Marsh: “Gonna be a big-boy race today”

Today’s men’s 50 freestyle final will be the most intense race of the entire meet. Every detail is so crucial to the overall outcome, but perhaps none more so than heart, and we’ve got the perfect three seeds at the top here with as much heart and soul anybody else in the world: Cesar Cielo, Cullen Jones and Anthony Ervin.

But all three display this intensity in different ways. Cielo swims with more emotion than any swimmer we’ve ever seen. Jones disappears for months and years at a time, but always shows up on the biggest stages. And Ervin is the most interesting man in swimming: sleeved with tattoos, a flawless technique, and a swimmer who understands himself undeniably.

Jones’ coach Marsh doesn’t make much of the lane placement or any advantage from Cesar, the World Record holder, winning the draw for lane 4: “If the blocks were numbered as in the US, Cullen is in 4,  either way.”

“It took what won gold in two recent Olympics to just make finals!” Marsh continued. “Gonna be a big- boy race today.”