4x100m Freestyle Relay
1 Brazil 3:11.26
2 France 3:11.38
3 Great Britain 3:11.62
4 United States of America 3:11.64
WEBER-GALE Garret 23.02 48.30 48.30
GREVERS Mattew 22.42 47.55 1:35.85
BERENS Ricky 23.01 48.19 2:24.04
JONES Cullen 22.26 47.60 3:11.64
Records fall, but U.S. 400 relay doesn't at world championships
The closest-contested men's final of Day 1 did not even feature a world record in the 400 freestyle relay. Even swimmers from other countries were all but handing the win to the vaunted French foursome because the U.S. team was without Olympic hero Jason Lezak, who is competing in Israel.
"We pretty much had a new relay," Phelps said of his teammates Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers and anchor Nathan Adrian. "When we come into a meet we have a goal to win all three relays. This is a perfect way to end Day 1."
That U.S. foursome almost didn't get the chance to swim in the final. In the morning prelims, Ricky Berens' suit, by the Italian company Jaked, split in the back when he leaned over to stretch after getting on the blocks.
"I kind of freaked out for a second," Berens said.
Showing some skin took on new meaning here. Of course, Berens is hoping he won't become a YouTube cult hero after completing the exposed swim.
"It felt like there was a bunch of extra weight around like a bag of water," he said. ". . . I was trying hard not to focus on the suit. I've never ripped a suit before."
Said Lochte: "I would have been, like, 'Whatever.' I would have swam naked if I had to. I mean, you're at the world championships, you can't really hold anything back."
In an Olympic Flashback, U.S. Team Rallies to Win Gold
[...] a U.S. team that had never swum together stepped up after a suit malfunction Sunday morning nearly prevented the Americans from even qualifying in the event's heats. And they persevered after an extremely average day from the team's resident living legend.
"Tonight, we pretty much had a whole new relay," said Phelps, who has won 14 gold medals in the last two Olympic Games. "I think tonight we came together well as a team. We swam great as Team USA. They put together three solid splits. I was a little disappointed; I wanted to swim a little faster."
Phelps's leadoff leg of 47.78 seconds put him 0.69 behind Cielo and 0.05 behind France's Fabien Gilot. Though it looked bad, things could have been worse. Moments before the event's qualifying heats Sunday morning, Ricky Berens, scheduled to swim third on the U.S. morning relay team, bent over to stretch and ripped the back of his suit. A large part of his rear end was exposed.
Urged on by relay teammate Cullen Jones, Berens competed anyway, helping the U.S. team qualify for Sunday's final.
"I kind of freaked out for just a second," Berens said. "I felt like [the tear] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show."
He did, but it didn't match the show later.
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label article. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
3rd-place finish shows more signs of greatness
By Scott Fowler
Charlotte native Ricky Berens gives the Texas hook 'em horns salute after receiving his third-place medal for the men's 100-meter freestyle Sunday at the Charlotte UltraSwim.
Ricky Berens, the 2008 Olympian who grew up in Charlotte, doesn't get home much.
He swims now for the University of Texas, where he just finished his junior year of college with a three-hour finance exam Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Berens hopped a flight to Charlotte. On Sunday, he finally got a piece of the best Charlotte UltraSwim ever, finishing third in the blazing 100-meter freestyle final that capped the meet.
Berens beat everybody in the field except France's Fred Bousquet (who won) and his 2008 Olympic teammate Michael Phelps. That's pretty darn good for a 21-year-old kid from South Mecklenburg High, and Berens was smiling afterward.
“To be finishing third against them was great,” he said.
The race was more evidence of Berens' potential. He is considered one of the best hopes for the future of American swimming and has a chance to qualify for multiple events at the London Olympics in 2012.
A shorter-term goal this summer: Make the U.S. team that will go to the 2009 world championships in Rome in more than one event.
Berens swam only one event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he made the most of it. He won a gold medal and helped set a world record in the 4-by-200 freestyle relay. He rode into his junior season in college on a natural high from his time in China.
And then the real world intruded.
