The U. Six World Championships have been sandwiched between the last two Olympics in a pandemic-condensed cycle between Tokyo and Paris, a busy 40 or so months. The NCAA season will give way to a more normal summer of World Championships in an odd-numbered year, then the sights will turn in earnest to the Los Angeles Games three years on, with everything in the intervening time means to that end.
It comes at an opportune time for the U. We waxed poetically and analytically in Part 1 about the magnitude of the struggles in The strength of the U. Part 1 of this Zach Lowe-inspired assessment of U. Part 2 looks at who is likely to fill out the rest of the teams. A total of 58 different individuals have represented the U. Read Part 1 of the U.
It can be the pinnacle never to be reached again, or it can be the jumping off point to heights. The validation of finally getting there can be freeing, or it can lead to satisfaction and complacency. Urlando had been ticketed as the next Phelps for his butterfly talent as a teen, then endured injuries for years.
Casas excelled in the NCAA pool and in short-course global competition but never quite put it together with the Olympics on the line. Both banished those demons in Indianapolis. With his silver medal, Nic Fink remained the class of American male breaststroking.
Josh Matheny recovered from disappointment in the at Olympic Trials to earn a place in the Matt Fallon was outstanding at Trials with an American record in the and struggled in Paris, not making finals. Both are Both are talented enough to grow into international contenders. Which Qin Haiyang is the real one? How quickly will the European contingent age? Neither has yet put together the pieces, which is equal parts frustrating and tantalizing.
