She went into the Olympics with the world record in 400-meter freestyle, so she’ll have one eye on her opponents in the pool and one on the clock when she dives in for the high-octane event.
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Unlike Michael Phelps, she can still walk through the Olympic Village without being overwhelmed by attention. “I’d love another swim but that’s totally up to the coaches”. It’s also likely Phelps’ last appearance in an Olympic race – again, if he actually retires. She is competing in five events this summer: The 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle along with the 4×200-meter free relay to go with Saturday’s race.
New Zealand’s top swimming hope at the Rio Olympics Lauren Boyle will face stiff competition, with the American swimming sensation Katie Ledecky already expected to come away with a a golden haul.
Before she tries to equal Debbie Meyers’ golden triple, Ledecky could join the US 4×100-meter freestyle relay team when the eight-day swimming competition begins Saturday.
During her young career, Ledecky has broken eleven world records.
Going from 800m champion to 1,500m champion is a natural leap but, with the latter race not an Olympic event, Ledecky was forced to move to shorter distances to expand her range. “I’m very pleased, [but] not surprised”.
Zhang’s coach, Massimo Constantini, says she controlled her nerves much better than she did in London.
“I think that absolutely allows her to compete at the level she does and do it so consistently”, he said. She’s a girl with a target, and you just have to admire that. Ledecky was still in third place when she turned at the wall, but she tracked down Canada’s anchor, Taylor Ruck, pulling the USA into second place in the heat, a quarter of a second ahead of Canada but 1.2 seconds behind the top-ranked Aussies. She could swim two, maybe three more Olympics.
Waiting for her at Stanford, will be Lia Neal, a 21-year-old swimmer from Brooklyn who shared a room with Ledecky on her first Team USA training camp before London 2012. Mastering the 100 in time for Tokyo in 2020 would be one way for Ledecky to demonstrate she’s the world’s most dominant swimmer, even if the International Olympic Committee won’t let her demolish the rest of womankind in her best event. “We got along so well, she’s one of the most down to Earth -but also extraordinary people-you’ll meet”. “In the end confidence doesn’t really matter, it’s the performance you can produce on the day”. According to NBC Olympics, the swimmer was 15-years-old when she participated at the London 2012 Olympics, the youngest among the United States delegates. She’s the undisputed reigning world’s most dominant swimmer, someone whose entrance into the pool should be accompanied by the theme from “Jaws”.
Out of the water, she holds a keen interest in politics and is excited about voting for the first time in the forthcoming US presidential election.
Thea LaFond, a parishioner at St John the Evangelist Parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, has also discovered that she is bound for the Olympics.
This might belong to the Australians, whose team will feature sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell. She and her partner, Jennifer Kessy, won silver in London, just behind the dynamic duo. “I knew there were no Brazilians in this race, so they’ve got to be shouting for something”.
She said it felt weird watching three teammates dive in before her. “It’s so much fun to watch”.
Kylliainen, 23, is still at school in the USA but she represents Finland so has something of an outsider’s perspective.
She sets goals – and reaches them.
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She’s the standard-bearer for New Zealand’s attempts to break a 20-year Olympic swimming medal drought, but Lauren Boyle will be absent when the flag enters the Maracana on Saturday (NZT). “Personality-wise it’ll take a little more experience to become a leader but she has the potential”. In Rio, Biles will be joined by 2012 gold-medalists Douglas and Aly Raisman, plus two promising newcomers (solid all-arounder Laurie Hernandez and uneven bars expert Madison Kocian), a quintet that’s widely held to be the one to beat in the group competition.