“I was kind of disappointed in the way all that went,” Berens said of his collegiate season. “I think I kind of went into the season, coming off the Olympics going, ‘Oh, this is going to be a breeze.' So it was a reality check.”
Berens' standards are very high, for his junior season wouldn't have been a disappointment for most swimmers. He finished third in the nation in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 freestyle. The Texas men's team couldn't quite catch Auburn for the national championship.
Berens now believes the long stretch from the Olympics through the collegiate season took something out of him. He will begin his senior season at Texas in the fall.
“We've got to get a national championship there before I'm done,” he said.
For this trip home, Berens is combining business with pleasure. He attended his first NASCAR race Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the all-star event, and was awed.
“It was incredible,” he said. “Sitting there up close you have such a different perception. You don't think they're going so fast on TV until you see that in person.”
Berens didn't get home from that race (won by Tony Stewart) until about 1 a.m. Sunday, but it didn't affect him for his own race Sunday morning. He won his 100-meter heat in a sizzling time of 49.50, nearly setting a personal best while beating Bousquet. Phelps won his heat in exactly the same time.
Then came the final.
Bousquet and Phelps improved their times from the morning. Berens did not, and that was ultimately the difference.
As far as swimming stardom, Berens is still not there yet. But he's on the cusp.
Charlotte native Ricky Berens gives the Texas hook 'em horns salute after receiving his third-place medal for the men's 100-meter freestyle Sunday at the Charlotte UltraSwim.
Ricky Berens, the 2008 Olympian who grew up in Charlotte, doesn't get home much.
He swims now for the University of Texas, where he just finished his junior year of college with a three-hour finance exam Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Berens hopped a flight to Charlotte. On Sunday, he finally got a piece of the best Charlotte UltraSwim ever, finishing third in the blazing 100-meter freestyle final that capped the meet.
Berens beat everybody in the field except France's Fred Bousquet (who won) and his 2008 Olympic teammate Michael Phelps. That's pretty darn good for a 21-year-old kid from South Mecklenburg High, and Berens was smiling afterward.
“To be finishing third against them was great,” he said.
The race was more evidence of Berens' potential. He is considered one of the best hopes for the future of American swimming and has a chance to qualify for multiple events at the London Olympics in 2012.
A shorter-term goal this summer: Make the U.S. team that will go to the 2009 world championships in Rome in more than one event.
Berens swam only one event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he made the most of it. He won a gold medal and helped set a world record in the 4-by-200 freestyle relay. He rode into his junior season in college on a natural high from his time in China.
And then the real world intruded.
“I was kind of disappointed in the way all that went,” Berens said of his collegiate season. “I think I kind of went into the season, coming off the Olympics going, ‘Oh, this is going to be a breeze.' So it was a reality check.”
Berens' standards are very high, for his junior season wouldn't have been a disappointment for most swimmers. He finished third in the nation in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200 freestyle. The Texas men's team couldn't quite catch Auburn for the national championship.
Berens now believes the long stretch from the Olympics through the collegiate season took something out of him. He will begin his senior season at Texas in the fall.
“We've got to get a national championship there before I'm done,” he said.
For this trip home, Berens is combining business with pleasure. He attended his first NASCAR race Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the all-star event, and was awed.
“It was incredible,” he said. “Sitting there up close you have such a different perception. You don't think they're going so fast on TV until you see that in person.”
Berens didn't get home from that race (won by Tony Stewart) until about 1 a.m. Sunday, but it didn't affect him for his own race Sunday morning. He won his 100-meter heat in a sizzling time of 49.50, nearly setting a personal best while beating Bousquet. Phelps won his heat in exactly the same time.
Then came the final.
Bousquet and Phelps improved their times from the morning. Berens did not, and that was ultimately the difference.
As far as swimming stardom, Berens is still not there yet. But he's on the cusp.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Oatmeal cream pies?
Sorry for the lack of post! Here are some news updates for y'all.
Men's Swimming and Diving opens at No. 1 in CSCAA preseason rankings
Under the direction of 31st-year head coach Eddie Reese, Texas has received the No. 1 preseason ranking from the CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) for a second consecutive year.
