The Santa Clara Grand Prix, which runs from June 15th-19th, is one of the world’s final leadups to the FINA World Championships in Shanghai, which begin a month later, and thus will be a popular destination for swimmers looking to test their final preparations.
Aside from the usual suspects at USA Swimming, the stars who have thus far confirmed attendance at the meet is Brendan Hansen, in his first return from unofficial retirement, and Australians Emily Seebohm and Stephanie Rice.
It’s been clear that Hansen’s been on the comeback trail for months now, but when he hits the water for the first time in Santa Clara, it will be official. My guess is that he’ll get the opportunity to square off againast America’s other comeback breaststroker, Ed Moses (with the caveat that we don’t know when his 9-month clock started ticking, and thus don’t know if he’s eligible), as well as the impressive USC crew (Eric Shanteau and Mike Alexandrov) against whom he’ll be competing for Olympic spots in 2012. I don’t expect him to win a race there, but it will be a significant measuring stick on early returns.
As for the Australian women, they are part of a 30-strong contingent that will spend the next few weeks at Australia’s home-away-from-home in Mexico, working on altitude training. Seebohm and Rice will make the trip up the coast for the Santa Clara International, and Seebohm will also test her strength at the Southwest Classic in Tucson, Arizona the week before.
Both meets will be important to Seebohm, who has had several major health scares early this year – she was hospitalized with Swine Flu in February and then collapsed on deck at the Australian World Championship Trials in April. She withdrew from the meet after that, but still qualified in her primary event: the 100 backstroke, and will now have to prove her fitness to complete a full meet without issue.
Rice is also itching to prove her health after shoulder surgery late last year, and a as-good-as-expected return at the Aussie World Championship Trials. After saying she felt no pain at that meet, she should now feel more comfortable with really letting loose in practice, which could accelerate her climb back to the top of the mountain.
The biggest names who have stayed back in Australia are Eamon Sullivan, who broke his heel the last time he trained in Mexico, James Magnussen, and Geoff Huegill, who will be training in Sydney under coach Grant Stoelwinder. It will be an interesting dynamic with Huegill and Magnussen in the same pool, after a bit of a social-media back and forth between the two over the location of Australia’s 2012 Olympic Trials.
oh ok I get it now. I also agree with you re:top 10 ever if he pulls a triple.
in fact, no other breaststroker, male or female, has ever pulled olympics double-double.
I didn’t say Kitajima the greatest swimmer ever.
I said he is arguably the greatest male BREASTSTROKER ever. please read my comment again.
no other male breaststroker has ever pulled double-double at the olympics.
Sorry, let me clarify my response-I agree that Kitajima is the greatest male breaststroker ever. I think if he pulls off the triple, he’s amongst the top 10 of any stroke ever.
Well, that would be true…if you only consider 2003, 2005, and 2007. However, Hansen won gold in the 200 in 2001 on Kosuke’s home turf in Japan, whereas Kitajima took bronze in the same race. That makes the tally 4 in favor of Hansen versus 3 for Kitajima.
I wouldn’t argue that Kitajima is the greatest ever, however. I think if he pulls off the triple in either distance in London, it’ll solidify him a spot amongst at LEAST the top 10 swimmers of all time.
In 2003, 2005 and 2007 world champs, Kitajima won 3 individual golds, and Hansen also won 3.
I don’t get where’s this myth where Hansen won more frequently than Kitajima?
Kitajima = the greatest male breastroker ever.
Well if you remember correctly, it was Hansen and not Kitajima that was the world record holder in the 100 and 200 breastrokes. Although Kitajima no longer owns either of those because of the suits, he has still dominated the breastroke scene for a long time. Not to mention Hansen has been out of competition for a while…so it should be very interesting to see
Kitajima won all of the Olympic golds, true, but it was Hansen who victored more frequently at World Champs. Also, at the 2004 trials, Hansen set World Records in both breaststrokes before Kitajima beat him in Athens (and didn’t break his WR’s). Kitajima also took the 200 record from him at the 2008 Japanese trials, and Hansen had the 100 record going into that race as well (before Kitajima won gold and took the record).
But I agree with Bryan’s sentiment. In terms of Olympic rivalries, it’s been hugely one-sided. I think the Kitajima butterfly kick in 2004 might have a big effect on the perception of the rivalry.
I don’t really get the Hansen/Kitajima rivalry. Is it really a rivalry when one side always wins? And wins handily at that.
Even better than Moses… if they can get Kitajima to Santa Clara, that would be cool! Wonder how the trash talk would play out with Hansen now that Kitajima knows English.