast over Australia's Leisel Jones and the world record holder, South Africa's Penny Heyns.

Day 4 (Tuesday)
Another day - another world record for the Netherlands van den Hoogenband (100 free, 47.84) and for the Australian men's relay squad (Thorpe, Klim, Pearson, Kirby, 4 x 200 free, 7:07.05). Tom Malchow set an Olympic record each time he swam the 200 fly (3 times - heats, semis, and finals) in taking the gold (1:55.35). Klochkova from the Ukraine, champion in the 400 IM also won the 200 IM in Olympic record time (2:10.68). Host nation favorite Susie O'Neill won the 200 free (1:58.24).

Day 5 (Wednesday)
The Netherlands attack on world records continued with de Bruijn in the women's 100 free semi-final (53.77). Misty Hyman, in one of the big swims of the meet, set an Olympic record (2:05.88) and won gold when she defeated the current world record holder Susie O'Neill in the 200 fly. The USA women (Arsenault, Munz, Benko, Thompson) won the 4 x 200 free relay in Olympic record time (7:57.80); other Olympic records from the night were set by Agnes Kovacs from Hungary (women's 200 breast semi-final, 2:24.03) and Krayzelburg (USA, 200 back semi-final, 1:57.27). Fioravanti of Italy made it double by wining the 200 breast (2:10.87). So did van den Hoogenband, taking the 100 free in a tremendous finish (48.30) over Popov (Russia) and Hall (USA) even though it was slower than the world record he set earlier.

Day 5 (Thursday)
Hard to believe, but no world records were set on Thursday, but Olympic records still came tumbling down. The men's gold medal winners in the 200 Back (Krayzelburg, USA, 1:56.76) and the 200 IM (Massimiliano Rosolino, Italy, 1:58.98) as well as the leader of the men's 100 fly semi-finals (Huegill, Australia, 51.96) kept the record keepers busy. A gold medal was earned by Kovacs (Hungary, 200 breast, 2:24.35) just ahead of the USA's Kristy Kowal and Amanda Beard; Inge de Bruijn (Netherlands, 53.83) won the gold in the women's 100 free, Alshammar of Sweden the silver, and in a rare occurrence - two bronze medal winners, as Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres, both of the USA, tied to the hundredth of a second (54.43).

Day 6 (Friday)
Only one world record today - Inge de Bruijn (Netherlands) in the 50 free semi-finals (24.13). Brooke Bennett of the USA took gold the 800 free in Olympic record time (8:19.67). Diana Mocanu of Romania took the women's backstroke double, winning the 200 back in 2:08.16. Lars Frolander of Sweden finished ahead of two Australians, Klim and Huegill,  for the gold in the 100 fly (52.00), and two Americans, Gary Hall and Anthony Ervin finished in a dead heat for the gold medal in the 50 free (21.98).

Day 7 (Saturday)
Inge de Bruijn won her third event (50 free, 24.32) over Sweden's Alshammar and the USA's Torres , while Grant Hackett of Australia won the 1500 free (14:48.33), the event the Australians felt they must win for national pride - and Hackett and Perkins (the world record holder) came through for the fans. Two world records on the final day, both by the gold medal wining USA medley relay teams. The women's team (Bedford, Quann, Thompson, Torres, 3:58.30) and the men's squad (Krayzelburg, Moses, Crocker, Hall, 3:33.73) finished the meet in style for the USA.

Four more years for new swimmers to develop and for the  experienced ones to get faster. What will happen in 2004? maybe there will even be another evolution in swimsuits! Keep checking with About Swimming to follow the progress of the current, past, and future Olympians.

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