SW Biweekly – Relay Roundup: Sizing Up Team USA’s Relays Heading Into World Championships

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In this issue of SW Biweekly, read about how the U.S. men’s and women’s relay teams are stacked up for World Championships. Also featured is news of Swimming World’s own Brent Rutemiller, in early remission from plasma cell leukemia; Which world records are in danger at Worlds; Adam Peaty injured and at least seven other reigning champs not competing for Team USA at Worlds; Mallory Comerford resurges from a disappointing Trials to make Team USA for Worlds; Hali Flickinger qualifies for Team USA relay for Worlds and has even higher hopes for Worlds success; Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack clock the world’s top two fastest times in the 100 free at Australian Champs; Zac Stubblety-Cook smashes world record in the 200 breast; Ariarne Titmus breaks world record in the 400 free; USA Swimming announces rosters for 2022 Jr. Pan Pacific Championships; Michael Phelps on identity and mental health, “All I saw was a swimmer”; Olympic gold-medalist Bowe Becker announces retirement; and more!


[On The Cover: Brooks Curry | Photo by Peter H. Bick]


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FEATURES

008 BRENT RUTEMILLER’S CANCER IN EARLY REMISSION AFTER 42 WEEKS OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND STEM CELL TRANSPLANT
by John Lohn
Swimming World is thrilled to announce that Brent Rutemiller is in early remission from the cancer that wracked his body. The publisher of Swimming World Magazine and CEO of International Swimming Hall of Fame shares a detailed announcement of the early-remission news delivered by his doctor regarding his fight against cancer.

010 WHAT WORLD RECORDS ARE IN DANGER AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS?
by John Lohn
While some of the biggest names in the sport will be absent from the FINA World Championships in Budapest, plenty of speed will be on display inside the Duna Arena. Some of the events that might see the world record challenged include the men’s 50 and 100 meter freestyle as well as the 200 fly, along with the women’s 100 back and 400 IM.

011 INJURY TO ADAM PEATY THE LATEST BLOW TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD
by John Lohn
The field for next month’s World Championships was further weakened when two-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty revealed he suffered a broken bone in his right foot. At least seven additional reigning Olympic champions will not compete at Worlds for varying reasons.

012 MALLORY COMERFORD EMBRACING RESURGENCE AFTER “DARK PLACE” HEADING INTO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
by Dan D’Addona
After the most difficult year of her career, including a disappointing finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Mallory Comerford proved her resurgence in Greensboro, N.C., making Team USA for the World Championships—something that seemed impossible a year ago.

014 HALI FLICKINGER CHECKS CAREER GOAL BY MAKING TEAM USA RELAY, BUT “THERE IS SO MUCH MORE IN THERE”
by Dan D’Addona
At this year’s USA Swimming International Team Trials, Hali Flickinger achieved her goal of qualifying for a Team USA relay by finishing fourth in the 200 free. But she’s also hoping to reach her second goal of having a breakthrough in the 200 fly… which could happen this summer at the World Championships.

016 MOLLIE O’CALLAGHAN, SHAYNA JACK BLAST BIG TIMES AT AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
by Ian Hanson
Even without Tokyo Olympic stars Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell and her former world champion sister, Bronte Campbell, there was plenty of fast swimming at the Australian Swimming Championships in May at Adelaide, including a 1-2 finish in the women’s 100 free from Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack, who clocked the world’s top two fastest times.

018 AUSTRALIA’S ZAC STUBBLETY-COOK SMASHES WORLD RECORD IN THE 200 BREASTSTROKE
by Ian Hanson
Australia’s Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook smashed the world record in the 200 meter breaststroke at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide with a stunning 2:05.95. His time not only bettered the previous mark of 2:06.12 set by Russian Anton Chupkov at the 2019 World Championships, but the 23-year-old from Brisbane become the first man under 2:06.00.

019 OLYMPIC CHAMPION ARIARNE TITMUS BREAKS THE 400 FREESTYLE WORLD RECORD
by Ian Hanson
Australia’s Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus blasted her way to a new world record in the women’s 400 meter freestyle – clocking 3:56.40 at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide.

020 USA SWIMMING ANNOUNCES ROSTERS FOR 2022 JUNIOR PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS AND MEL ZAJAC JR. INTERNATIONAL SWIM MEET
USA Swimming announced the names of 60 athletes who will represent the U.S. internationally this summer at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships (Aug. 24-27, Honolulu, Hawaii) or the 2022 Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet (June 3-5, Vancouver, Canada).

024 “THE ONLY THING I SAW WAS A SWIMMER”: MICHAEL PHELPS ON IDENTITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
by Matthew De George
Michael Phelps has long been an advocate for athletes’ mental health and for athletes sharing their emotional and psychological struggles. In an interview with the WHOOP Podcast, the most decorated Olympian in history added to that body of conversations.

026 U.S. MEN’S RELAYS LOOK STRONG FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
by David Rieder
Although the United States captured Olympic gold medals last year at Tokyo in the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays, the Americans did not reach the podium in the 800 free relay, marking the first time that any U.S. relay squad competed in the Olympics, but did not win a medal. Team USA sits in a favorable position a year later at the upcoming World Championships, as SW Biweekly analyzes all three races.

028 HOW THE U.S. WOMEN’S RELAYS STACK UP FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
by David Rieder
While the Americans would be big favorites in a women’s backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly relay, freestyle is a different story. That bodes well for the medley relay, but not so well for the 400 and 800 freestyle relays. SW Biweekly examines American medal hopes for the three women’s relays set for the World Championships in Budapest.

030 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST BOWE BECKER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
by Matthew De George
Bowe Becker, a 400 freestyle relay Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, announced his retirement from swimming. The native of Las Vegas also was an excellent swimmer at the University of Minnesota, finishing third at NCAAs in the 50 free in 2018 and second in the 100 free in 2019. He also swam in the International Swimming League in 2020 with the Cali Condors and with the Tokyo Frog Kings in 2021. Last year, Becker served as a volunteer assistant coach at Minnesota.

 

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