Olympic Champion Tom Dolan Breaks Down the 400 IM Final Results

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman HodgesGarrett McCaffrey, and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

SEE THE FULL PODCAST HERE:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRxOIu0g_Lb/
Tom Dolan is a 400 IM beast, winning this race in 1996 and 2000. In 2000 Tom broke the World Record dropping a 4:11.76. Think about that! That was 21 years ago in a tiny, non-compression suit. Tom has high 400 IM swimming IQ, and he shares it here, breaking down the Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland gold and sliver medal Olympic performances.  Daiya Seto is figures prominently, as does Caron Foster who dropped a 4:08.4 on Friday night at the Speedo Sectional Meet in Austin, Texas, 24 hours ahead of the Olympic final, a time that would’ve won the gold. There are a lot of layers to this analysis, and we air them out entirely next week. This 12 minutes is a big teaser.
For those who don’t know what’s going on with Tom Dolan post Olympics. He’s been a force in the learn-to-swim industry with his Tom Dolan Swim Schools. Recently he’s merged with Big Blue Swim School becoming their President of East Coast Operations. This is not a small swim business. Big Blue Swim School is a powerhouse with 130 franchises.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

RECENT EPISODES

Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.

In This Story

48
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

48 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Eric
1 year ago

It’s too bad that so many of Tom Dolan’s races aren’t available to watch online:

  • Breaking the WR at 1994 World Champs.
  • Breaking the 500 free, 1650 free, and 400 IM ARs at 1995 NCAAs.
  • Overtaking Tom Wilkens and Erik Vendt in the final 100 to make the 2000 Olympic team in the 400 IM.
  • 1996 Trials where rumor has it he could tell he was on WR pace but let up in the final 100 to save breaking the WR for the games. (I’d love for someone to ask him if this is true.)
TheSwimCritic
2 years ago

Does anyone under the age of 30 even know who Tom Dolan is?

Admin
Reply to  TheSwimCritic
2 years ago

There’s a huge swim meet named after him every year near DC, so probably.

Wave 1.5 Qualifier
2 years ago

This 15-minute soliloquy is ELECTRIC.
Nostalgia factor high here.

2cool4swimschool
2 years ago

Do finals begin at 7 pm EST?

Admin
Reply to  2cool4swimschool
2 years ago

No. 9:30 PM Eastern

Ger
2 years ago

deleted

Last edited 2 years ago by Ger
Anon
2 years ago

I would like to see Tom Dolan on guest commentary for NBC. Very well spoken and knowledgeable and would go beyond “I’m so stoked that was soooo good”. No offense to MP, but give Dolan the mic.

Joe
Reply to  Anon
2 years ago

That doesn’t bring viewers. Nobody who isn’t a swimmer knows who Tom Dolan is

M L
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

It may not bring viewers to begin with, but it could popularize the sport and make first-time viewers come back and bring others. High-quality commentary makes for a much better viewing experience, especially in swimming, where it’s hard for a layperson to see what’s important and interesting without guidance. I think Phelps could do more of that if they set him loose, but they’ve probably told him not to get too wonky.

Stewie
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

Nobody who’s not a swimmer knows who Ambrose is, either….

Gold Medal Mel
Reply to  Anon
2 years ago

Agreed

CheddaShredda
Reply to  Anon
2 years ago

why not have both? dolan will bring out a more analytical side in phelps and phelps will bring the viewers. cut out rowdy

Joe
Reply to  CheddaShredda
2 years ago

I thought Phelps was generally really good yesterday. I agree w this.

Joe
2 years ago

Can we have Tom Dolan break down Michael Andrew’s 200 IM race strategy?

Gold Medal Mel
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

Def worth an ask. Ill make the invite to Tom today…

Joe
Reply to  Gold Medal Mel
2 years ago

Is the piano a mental block or lactic acid overload from sprinting a 150 before/using sprint freestyle technique at the end of a 200 IM when you have no legs.

dresselgoat
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

He would benefit from having a mid distance free stroke to use for 35 meters before blasting his 50 stroke into the wall.

Marklewis
Reply to  Joe
2 years ago

Michael Andrew is like a race car that has one speed.

Pedal to the metal, Fly and die, Catch Me If You Can.

David s
2 years ago

Good swimming’s

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

Read More »