2016 RIO OLYMPIC GAMES
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Swimming: August 6-13
- Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Barra Olympic Park, Rio de Janeiro
- Prelims – 9:00 a.m/12:00 p.m PST/EST (1:00 p.m local), Finals – 6:00 p.m/9:00 p.m PST/EST (10:00 p.m local)
- SwimSwam previews
- Schedule & Results
Although history was made in the women’s 100m freestyle race Thursday night in Rio, the nation of Australia wasn’t involved in that history. Instead of finishing 1-2 to become the first set of siblings to ever score gold-silver in the same event, current World Record Holder Cate Campbell and her double World Champion sister Bronte were denied medals entirely.
For Cate especially, the fact she fell short of the podium was extra puzzling given the fact the Commercial Club swimmer had just cranked out a new World Record in the event last month in Brisbane. She threw down a monstrous time of 52.06 to surpass a previous record set back in the supersuit era, so when the 24-year-old finished in 6th last night in a time of 53.24, bewilderment was felt across the Australian contingency.
Australian National Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren spoke to the media after the women’s 100m freestyle race, conveying that ‘swimming in an Olympic final is the most difficult thing for an athlete to do – and it shows.’
‘Looking at her [Cate Campbell’s] swims in the relay, for example, and in the heats and semi’s, she looked very smooth and very comfortable. So we can really only put it to nerves and nothing else.’
Verhaeren essentially chalked up Cameron McEvoy’s lackluster performances to the same ‘stage fright’ scenario, confirming the fastest 100m freestyler ever in a textile suit was not sick, just nervous.
“You can’t deny expectation, you simply have to deal with it,” Verhaeren says of the pressure athletes face when hitting the world’s biggest competitive stage.
Cate Campbell will be contesting the women’s 50m freestyle event today.
You can view Verhaeren’s statements in their entirety via this video, courtesy of the Australian Olympic Committee.
Verhaeren On Cate Campbell’s 100m Freestyle
If that’s the case next year at the world champs where he doesn’t have to be “nervous” macevoy can break the world record same with cate
Just do what MP says he does.
Blank every thought in your head and just let your body take over.
Find a way to cope with the long wait in the Call Room.
I think it’s the coaches that are the problem. The American coaching staff seem to collaborate and work together to make the best decisions regardless of how people feel about it. The Australian swimmers and staff seem so disconnected. The Americans just seem much closer.
The training camp helped the Us so well to perform Big , each 4 years . The NCAA also plays a major role in preparing those US swimmers to big pressures On the biggest stage .
Nerves had nothing to do with it. She just died in the last 25.
yeah but the nerves made her expend too much energy on the first 50. If you’re nervous you tend to swim ‘tightly’, where your muscles are contracted even when they don’t need to be (eg while reaching during the catch). Nerves would cause this.
yep, also i think the nerves contributed to that false start, which completely took her out of her plan
Australians time and time again prove that they cant step up when they need to
So he is basically saying they need to suck it up and perform