When one of the most successful sprint coaches in swimming history digs deep into sprinting, we would all do well to listen.
Former Auburn head coach Brett Hawke posted a series of posts on Instagram over the weekend about men’s sprinting, covering topics including who he think will win the 100 free at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and how he thinks the World Records in different sprint events will be broken.
Hawke, who now works as development director and clinician for Fitter & Faster, resigned as the head coach at Auburn in 2018. Hawke spent 9 seasons as the lone head coach at Auburn, and before that time worked as co-head coach and assistant coach with some of the fastest sprinters in history, including World Record breakers Fred Bousquet and Cesar Cielo, and 3-time Olympic medalist Matt Targett.
Hawke has also named his favorites for Olympic gold in the 100 free at the 2020 Olympic Games. He picked two Australians, Kyle Chalmers and Cate Campbell, to win the events. The 44-year old Hawke, who has been an American citizen since 2009, represented Australia at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympic Games. He has also been on several Brazilian international coaching staffs via his work with Cesar Cielo and Bruno Fratus, among others.
Chalmers is the defending 100 free Olympic gold medalist, though to win gold he’d have to beat the 2-time defending World Champion and the world’s best male swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who beat Chalmers by .12 seconds and very-nearly got the World Record last summer in Gwangju. Campbell, meanwhile, is the 2nd-best 100 freestyler in history, but has been unable to put her best individual swims together at the biggest meets. Her only individual Olympic medal came in 2008 in the 50 free, and at last summer’s World Championships, she took silver in 52.43, which put her .39 seconds behind Simone Manuel for gold.
See Hawke’s insights and predictions below:
How to break the 100 free World Records:
How to break the 100 Fly World Records:
Brett Hawke‘s picks:
Fitter & Faster Swim Tours is a SwimSwam partner, however this was not a paid-for post.
Citing he coached record-breakers in Bousquet and Cielo is…. tainted by the fact they both used PEDs….
200 free: 23.5 26.0 26.0 26.0
22.5 24.5 26.0 29.0
So you’re saying Townley is gonna break it?
Exactly
For the men’s 100 fly there is no way anyone’s breaking 49 without touching under 23 at the 50. 22.8/26.1 is more reasonable.
Coach Hawke is light years ahead of most coaches. His brilliant synopsis, while difficult for most to understand, is genius.
It’s basic math, I’m pretty sure most 10 year old swimmers could figure out the splits they need to break 1:00 in 100 free SCY if they were asked to. Understanding the theory is easy, training to make it happen and doing it in a race is the difficult part
You prove my point by clearly not grasping the genius of his methodology
whooshing everyone lol
“Actions speak louder than Coaches !” Great bulletin board material.
Not sure “Guru” is the word I’d use. His term at AU was dreadful
You are comparing bowling with playing the mandolin. Being a program leader is totally different from being a race analyst.
Mandolin…LOL
How to break a world record: go faster than the current record.
I wish I had thought of this! It’s brilliant!
(I should probably watch the videos before sassing off, but this is more fun.)
After what we’ve seen the last 4 years we’ve still got people who want to pick C1 over Simone in a major individual final? That is a bet I will take all the way to the bank.
I don’t know if Manuel wins gold medal in 100FR But this is her best chance. She will compete against 28 and 27 years old swimmers. I don’t think Sjostrom will be again in 2017 from and Cate Campbell is actually a 52 3 swimmer with one fluctuation into 52 flat zone. What I would really like to see that is Bronte on the top step of podium. Same way as she did in Kazan. She has 52.2 in her. It is enough to compete for the gold.
Penny looks too heavy and there is nothing of girlish excitement left in her look. She is too mature for some crazy swim. I am not sure she breaks her personal best (52.7). But even if she does it it won’t be significant.
Sarah was only 17 in early 2013.. .
True. She was significantly younger in 2013, but not 17 😀
On the other hand you didn’t say what Sarah you remember from 2013. I take my words back 😀
I doubt I could say anything in English in 2013 😀
Your take hasn’t mattered since 09 Brett
I’d expect a statement like this from an Augie Busch fan. Brett clearly giving his opinion. Something he’s entitled to do.
Maybe you’re sour you never got to work with a decent sprint coach
At least you’re acknowledging he is only decent
SMH/AuggieBuschFan, please stick to one username in any given thread, thank you.
OOOOOOOOHHH S***. YOUVE BEEN CAUGHT.