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About Gold Medal Mel Stewart
Mel Stewart, aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, and USA Swimming. Mel has also worked as an Olympic analyst for ABC, NBC, EPSN, FOX SPORTS and TBS. At SwimSwam.com, Mel hosts Gold Medal Minute presented by SwimOutlet.com, a weekly report featuring the world’s fastest swimmers and Olympic medalists. Read More »
This amazing Berens will surprise this summer …..i bet on that !!! he is faster than ever on 100 and 200 free . He may be in the 2 to go to London ! what an exciting year
Rightly mentioned Mel , the after the wall dolphin kicks is a secret weapon to improve for him . he knows Lochte ( especially ) and Phelps have speed thanks to their dolphins kicks and therefore winning results . If we watch again and again the 200 free of Shangai , Lochte beats everybody by going out fast and kicking so deep on the 2d and third wall . It’s just so obvious that dolphin kicks is a important factor for Ricky to improve . Is he does it well , than , there will be more intensity on 200 ; and on the relays !
Both Phelps and Lochte have studied each other on video, studied the Shanghai WC video. I think both will go 11-12 dolphins kicks off all three walls at US Olympic Trials. Ricky must be in that range to be in the hunt to make the US Team individually in the 200 free.
He’s a much better bet to finish top 2 in the 100, no? You’ve gotta assume Adrian’s the favorite there, but there seems like 3 or 4 guys that’ll be real close for that second individual spot. (Feigen, Weber-Gale and Lezak, maybe Grevers, too.)
He’d place higher individually at the Olympics in the 200, but getting in ahead of Phelps and Lochte is a hell of a lot harder than that group in the 100.
JUNKER23…. You may be right. Did you consider Davis Tarwater among the top 5 in the 100 free (or 2-free)? Just curious?
Ooh no I didn’t, though with as close as all those guys are I suppose he should be mentioned, too.
On 1OO free , Ricky has a great chance to be close to Adrian …as many others ! On 200 ,the tast is way harder with the 2 underwater monsters ….hehehe but He will be faster than last year for sure .
I like Ricky Berens, but Adrian has greatly been uncontested in the 50 and 100 free I think he has the top spot in those events for sure
I think Ricky will be 1:44.5. Whether or not that’s enough depends on whether Phelps and Lochte hit their tapers…. I do believe that guys like Ricky have breakout swims. He’s got the base and experience to do it…. Also, Ricky’s a 200 yard butterfly-guy. He’s got the legs to push the underwater dolphin kicks.
A 144.5 by Ricky will be a drop of over 2.5sec from his current textile best. Very unlikely to happen this year. A 145 mid is more realistic. He will get his chance at an individual spot at the next WCs when MP is retired.
swimmer, I agree with you.
a 1:44.5 is HIGHLY unrealistic for Berens.
I also agree with previous comments from Junker that Berens has better chance in the 100, although I think that second spot will be taken by Feigen.
SWIMMER, I’m sticking by my 1:44.5. If Ricky can get out in a 51.3, his goal in the first 100 meters, he’ll be in the 1:44s. Yes, it would be an incredible swim for Ricky, he’s got it in him.
Its not who is better, its whos better on the day. Only time will tell.
But relay predictions are:
4×200
Phelps
Lochte
Berens
Vanderkayy
Dwyer
Matt Mclean
4×100
Phelps
Berens
Lochte
Adrian
Feigen
lezak or weber gale
50 (slugfest for 2nd)
adrian
Schneider/feigen/jones
I don’t see Cullen as a threat in the 50. His time has come and passed.
I’d like to see scott robison challenge for a relay spot too, he could get it in either of the free relays.
Goood predictions JEAH !!!!
Berens is a terrific swimmer, no doubt and he has great underwaters bbut it has to be more than dolphin kicks. I see a lot of the Europeans swimming fast that don’t have those 11 kicks of the wall: Agnel, Muffet, Biederman .They are faster than some swimmers that have better underwaters so maybe its not so simple.
who ever has more in the tank at the third turn will get it. Berens needs 2 be ahead, but no to the point where he burns his bridges. This is going 2 be the trials best event in my opinion. Much more competitive, for the 6 spots, compared 2 the backstrokes, historically usa’s best.
i predict a breakout swim for berens, in and around the 1:45.0 lvl…..but the question is whether or not it will be enough. Only time will tell if tapers are hit well
I like Ricky Berens and he is a great swimmer, however I dont believe that he will beat phelps or lochte at trials. Both are undergoing incredibly strenuous work out regiments in preparation for London and it will show at trials. I wish Ricky luck but I have a strong feeling that the only 200 free he will be doing will be in a relay.
Ricky’s 100 Free seems to be one of the sleeper possibilities at these trials and it will be fun to watch. Looks like Longhorn swimming will be well represented in the sprints!!! So just what’s the altitude in Austin these days – 86 feet above MSL?
Gold Medal Mel, I completely agree with you. I believe Ricky can be 1:44 low. I mean hes been 1:47.5 mid season. thats very promising for a 1:44.
Bluefish, there is an ocean between 1:47.5 and 1:44low.
I think Ricky can go 1:44, sure, probably high. But I think Phelps and Lochte will both be 1:43 high to 1:44 low to take the top 2 spots in the 200 free. In the 100 free Ricky has a legitimate shot at the second spot. After Adrian, there are definitely a group of four or five guys that can grab that second spot, and Ricky is as capable as any. Whoever gets that second spot will have to be sub :48 to do it. Regardless Ricky is going to almost certainly be on the 4×200 and probably 4×100 relays so at least he’s going to have 2 shots at getting a medal in Beijing.