Swimming Blogs - Chris DeSantis

Theres a few things you should know about Jeff and I before you read my prediction. Jeff is a very successful coach, I am just getting started. Jeff is from Canada, and I am former citizen of the Kingdom of Denmark but now just an American. Jeff's favorite swimmer is Victor Davis, and mine is Mike Barrowman. The last is what really puts us at odds. You see, Victor Davis and Mike Barrowman just missed overlapping each other. Victor was a better 100 breaststroker, and Barrowman better at the 200. This puts us naturally at odds.

When Jeff approached me about making predictions for all the medalists at the Beijing Olympics my interest was easily piqued. After all, I'm just five weeks removed from my complete annihilation of Mike Gustafson in our picks contest. Mike has been so scarred by the experience that he hasn't found the courage to write anything since. Actually, its quite sad since I love Mike's writing. Now I'm scared that the same fate will befall Jeff. But enough about my feelings, lets get to the picks, followed by some (hopefully) rational explanation.

Men's 400 IM:

1. Michael Phelps

2. Ryan Lochte

3. Laszlo Cseh

Rationale: I would put some serious cash down on Phelps winning this race if not for three things: my lack of serious cash, the odds probably being terrible and the inability to put bets down on swimming events. Unfortunately, I learned yesterday that you could put money down on swimming events at some place called bodog. Although I've never gambled, something tells me my girlfriend is working furiously to block me from this website. I wanted desperately to pick Cseh for second, but as fast he has swam he has never seemed like a threat to any of the Americans in this event. Erik Vendt ran him down four years ago in Athens, and he isn't better than Lochte at any of the four strokes in my opinion.

Men's 400 Free

1. Tae Hwan Park

2. Grant Hackett

3. Lin Zhang

Rationale: I am going a bit out on a limb here. Park is either a huge blowhard with all his talk of breaking Ian Thorpe's rock solid 400 free world record. Although he's still three seconds off, Park is chattering like the record is already his. Because I'm young and cocky, I'm going with the young and cocky guy in this event. To balance it out, I have the grizzled veteran Hackett taking second. His 7:23 scm 800 a couple weeks back is enough to convince me the best distance swimmer of his era still has it. My upset special comes in the form of Lin Zhang. Zhang isn't chopped liver, he's been 3:44 this year. I predict that he will use the home crowd momentum to vault his way onto the medal stand.

400 IM Women:

1. Katie Hoff

2. Kirsty Coventry

3. Elizabeth Beisel

Rationale: Fine, call me an Aussie hater for leaving Stephanie Rice off this list. I for one think that it may work against Rice that he has had to bide her time since Australian trials. She has swum fairly non descript times since as well as broken up with her world record holding boyfriend. The decision was termed mutual as both wanted to focus on the task at hand, but that sounds to me like she's had a bit too much time to think. Hoff has been here before and put the nightmare prelim of the 400 IM from Athens behind her. I think there's a good chance she's got plenty left after Omaha to improve. Coventry was one of the biggest stars of 2004 and has been swimming at her best. Beisel shrugged off the pressure in Omaha and looks to me like a better Kaitlin Sandeno with her bubbly personality and smile. Plus I met her mother at trials and she's from Rhode Island and I am completely biased towards people from New England.

4x100 Freestyle Relay Women:

1. Australia

2. Netherlands

3. USA

Rationale: The Netherlands have the world record, and as much as I'd like to hear everyone everyone involved with the Olympics broadcast try to say Ranomi Kromowidjojo's name over and over again, Australia looks too strong in this relay. They have a devastating one two punch in Lenton and Campbell with good depth behind it. The Dutch relay is has performed better than the sum of their flat start parts but will likely come up just short. I don't think the US will be able to put a scare in either of the top two teams. They have two many questions, including whether Emily Silver will be able to bounce back from her injured hand, whether Kara Lynn Joyce will bounce back from a disappointing trials meet and the loss of Jessica Hardy. Suddenly the US relay looks a little thin, and France could be nipping at their heels for third.

Thats all for my first night of predictions. Stay tuned for more of my biased opinions.