The Longhorns, who return 12 All-Americans from the 2008 squad that placed second at the NCAA Championships, garnered seven of the eight first-place votes. Stanford ranks second, and defending NCAA champion Arizona and Florida are tied for third. Michigan rounds out the top five.
The 40-man Texas swimming and diving roster boasts a blend of swimmers and divers with major international experience along with a talented group of newcomers that includes an Olympic finalist and the 2008 National High School Swimmer of the Year.
Longhorns Profile - Ricky Berens
Complete article at MySanAntonio
Is it true that your favorite thing to eat is uncooked ramen and hot dogs?
(Surprised gasp) No. That was one time. I was out of food, and I had ramen and hot dogs for lunch one day. And I had a really good practice after that, so I guess it wasn't too bad.
I'm a picky eater. I wasn't eating too well in the summer before the Olympic Trials, so I actually asked my mom to make me a list of foods to eat. At home, I literally rotate dinners every night. I was running out of ideas. So, it's a bunch of pizzas, steak and mashed potatoes and a lot of pasta.
And is it also true that at the Olympic Trials you swam three different personal bests to make the team, and were fueled almost solely on oatmeal cream pies?
(Laughter) This is bad. No. No, not at all. I ate other things too.
For some reason, I get random cravings for random foods. So, you always have to keep a box of oatmeal cream pies around the house, just in case. It's a good snack. That and Nutter Butters.
Men's Swimming's Kris Kubik recalls Beijing
From parts 1 and 2
A pair of swimmers you have coached the last couple of years at UT, Ricky Berens and Dave Walters, won gold as members of the 800 freestyle relay. Talk about the feeling of seeing them reach the pinnacle of their sport after watching them work so hard toward that goal the last two years.
I would give great credit to Eddie Reese for preparing them for what to experience. I give an amazing amount of credit to their peers on the team who took them under their wings and showed them that, yes, it's a huge world stage, but the bottom line is when you dive in, it's the same as when you're swimming summer league when you're a little kid, or at a high school meet, or in our case, an NCAA meet.
It's just racing. I think they understood that, and I'm incredibly proud of the fact that they represented not only the country well in the way they performed, but in their actions outside of the pool. They were very well-received by the Chinese. They were well-received by people back home who saw interviews with them after their competitions. They really represented their families, our program, The University of Texas and our country admirably. I'm very proud of that.
Mostly, I was just very proud that the work they had put in for a long, long time prior to coming to Texas - they were both very well-coached prior to coming here - paid off. Once they got here, they did the small things in the sport that we look to see corrected...push-offs, streamlines, good technique, good breathing patterns, not breathing into their finish.
A lot of that comes from something I call perpetuity - the way that Dave finished his race without breathing his last six strokes was very similar to the way Garrett Weber-Gale finished his races in his 100s and 50s and on his relay. That was very similar to what he learned from Neil Walker, and what Neil learned from Josh Davis, and so on.
All that came from something that we've worked very hard on...it's not something we just wake up and do. You have to practice it. To see all that come to fruition in that race, on that stage, was unforgettable.
Two UT juniors - Ricky Berens and Dave Walters - brought back valuable experiences - not to mention a pair of gold medals - from Beijing. How will their Olympic experiences benefit them in their two remaining years of college swimming?
It could work both ways. At their next big meet, they may only have 200 people in the stands. They just swam in front of 17,000 people in Beijing and millions of people watching at home. So, it's a bit of a challenge from a coaching standpoint. But, the team atmosphere in college swimming...being a part of that will help. They're not alone standing there, but the eyes of Texas truly are upon them.
The swimming fans from Texas, and a lot of people in this state and country who are Longhorns fans in other sports, who have suddenly become swimming fans...they (Ricky and Dave) have a responsibility to them to continue and lead the next generation. We have some people in our freshman class who could very well be in their shoes when we get to London. Now, they need to not only do what they can to be a part of that team, but also help and guide and be mentors to the next generation of swimmers.
