Duels in the Pool: Swimming's Greatest Rivalries

by Matthew De George

Overview

In the sports world, battles between rivals can be friendly, hotly contested, or even hostile. An individual sport at its core, swimming is defined by iconic rivalries such as those between Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, and Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres. Throughout its history, swimming has showcased some of its top athletes competing face to face, challenging each other in ways that captivate their fans.

Duels in the Pool: Swimming’s Greatest Rivalries highlights the best of these contests. Spanning nearly 100 years, this book delves into the individual showdowns, team battles, friendly competitions, and heated political rivalries that have played out in pools around the world. From their early beginnings through the highlights of their careers, this book follows the top athletes in the sport and the rivals who pushed them to the pinnacle of swimming. Individual races are recounted, bringing to life the intense competition that drove the swimmers to glory. In addition to the individual athletes, Duels in the Pool also examines some of the most exciting rivalries that existed between colleges and among nations. Although such rivalries as those between the U.S. and Australia took place exclusively in the pool, others, such as the battle against East Germany during the 1970s and 80s, were intensified by the political climate and allegations of doping.

Exhaustively researched, Duels in the Pool includes original interviews and rich details, shining a light on some of the sport’s finest athletes and the rivalries that propelled them to greatness. This book will appeal not only to sports historians and researchers but also to fans of swimming at every level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810891753
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/05/2013
Series:	Rowman & Littlefield Swimming Series
Pages:	238
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Matthew De George is a reporter for the Delaware County Daily Times, for which he covers live events, including the 2012 U.S. Olympic swim trials and other sports. De George was previously a contributor to SportsGrid.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Foreword ix

Introduction xi

1 Rie Mastenbroek vs, Ragnhild Hveger: The Chocolate Box Rivalry 1

2 Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte 9

3 Michael Phelps vs. the 100 Butterfly Field 21

4 Dara Torres vs. Jenny Thompson 35

5 Matt Biondi vs. Tom Jager 49

6 Alexander Popov vs. Gary Hall Jr. 63

7 United States vs. Australia 77

8 Grant Hackett vs. Ian Thorpe 91

9 Shirley Babashoff vs. East German Doping 105

10 United States vs. East Germany 121

11 U.S. Olympians vs. Time: The 1980 Olympic Boycott 135

12 Gunnar Larsson vs. Tim McKee 151

13 Brendan Hansen vs. Kosuke Kitajima 161

14 David Wilkie vs. John Hencken 175

15 College Rivalries 187

16 Men's College Swimming vs. Title IX 201

Index 215

About the Author 225

Editorial Reviews

[The book] is more of a chronology of confrontations, sporting or otherwise, spanning almost 80 years, than a detailed, scholarly analysis. Yet it is precisely because of this that the book succeeds in demonstrating the potential interest and limitations of rivalry as an analytical concept.

Sport in History