The women’s 100 butterfly is going to be much more interesting over the next year and a half with US Olympian and World Record Holder Dana Vollmer back in the water. After briefly stepping away from the sport, Vollmer told Universal Sports over the weekend that she is ready to be back in the water.
“I miss the nerves. I always got nervous before hand and that was something that I thought I wouldn’t miss. I want to be back in and feel that thrill. It’s definitely something I didn’t think I would miss, but you do.”
Although she wasn’t officially drug tested by the USADA between the second quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2015, she told Universal Sports that she never actually retired retired. Any American athlete that retires and returns to competition must enter back into the WADA testing pool again and sit out for six months before returning to competition. It is unclear at this point if her name was removed from the testing pool, but if her name was removed from the pool, the waiting period for returning athletes was shortened this year to 6 months (from the previous 9 months). As of the first quarter of 2015, she wasn’t drug tested by the USADA, although she could have been tested during quarter two.
When asked about the possibility of racing next summer, she said that if she can get back in shape, maybe she will see what she can go in the pool. If she get’s back into shape, her biggest competition in the 100 butterfly will come from Kelsi Worrell and Kendyl Stewart nationally as part of a women’s butterfly field that is viewed as one of Team USA’s biggest question marks heading toward Rio. Vollmer was the 2012 Olympic Champion in the 100 butterfly and is the only swimmer in history to break 56 seconds in the event.
“I hated when I saw the rumors that I actually did retire; I never did retire. I always wanted to leave it open for myself and I want to get back into shape. It’s one of those things that if I can get back into shape, maybe I’ll see what I can go in the pool.”
Vollmer and her husband, Andy Grant, recently had their first son. Arlen Jackson Grant was born on March 6th of this year.
“Lifestyle wise, I want to be extremely active with my son and in life in general. I’m loving it so far. I know how to get into shape and eat healthy and set that lifestyle my family. If that includes getting back in the pool… it has so far. It’s been really fun getting back in the water.”
The fashionably late arrival of my son Arlen Jackson Grant! 9lb 11oz! Born healthy & happy the evening of March 6th! pic.twitter.com/gAkaiArjHK
— Dana Vollmer (@danavollmer) March 9, 2015
Video is courtesy of Universal Sports Network, a SwimSwam partner.
Good news.
When Worrell goes 56 this summer this event will look a lot stronger for team USA.
Coughlin should prob stay on point with the BK with Franklin being so off.
A Missy “so off” on backstroke, as you say, is still by far the fastest backstroker in USA.
By the way, she wasn’t “so off” at last NCAAs. She easily won the 200 back there with a big new PB of 1.47.91 very close to the American record. Not bad for a girl with bad starts and bad underwaters, especially in a 25-yard pool where these technical parts are so important on backstroke.
So the talent hasn’t disappeared.
Her only problem is to become again the long course swimmer she used to be before going to college.
I don’t know what your problem is Bobo. If you admit she hasn’t been the backstroker she was 3 years ago (before CAL and there NCAA yards obsessed focus that took the worlds best backstroker and turned her off to meter backstroke – hence why she is leaving CAL?) then saying she is way off is accurate. Might she regain her form – sure. But she has not demonstrated that form in meters (and seldom in yards) in THREE years. That is off form. Way off form. If that isn’t way off form I don’t know what is….
I have to agree here with badparent. That’s not to say she can’t get back to her long course success, but leading up to London she was simply untouchable in the 2 back and damn hard to beat in the 100 and that has not been the case the past two summers. I would love for her to prove me wrong and give her WR a run this summer but I think it’s going to take until Rio for us to see that.
Does any body else think that Coughlin should focus on the 100 fly? This is such a weak event for the American women internationally and with Coughlin only focusing on a few events she could really make a difference in the 100 fly on relays and individually.
Eh…no? She’s mentioned before she trains backstroke because it helps her shoulders open up after swimming a lot of freestyle, so I’m guessing fly wouldn’t be too great on ’em.
I doubt she’d be much better than Worrell at this point and it’d take away from her other strokes. I think she’s making the right call.
Wow, great news! As a flyer myself, I loved watching her in action. She has such a beautiful stroke! Good luck in your comeback, Dana and congrats on the birth of your first, Arlen too!
Great News ! welcome back in the pool Dana .