Gold Number One from Feigen (and Phelps) - Olympic Games Daily Newsletter.pdfPhelps built an...
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Monday, August 8th, 2016 www.nyac.org/Rio2016 Gold Number One from Feigen (and Phelps) Fans of Team USA and Michael Phelps celebrated heartily Sunday evening, as the American 4x100m freestyle foursome re-claimed the gold medal that it had conceded to France four years ago. “We wanted that race back so badly,” Phelps said, referring to the United States’ silver-medal fin- ish in London. Rejoicing just as hard were fans of Team NYAC thanks to Club member Jimmy Feigen. Earlier in the day, Feigen had swam the opening leg in the qualifying round, clocking a 48.55 split and allowing the US squad - with Phelps - to comfortably ad- vance to the final. In the prelims, only the Russian team in heat one recorded a faster qualifying time (3:12.04) than the USA’s 3:12.38 in heat two. In case you’re wondering, switching the line-up between heats and finals is a standard and legitimate practice in world class relay competition, saving super-star performers (think Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt… Michael Phelps) for the medal rounds. In those circumstances, everybody who competed in whatever round qualifies for a medal, if the team is that fortunate. It makes sense; Michael Phelps would not have earned his 23rd Olympic medal this evening - his 19th gold - without that strategy and, in this instance, without Jimmy Feigen. It wasn’t easy, by any means. Caeleb Dressel swam the lead-off, with Phelps second, Ryan Held on the third leg and Nathan Adrian, the defending Olympic champion in the 100m freestyle, on the anchor. By James O’Brien, Director of Communications Reporting from Rio Jimmy Feigen (far right) celebrates after securing a lane in Sunday’s 4x100m freestyle finals. He swam a 48.55 in the lead-off spot. Continued overleaf
Transcript of Gold Number One from Feigen (and Phelps) - Olympic Games Daily Newsletter.pdfPhelps built an...
Monday, August 8th, 2016 www.nyac.org/Rio2016
Gold Number One from Feigen (and Phelps)
Fans of Team USA andMichael Phelps celebratedheartily Sunday evening, as theAmerican 4x100m freestylefoursome re-claimed the goldmedal that it had conceded toFrance four years ago. “Wewanted that race back so badly,”Phelps said, referring to theUnited States’ silver-medal fin-ish in London.
Rejoicing just as hard werefans of Team NYAC thanks toClub member Jimmy Feigen.Earlier in the day, Feigen hadswam the opening leg in thequalifying round, clocking a 48.55 split and allowing the US squad - with Phelps - to comfortably ad-vance to the final. In the prelims, only the Russian team in heat one recorded a faster qualifying time(3:12.04) than the USA’s 3:12.38 in heat two.
In case you’re wondering, switching the line-up between heats and finals is a standard and legitimatepractice in world class relay competition, saving super-star performers (think Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt…Michael Phelps) for the medal rounds. In those circumstances, everybody who competed in whateverround qualifies for a medal, if the team is that fortunate. It makes sense; Michael Phelps would not haveearned his 23rd Olympic medal this evening - his 19th gold - without that strategy and, in this instance,without Jimmy Feigen.
It wasn’t easy, by any means. Caeleb Dressel swam the lead-off, with Phelps second, Ryan Held on thethird leg and Nathan Adrian, the defending Olympic champion in the 100m freestyle, on the anchor.
By James O’Brien, Director of CommunicationsReporting from Rio
Jimmy Feigen (far right) celebrates after securing a lane in Sunday’s 4x100m freestylefinals. He swam a 48.55 in the lead-off spot.
Continued overleaf
Today’s EventsMonday, August 8th
ROWINGWomen’s Quad ScullsMegan Kalmoe
Repechage, 7:40amBoat advances to A Final
Women’s EightEleanor Logan, Meghan Musnicki, Amanda Polk, Katelin
Snyder, Kerry SimmondsHeats, 7:50am
Boat advances to A final
Men’s EightRobert MunnHeats, 8:10am
Relegated to repechage
Women’s Double ScullsEllen Tomek, Meghan O’Leary
Repechage, 9:40am
Women’s PairGrace LuczakHeats, 11:30am
Men’s FourSeth Weil, Charlie Cole
Heats, 12pm
JUDOWomen’s 57kgMarti Malloy
Prelims and quarter-finals, 9am. Repechage, semis & medalrounds, 2:30pm
WATER POLOGreece vs. Serbia
Konstantinous GenidouniasPrelims, 8am
USA vs. SpainTony Azevedo, Bret Bonanni, Alex Bowen, John Mann,Merrill Moses, Alex Obert, Josh Samuels, Jesse Smith
Prelims, 10:40am
SWIMMINGMen’s 100m BackstrokeDavid Plummer
Final, 9pm
Women’s 100m BreaststrokeKatie MeiliFinal, 9pm
Monday, August 8th, 2016 www.nyac.org/Rio2016
France led after the first leg by 0.02 seconds; but, on leg twoPhelps built an insurmountable lead by swimming the fastest100m freestyle of his career, 47.12 seconds. After that, no waywas the US team going to concede. At the line, a time of3:09.92 seconds gave them the win ahead of France, the de-fending champions, at 3:10.53, with Australia third in 3:11.37.For Feigen, who hails from Leonia, NJ, this gold medal will bea fine complement to the silver he earned in London when he,with Phelps, conceded to France. Revenge can be extremelysweet.
With that race, Feigen became the NYAC’s first medalist ofthese Games. We hope for more, of course; but, let’s not forget the monumental achievement that it is toclaim just one Olympic medal. I’ve cited him before, but do so again here, for context. In 1988, Swiss Alpineskiier Pirmin Zurbriggen was expected to dominate the Olympic Winter Games of that year in Calgary. Suc-cess of Phelpsian standards was forecast. The outcome? A solitary gold and a solitary bronze. When askedwhat happened, Zurbriggen replied, “I got very lucky.”
To follow all the NYAC action in Rio, go to www.nyac.org/Rio2106
NYAC Medal Count
8/7 - Jimmy Feigen,4x100m Freestyle Relay
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