Ye Shiwen (CHN) broke the first World Record of the 2012 London Olympics. At only 16 years of age, Shiwen blew past leader Elisabeth Beisel (USA) in the final 100 meters, posting a ridiculous freestyle split at 58.68 seconds. Shiwen posted a 4:28.43 to best Stephanie Rice‘s world mark of 4:29.45 set at the 2008 Games in Beijing, which was swum in a hi-tech suit.
SPLITS COMPARED
100 butterfly: Rice 1:01.47, Shiwen 1:02.19
100 backstroke: Rice 1:08.36, Shiwen 1:09.54
100 breaststroke: Rice 1:17.42, Shiwen 1:18.02
100 freestyle: Rice 1:02.2, Shiwen 58.68
Coming home in 58.68 looks more like a strong final 100 of a 200 meters freestyle, not a 400 IM. After Sun Yang’s 53.50 closer in the 400 meters freestyle, it’s clear China’s training regiment is built on investing in a monstrous aerobic base.
Stephanie Rice’s Wortld Record from Beijing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fNUiQW1aKI
ye looks like she shaved her head a few months before the olympics. she could have at least trimmed it so it doesn’t look so obvious. similarly with the women’s chinese diving team.
lots of substances decay in time to be tested clean- but they stay in the hair forever.
i still think katie ledecky is a stylish doper
katie ledecky is a stylish doper.
The real problem here is that as soon as I hear the words “extraordinary performance” combined with the words “American sprinter”, or “Bulgarian weghtlifter”, or yes, “Chinese swimmer”, I get incredibly suspicious. You reap what you sow.
And seriously, if one more person says “she passed her drug test”, I’m gonna puke.
She has actually been tested for using drugs and she passed multiple times. But, America is saying that the machines were not up to date enough and couldn’t have shown accurate results. Just give it up people. She is a great swimmer. If she was from America, I bet not even one person will question her breaking a world record. Why didn’t anyone question Michael Phelps when he won all those gold medals in swimming four years ago? Just face it. China is becoming a world power. Almost every single person competing in the Olympics are wearing clothes in their sports wearing clothes MADE IN CHINA. Yet, America still owes China billions of dollars and still thinks they’re better.
Lots of drug cheats have been tested and passed multiple times. Some we know of, most no doubt we never will. It’s a non-argument. And if She was from America and produced that preposterous time, she’d be crucified. That’s a fact. Just as it is fact – not resentment or racism – to say that China has an appalling record when it comes to doping. APPALLING. As for Michael Phelps, if he were a drug cheat, would that make it ok for She to be one too? Because that seems to be your argument.
PS: I’m not American for what it’s worth, I’m Australian.
Sorry. I mean Ye of course, not She. Bit of late night conflation going down.
re: ye shiwen
for what it’s worth:
per FINA.org website (click on anti-doping) she was tested by FINA “unannounced out-of-competition” on 26 Feb 2012, 14 Nov 2011, 25 Jun 2011 & In-competition on 25 July 2011, 15 Dec 2010 & 10 Dec 2010 [last updated 23 April 2012].
For what it’s worth:
Marion Jones never failed a drug test in her life.
Elizabeth Beisel, (born August 18, 1992)
2006: 4:50.31
2007: 4:44.87 -5s!
2008: 4:32.87 -12s!
John Leonard, as you see, I just caught a drug user!
The is a very lengthy record on Elizabeth’s performances going back to when she was 9 years old. You can find this publicly accessible information here:
http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1470&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US
Searching the US database, you can see Elizabeth’s clear progression from age 9. You can see how she has performed in many events not just the 400 IM.
Is the same information available for Shiwen? I haven’t found it. If it is out there, please share this information. It might help resolve the many suspicions that so many of us have.
We’ve been told that Shiwen is a “freestyle specialist”, for instance, but there is very little evidence to support that claim.
