SINGAPORE — Katie Ledecky’s enduring dominance and a late surge from her female teammates helped mask an otherwise underwhelming performance by Team USA at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore.
Despite their preparations being disrupted by a gastroenteritis outbreak during a pre-meet camp in Thailand, the Americans managed to top the medal table with nine golds—edging out Australia by one.
Still, with just three years to go before the Los Angeles Olympics, concerns are mounting for the host nation. Luca Urlando delivered the only individual gold for the American men in the 200m butterfly—an event notably missing France’s Olympic champion Léon Marchand.
The men’s relay teams failed to claim a single title, prompting questions over team selection and tactical decisions. Echoing last year’s Paris Olympics, the American women proved decisive in salvaging national pride.
Ledecky once again confirmed her place among the sport’s greats with golds in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, while Gretchen Walsh’s impressive sprint double in the 50m and 100m butterfly added vital points to the US tally. In total, American women claimed six of the team’s individual titles.
The spoils gave the swimmers some ammunition to fire back at critics like Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps when two of the all-time greats of US men’s swimming made their disappointment clear on social media.
Olympic men’s 1 500m freestyle champion Bobby Finke, who took bronze in Singapore, called some of the criticism “weak” and “stupid”.
“You’re never going to win with those people,” said Finke according to Reuters. “So, I have a lot of thoughts. My brain has just been spiralling. I’m just disappointed, but I’m going to back these boys no matter what they say.”
Finke’s passion may have been a comfort for teammates given the absence of any spirited defence from the team’s management or coaches.
National Team Director Greg Meehan told broadcaster NBC on day two of the championships that he was proud of the swimmers and staff for working through the gastroenteritis outbreak, and said “the overall vibe” of the team was great.
Team staff otherwise closed ranks, declining to shed light into problems at the camp in Thailand or comment on the fitness of individual swimmers in Singapore.
A year after Paris, where the US slumped to their lowest medal haul in the pool since the 2004 Athens Olympics, plenty of questions remain.
Nine-time Olympic champion Ledecky, the most decorated women’s swimmer of all time, has carried the team on her shoulders for over a decade.
But she will be 31 at the LA Games and Singapore showed the competition is catching up.
The American system continues to develop world-beating swimmers but, in the men’s ranks at least, it is Europeans profiting from college resources and competition.
Bob Bowman, former coach of Phelps, boasts quadruple Olympic champion Marchand and Romanian sprinter David Popovici in his programme at Texas University.
