Youssef Ramadan, the defending NCAA Champion in the 100 yard butterfly, has missed Virginia Tech’s last three meets after fracturing his wrist. Still, head coach Sergio Lopez is optimistic for his return this season.
Three weeks ago, Ramadan had a crash on his electric scooter and fractured his scaphoid, which is one of the small bones on the thumb side of the wrist. Lopez says he is continuing to train after the injury.
“He has been training well and he has a cast for a couple of more weeks,” Lopez told SwimSwam. “He is excited about the year for the NCAA and the Olympics.
Ramadan, a senior with a 5th year of eligibility remaining, won the NCAA title in the 100 yard fly last year in 43.15. That time is the 2nd fastest performance in history behind only the legendary 42.80 done by Caeleb Dressel at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
Ramadan also finished 5th in the 50 free (18.82) and 8th in the 100 free (41.61) at last year’s NCAA Championships.
Just before the injury, Ramadan raced on September 15-16 at the annual intrasquad Hokie Belt Challenge. His results from that meet:
- 150 SCY fly – 1:15.85 (23.03/26.70/26.10)
- 150 SCY free – 1:08.47 (21.71/23.63/23.13)
- 150 LCM fly – 1:30.60 (26.65/30.88/31.60)
- 150 LCM free – 1:20.85 (25.91/27.95/26.99)
“We did 150s since that is the distance we use to establish the paces for our training using a 150 chart that Gustavo Calado (coach/owner Planet Swim now) and I developed while we worked together at Bolles,” Lopez explained. “The chart helps the coach build a good progression of sets of the different energy systems and also combine different energy systems within a set.
“The swimmers like it since they have a guide of the times they need to do and they understand better the type of work and effort that we are doing that day.”
- See also: Sergio Lopez explains how he uses 150s.
In Ramadan’s absence, the #9 Hokies beat George Washington 169-120, fell to the #15 Texas A&M Aggies 139.5-157.5, and beat South Carolina 202-95. The team is scheduled to race ACC foes Duke on October 21, Ohio State from October 27-28, and at the mid-season Tennessee Invite from November 15-17 or NC State Invite from November 16-18.
Ramadan, an Egyptian native, has not had as much success internationally in long course as he has had in short course so far. At the 2023 World Championships, he was 26th in the 100 free in 48.77, an Egyptian Record, and 27th in the 100 fly in 52.31, missing his Egyptian Record of 51.67.
That record was set at the 2021 Olympic Games, where he finished 16th.
Scooter Injuries
As personal and public electric scooters are becoming more popular for transportation, so too are injuries from those scooters.
2021 ACC Most Valuable Swimmer Jack Hoagland suffered the same injury as Ramadan two years ago in a scooter crash. Robert Finke missed the 2019 World University Games with a wrist injury from a scooter crash as well. Australian Olympic gold medalist Meg Harris broke her arm in late 2021 while riding a scooter to the beach.
A 2019 study showed that scooter injury rates were higher than bicycles, cars, and even motorcycles. Another study in 2021 estimated that every 100,000 trips on an electric scooter resulted in 20 to 25 emergency department visits.
Why are we scooting, again?
And this is why many colleges coaches have a strict ‘No scooters’ rule.
Honestly reupload the interview after his 100 fly best interview
Falling off a scooter feels like more of a Bobby Finke move than Robert
No way bro is still in college
If he training with the cast, what is keeping him from racing with it? Is it against the rules to have a cast on or is just slowing him down too much to race.
Not just training with it, but according to other members of the team training well. Like “still faster than us.”
Yes I believe racing with a cast is against rules. There’s also the risk especially on a start of putting too much pressure on the wrist.
Scooters are the worst thing to happen to men’s college swimming since… I don’t know when.
I had a nasty little incident on a scooter during my conference meet. I definitely sprained it, but did okay at the meet. Luckily it was just a 50 free that night. It’s very easy to eat the pavement on those.