Brash Americans fire up swim opposition
AT an Olympics where everything is eerily quiet, there is one familiar noise still blasting through the silence.
It is the sound of the American swimming team blowing its trumpet.
Showing they have not learnt their lessons from Sydney 2000, the US of A is at it again – casually dismissing the chances of their opposition by counting gold medals before the races have taken place.
Reviving memories of Gary Hall Jr’s gaffe from two decades ago – when he wrongly
bragged the Americans were going to smash the Aussies like guitars – Lilly King has gone a step further, claiming the US women will win every individual gold medal in women’s swimming at Tokyo.
It is such an outrageous prediction Las Vegas bookmakers are betting heavily America’s top female swimmers will lose far more races than they win, especially after giving their foreign rivals a free motivational leg up.
The Americans were given a taste of what to expect in Tokyo when Katie Ledecky was beaten by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus at the 2019 world championships, then Regan Smith lost her 100m backstroke world record to Queensland sensation Kaylee McKeown last month, but the message still is not sinking in with even senior US coaches doubling down on King’s goofy comments.
“What I love about what Lilly said is that is who she is, that is her personality, she is competitive,” the US women’s head coach Greg Meehan said. “That is someone we want on Team USA. She’s great on relays and regardless of the context of that, the reality is, is that competitive spirit is what Team USA is all about.
“(When) we get into international competition, that competitive spirit is what drives us. And it doesn‘t matter whether it’s Australia or Team GB or China or Japan or whoever it may be, it’s about being the best that we can be as Team USA.”
While the Dolphins have not won a single individual Olympic gold medal in women’s swimming since Beijing in 2008, the US has topped the medals tables in swimming at the past seven Olympics but the tide is turning. However of the 14 individual events for women in Tokyo, the US are ranked No.1 in only five races while Australia has the No.1 ranked competitor in seven events.