I agree it… Read more »
This has been stated before a couple of times on this post already, but she had exceptional times at 14. In 2 years she has PRed by about 5.5 seconds in the 400IM…very underwhelming for someone of that age. The swimming world should have been well aware of her since that the 2010 Asian Games. The fact that they haven’t shows a lot of ignorance and lack of knowledge about up and comping swimmers around the world – also a world champ in 2011 at 15.
The video of her at 14 here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-CpD8t_5Rw
Being that she has 3 of the 5 last 50M splits in the last few years (see below), with… Read more »
“It is complete stupidity to compare her to Ryan Lochte or any other decent male swimmer. If Lochte was allowed to come in through 300M at the same pace as Shiwen, he’d beat her in by in the final 100M by 9 seconds. What’s the point of comparing the final 50M when he’s beaten her by 23 seconds?”
What is “complete stupidity” is that statement. The “point” of comparing them is that a girl, having swum the first 300m of an Olympic 400IM final close to as fast as a girl can swim the first 300 of a 400IM, then swam the final 100 close to as fast as A MAN can swim it. The fact that Lochte beat her… Read more »
“The fact that Lochte beat her by 23 seconds IN THE OTHER THREE LEGS makes it ten times as suspicious.”
I’m not following. Can you elaborate?
Sure. I’m presuming Lochte and Ye both swam their first 300s close to flat out, otherwise you wouldn’t be in the hunt surely. At the end of that 300 Lochte comparatively was 23 seconds faster, which is what you’d expect given the gender difference. Now I imagine Lochte’s best time for a jump start 100m is 48 low or 47 high – something like that. Take away the jump start as it’s obviously a tumble turn in the medley and you add what? 3 seconds? So let’s say 51 seconds for a hundred with a tumble turn – IF you haven’t swum the first 300 of an IM flat out first. Lochte’s 58.65 for the free leg was 7 or… Read more »
leave Beisel out of your trolling bro. She’s a fan favorite, a hard worker who improved over time with normal drops. The biggest drop she had was during the suit era and at an age where many have had break out meets.
Not that you or any of the Ye haters care, but the point is it’s an enormous double standard to accuse Ye based on improvements an not other swimmers with FAR greater improvements at that age, and in face 5.5 seconds from 14 to 16 years of age is unimpressive, so it’s a stupid argument in the first place.
Any why leave Beisel out? Evidently the standard to denigrate requires no evidence, so why is she or anyone else untouchable where it’s open game on Ye? I guess we shouldn’t go after “fan favorites”, right? Well Ye is a national hero to 1.3 billion people, and 95% of American’s have already forgotten who Elisabeth Beisel is.
By attacking Ye with… Read more »
She swam a disappointed split in the 4×200 – 1:57 something. Extrapolating from her freestyle times in the IMs, I was hoping for something crazy. I guess she is human after all.
She swam her second 100 in 1:00.87. That’s slower than both Lochte and her freestyle leg in the 400 IM! Don’t know how this fits in with the doping or not doping theories.
It doesn’t. Nothing anyone has said is evidence of doping.
It totally fits in with the doping theory. She made it too obvious in the IM so she had to tone it down. It would have been less suspicious had she blitzed her leg of the 200. She went from Superwoman to ordinary in four days. What, did she suddenly lose her “enormous aerobic capacity”? Ludicrous.
Yeah, I guess it is pretty suspicious that she “only” PRed and set new textile records twice in the same day in the 200M IM after the fatigue of a big PR and WR in one of the most demanding events, the 400M IM.
A much more plausible theory is that the Chinese are scared of the wrath of swimming community so she had to tone it down. Never mind that she is tested the same either way, and it would provide no benefit to win only by a little.
I heard from inside Chinese sources that they conspired to put her in the 4×200 and had her swim an average 1:57 to alleviate further suspicion. Being that that… Read more »
And the “extraordinary aerobic capacity”? The “scientific training methods”? What did become of them in the 4 x 200?
And spare me your peurile scorn mate. It only weakens your argument. Which is plenty weak enough to start with.