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Tuesday, September 19
Dual meet? Aussies play down duel with U.S.
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Rivalry? What rivalry? The one with the vaunted American swimming team? Doesn't exist, the Australians say. Well, OK, maybe just a little bit.
But the coach of the host team warns against making too much of the competition between the U.S. and Australian squads. He warns that the entire swimming world must deal with the U.S. team.
"There are more than two teams in this meet," Australian coach Don Talbot said. "We're not buying any of that. It is not a race of us against the U.S., but it's the world trying to knock the U.S. off its pedestal.
"We're trying to push the Americans off their pedestals. There are a whole lot of great swimmers in this meet. If you focus on it being a dual meet, it's crazy, and you will miss a lot."
Then again, you might see some terrific races, involving the likes of Australian stars Ian Thorpe, Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Susie O'Neill and Americans Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres, Lenny Krayzelburg and Tom Dolan.
But that doesn't mean the rest of the people diving in the water are, well, all wet when it comes to the medals race.
Thorpe, the favorite in the 200 and 400 freestyle, recognizes that. He might be "The Thorpedo," but he does not have tunnel vision.
"It's the Olympic Games and, if you are in the final, there are seven competitors who also set the same goals of success at these Olympics," he said. "All of them have the ability to improve when it comes to racing, so you're not sure what to expect."
Judging by the questions at the Australians' news conference, a U.S.-Australia faceoff is what's on the minds of reporters. But
Talbot would rather the focus be on the historic elements of the Games themselves.
"This Olympic Games is at the turn of the century in your country, and there is a lot of magic in that," Talbot said. "It gets down to the business of trying to do a better job and make this a highlight in our swimming history."
The Australian public fully expects such highlights: No nation gets more rabid over the sport.
That can work two ways, of course. The support can lift an athlete to unprecedented heights (remember the Miracle On Ice?) or it can raise the temperature in the pool, making things very uncomfortable.
"We're not making any predictions," Talbot said. "We'll use the Australian crowd just like the Americans did in Atlanta. If that home advantage is there, we'll try to use that. It does not always work out."
Butterfly specialist Michael Klim, a favorite in the 100, is optimistic about how his teammates will respond.
"Obviously, we are the most looked-at team out of the Australian Olympic team," he said. "Hopefully, the results will come out of the pool. The public realizes we've been contending for medals and doing well for a while. Everybody thinks they basically appreciate our efforts to get here, and I believe they are
supportive of what we are doing."
But if the medals start flowing across the Pacific back to the States?
"I judge races on my personal performance," Thorpe said. "The goals are to get to the race and to perform my best, and I have to be happy over that if I do my best. I have no control over anyone else."
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