The USA Grand Prix swimming series made its third stop of an eight-meet cross-country competition this weekend at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
Drawing in competitors from all over the world, the meet offered the MU swimming and diving teams a chance to compete against some of the best swimmers in the world.
This year’s event featured some big names in the swimming community, including Jason Lezak, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist and member of the United States 2008 relay team that earned Michael Phelps his record-setting eighth gold medal in a single Olympic Games. Also competing was Matt Grevers, a 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the 100-meter backstroke.
Among the events Lezak competed in was the much-anticipated 50-meter freestyle, where he was pitted against fellow Olympians Cesar Cielo and Frederick Bousquet. Lezak placed third in the event, behind both Cielo and Bousquet.
“I had a good swim this morning, and tonight I feel like I scrambled a little bit too much trying to get going and I didn’t get into my stroke how I expected to,” Lezak said. “The 50s have always been that way with me.”
Several Tigers went into the meet looking to make the cut for the Olympic Time Trials. Among those who qualified for trials were freshman Igor Koslovskij in the 200m breaststroke, junior Dominique Bouchard and senior Shara Stafford in the 100-meter backstroke and MU alumnus Jack Brown in the 400-meter IM and 200-meter breast stroke.
Bouchard explained how beneficial this meet was in preparation for the Olympic Time Trials, held on June 25 in Omaha, Neb.
“I just competed against girls that I’ll be competing with again in seven weeks in the same event,” Bouchard said. “To see where they’re at and to compare where I’m at is a good indicator for these next seven weeks.”
Swimming coach Greg Rhodenbaugh said he was especially excited to see how his team performed considering it did not have the opportunity to train specifically for the meet.
“A lot of the best swimmers in the world that are here kind of did a little peak for this meet and that’s why it’s so exciting to be able to race them when we’re just really working through the meet,” Rhodenbaugh said.
Rhodenbaugh said the level of competition the Grand Prix presents sets it apart from other meets of the swimming season.
“Dual meets you get up for because you’re swimming another team,” Rhodenbaugh said. “Here, you’re getting up because you’re swimming some of the best swimmers in the world from a multitude of teams.”
Bouchard reiterated Rhodenbaugh’s feelings, saying that this meet presented a different, individualistic aspect to swimming.
“This type of meet is weird because all season you’re just dueling, Mizzou versus another team, so you’re always vying for the team,” Bouchard said. “With this, it’s changed and you’re kind of focusing on yourself.”
The three-day meet was one of the longest of the season, with both a preliminary heat in the morning and a finals session later at night. The need to keep emotions in check is especially prevalent in longer meets, Bouchard said.
“The difference to me is that you need to keep calm longer because this meet is longer than a dual meet,” Bouchard said. “You need to learn to work with your emotions and keep yourself calm.”
The Tigers will compete next in the Big 12 Conference Championships on Feb. 22 at the Student Recreation Complex.
