At Long Last: Mel Stewart Brings His A Game to Timed Finals

There have been some comments in the past about the need for swimmers to show some personality, to do something besides give us a scripted answer. So we at Timed Finals give to you Melvin Stewart, who promises to deliver you anything but the norm. Having won gold in the 200m fly in […]

Top 5 Tuesday: Profile 3/5 With 2004 Olympian Dana Kirk

So maybe I’ve gotten a little sappy in my previous profiles, like Daniel Kowalski, I am a sucker for the stories about swimmers continuing to fight for their dream no matter what people tell them. This week brings a change of pace to the profiles, however, as we take a look at 2004 Olympian […]

Top 5 Tuesday: Dale Rogers, the Guy you Have to Root For

Before starting profile 2/5 I need to make one thing clear: this week’s profile is completely biased. I train with Dale Rogers and, as a result, have come to be a very big fan of the guy known for having one of the greatest work ethics in our sport. He was the […]

Nick Brunelli Talks About “Less is More Training” in Wake of Nystrand

The swimming community is, on the large part, a fairly small one. That is to say, it’s hard not to be at least peripherally aware of what others are doing around you. Having swam collegiately in Boston, I heard of Nick Brunelli a while ago and quickly came to not only respect his racing, but in […]

Catching Up With East German Star Roland Matthes

“Actually, it’s all a closed chapter for me. It’s disturbing to see what elite sport has become, the kind of people who are involved, with their so-called know-how … it’s no fun to be involved in that kind of thing anymore.” Or so Roland Matthes told The Kingston Whig Standard when asked about swimming. A […]

Exclusive Interview: Shootin the Breeze with Tom Jager

When you think of sprint freestylers two words should immediately come to mind: “Tom” and “Jager.” The former World Record holder in the 50m freestyle for a decade and American Record holder in the 50 yard freestyle until this year’s NCAA Championships broke barriers like it was his job, in fact, he was one of […]

Exclusive Interview With Underwater Kick King David Berkoff

When talking about David Berkoff two words should come to mind: Berkoff Blastoff. That is because Berkoff more or less invented the use of underwater dolphin kicks in elite swimming. On the heels of our discussion of Michael Phelps’ new chapter in dolphin kick history, we thought it would be a perfect moment to go […]

World Champs Swimmer Profile: Eric Shanteau

If there’s a theme that’s come out of our profiles so far, it’s that “breakouts” and huge drops don’t usually come from one change, but rather, the result of a long process of consistent training (as Brendan Hansen and Kirsty Coventry claimed). Taking this to a new level though is Auburn grad Eric Shanteau, […]

World Champs Swimmer Profile: Kirsty Coventry

As we mentioned last week when discussing the costs and benefits of foreign athletes swimming in the NCAA, at the very least, there are some beautiful stories that come out of teenagers leaving their home and family to pursue a dream here in America. Kirsty Coventry gives us one of those almost too fantastic […]

World Championships Swimmer Profile: Brendan Hansen

Guys simply do not hold both 100m and 200m breastroke World Records at the same time. In fact, no one had done it since John Hencken in 1976…until Brendan Hansen’s rival Kosuke Kitajima did it in 2003. But ever since 2004, Mr. Hansen has taken them away from Kitajima and not let go. Despite what […]

World Championships Swimmer Profile: Neil Walker

One of the great things about our sport is the stories of the people involved in it. To reach the highest level of competition there is, the World Championships and Olympic Games, takes a special combination of desire and dedication. But beyond the cliches that run rampant when discussing these athletes, lies normal […]

Profile: Ian Pope

With Grant Hackett recently having decided to leave Dennis Cotterell to train with Ian Pope in Melbourne, many have wanted to know more about Hackett’s newest teacher and new training grounds. Timed Finals, in a first of this new Profile feature, provides a brief bit of information here on the new instructor of the world’s […]