Men's Swimming and Diving opens at No. 1 in CSCAA preseason rankings
Under the direction of 31st-year head coach Eddie Reese, Texas has received the No. 1 preseason ranking from the CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) for a second consecutive year.
The Longhorns, who return 12 All-Americans from the 2008 squad that placed second at the NCAA Championships, garnered seven of the eight first-place votes. Stanford ranks second, and defending NCAA champion Arizona and Florida are tied for third. Michigan rounds out the top five.
The 40-man Texas swimming and diving roster boasts a blend of swimmers and divers with major international experience along with a talented group of newcomers that includes an Olympic finalist and the 2008 National High School Swimmer of the Year.
Longhorns Profile - Ricky Berens
Complete article at MySanAntonio
Is it true that your favorite thing to eat is uncooked ramen and hot dogs?
(Surprised gasp) No. That was one time. I was out of food, and I had ramen and hot dogs for lunch one day. And I had a really good practice after that, so I guess it wasn't too bad.
I'm a picky eater. I wasn't eating too well in the summer before the Olympic Trials, so I actually asked my mom to make me a list of foods to eat. At home, I literally rotate dinners every night. I was running out of ideas. So, it's a bunch of pizzas, steak and mashed potatoes and a lot of pasta.
And is it also true that at the Olympic Trials you swam three different personal bests to make the team, and were fueled almost solely on oatmeal cream pies?
(Laughter) This is bad. No. No, not at all. I ate other things too.
For some reason, I get random cravings for random foods. So, you always have to keep a box of oatmeal cream pies around the house, just in case. It's a good snack. That and Nutter Butters.
Men's Swimming's Kris Kubik recalls Beijing
From parts 1 and 2
A pair of swimmers you have coached the last couple of years at UT, Ricky Berens and Dave Walters, won gold as members of the 800 freestyle relay. Talk about the feeling of seeing them reach the pinnacle of their sport after watching them work so hard toward that goal the last two years.
I would give great credit to Eddie Reese for preparing them for what to experience. I give an amazing amount of credit to their peers on the team who took them under their wings and showed them that, yes, it's a huge world stage, but the bottom line is when you dive in, it's the same as when you're swimming summer league when you're a little kid, or at a high school meet, or in our case, an NCAA meet.
It's just racing. I think they understood that, and I'm incredibly proud of the fact that they represented not only the country well in the way they performed, but in their actions outside of the pool. They were very well-received by the Chinese. They were well-received by people back home who saw interviews with them after their competitions. They really represented their families, our program, The University of Texas and our country admirably. I'm very proud of that.
Mostly, I was just very proud that the work they had put in for a long, long time prior to coming to Texas - they were both very well-coached prior to coming here - paid off. Once they got here, they did the small things in the sport that we look to see corrected...push-offs, streamlines, good technique, good breathing patterns, not breathing into their finish.
A lot of that comes from something I call perpetuity - the way that Dave finished his race without breathing his last six strokes was very similar to the way Garrett Weber-Gale finished his races in his 100s and 50s and on his relay. That was very similar to what he learned from Neil Walker, and what Neil learned from Josh Davis, and so on.
All that came from something that we've worked very hard on...it's not something we just wake up and do. You have to practice it. To see all that come to fruition in that race, on that stage, was unforgettable.
Two UT juniors - Ricky Berens and Dave Walters - brought back valuable experiences - not to mention a pair of gold medals - from Beijing. How will their Olympic experiences benefit them in their two remaining years of college swimming?
It could work both ways. At their next big meet, they may only have 200 people in the stands. They just swam in front of 17,000 people in Beijing and millions of people watching at home. So, it's a bit of a challenge from a coaching standpoint. But, the team atmosphere in college swimming...being a part of that will help. They're not alone standing there, but the eyes of Texas truly are upon them.
The swimming fans from Texas, and a lot of people in this state and country who are Longhorns fans in other sports, who have suddenly become swimming fans...they (Ricky and Dave) have a responsibility to them to continue and lead the next generation. We have some people in our freshman class who could very well be in their shoes when we get to London. Now, they need to not only do what they can to be a part of that team, but also help and guide and be mentors to the next generation of swimmers.
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