USA Swimming put together one of the "most well-rounded, high-achieving, world-beating Olympic swim teams ever assembled" at the Rio Games, as the 33 total medals the team won are the "most since the same number was recorded" at the '00 Sydney Games, according to Pat Forde of YAHOO SPORTS. The 16 Gold Medals matched the total from four years ago in London and almost equaled the rest of the world, which "won 17 golds combined." There were just three events where "no Americans graced the podium." This was a "testament to endless depth and new heroes" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/14). In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington noted everyone "expected the Americans to be good in the pool, and they lived up to the projections" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/14).
ONE FINAL FAREWELL (MAYBE): In L.A., Bill Plaschke noted the atmosphere at the Rio pool on Saturday night was "filled with the sort of singular appreciation never heard from an entire Olympics crowd." For one moment, it felt as if the entire sporting world "was putting aside its differences to say farewell" to Michael Phelps, who steadfastly claims he is finished with Olympic competition (L.A. TIMES, 8/14). In Newark, Steve Politi wrote Phelps made the "best exit in sports history." Politi: "Has anyone stepped off the stage better, with more success on a higher level, than Phelps at these Olympics?" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 8/14). In Boston, Christopher Gasper wrote getting to see Phelps swim in the Olympics "is like saying you saw Babe Ruth swing a bat, Michael Jordan elevate for a jumper, or Bobby Orr glide with the puck." Gasper: "You got to see the greatest to ever do it." But Phelps’ legacy "is more than being a medal machine." It is "putting an entire sport on those incredible shoulders" and "elevating it to new heights." It is "inspiring an entire generation of swimmers that want to Be Like Mike" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/14). Fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Murphy said of Phelps, “He’s opened a lot of doors for all of us. No matter what country you swim for, you’re indebted to Michael Phelps for bringing a lot of exposure to the sport and making it a little bit more mainstream every four years" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/14).
TRUE COLORS: In N.Y., Karen Crouse wondered how long it will take for "swimming in the United States to become colorblind" and whether one Gold Medal is "enough to change the questions" African-American swimmer Simone Manuel and Lia Neal face." Manuel made history on Thursday by becoming the first African-American female to claim Gold, and Neal said, “This definitely catapults us many steps forward. I think just that one medal will bring so many different people into the sport and inspire so many different people" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/13). In Miami, Michelle Kaufman noted Naomi Ruele this year became the "first black female swimmer representing her native Botswana in the Olympics." She said of Manuel's feat, "That shows how much we’ve come along and it shows other people you don’t have to be scared to try something new. Simone’s win resonated with me as a black woman. It was definitely something I found inspiring, and I hope I inspire other young women back home to get into swimming" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/13). In St. Louis, Jose de Jesus Ortiz writes Manuel "is now a symbol, a very important icon." She also "chipped away at the stereotype that blacks cannot swim" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/15). Manuel said, “I’m super glad with the fact I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport. But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us, and it’s not ‘Simone the black swimmer.’ The title ‘black swimmer’ makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal, or I’m not supposed to be able to break records. And that’s not true" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 8/12).
POOL WARS: U.S. swimmer Lilly King said she was "glad" she called out competitors, including Russia's Yulia Efimova, who have used or been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. King said, "It was something that needed to be brought up, in my mind. I wasn’t even planning on speaking out. It just kind of happened. But I’m glad I did, because it is something that needs to be noticed, and it’s something that needs to be dealt with, and I just happened to be the person that decided to come out, so I’m super glad I did it" (USATODAY.com 8/14). But USA TODAY's Martin Rogers noted Efimova "took a parting shot" at King on Saturday night, "insisting the American 19-year-old was immature and had turned the event into 'a war.'" Efimova: "Why are they discussing only Russians, not another country? I mean, it is not only Russia. ... (King) is young. She doesn’t know sometimes how life is going on. I hope that she changes, changes her mind and everything" (USATODAY.com, 8/14).
