US do talking in pool after Phelps, Lochte slam worlds performance
With expectations sky-high back home and Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics, that triggered accusations of poor management in some quarters.
Six-time Olympic gold medallist Ryan Lochte on Friday shared an image on Instagram depicting a funeral that featured a tombstone inscribed: "In loving memory of United States Swimming."
"They set the bar high -- until they stopped reaching for it," the inscription says, Lochte adding the caption: "Call it a funeral or call it a fresh start. We've got 3 years."
Phelps, who counts a stunning 23 gold among his 28 Olympic medals, shared Lochte's post, adding: "Is this the wake-up call USA swimming needed?"
In Singapore, which the US team sees as a launchpad for the home 2028 Olympics, a United States team official shut down questions about the post as double Olympic champion Bobby Finke comfortably qualified for the 1,500m freestyle final,
He was fifth-fastest in 14min 45.70sec, with Germany's Florian Wellbrock quickest in 14:44.81.
"I always enjoy coming back and racing against the best in the world," said Finke, asked about the constant noise surrounding the American swimmers.
A US team featuring Friday gold medallist Kate Douglass topped the heats in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay with a time of 3:21.48, edging out France, who were 2.73sec behind.
Also in Saturday's morning heats, Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh qualified for the 50m freestyle semi-finals 13th- and 14th-fastest respectively.
Both were among the swimmers from the US squad who fell ill.
"I feel pretty good, just a little rocky maybe," said Walsh, who won 100m butterfly gold this week despite feeling "fragile".
"I'm feeling almost 100 percent better. I definitely think that what I went through took something out of me," she told AFP.
Walsh said she was not aware of the excoriating posts by Phelps and Lochte.
Australia's 50m Olympic silver medallist Meg Harris fired a warning as she powered into the 50m semi-finals with the fastest time in 24.32sec.
Huske, who took bronze in the 100m free on Friday, clocked 24.72 and Walsh 24.79.
Lilly King, a two-time former world champion, cruised into the semi-finals of the 50m breaststroke.
Despite the criticism, the United States top the medals table in Singapore ahead of the conclusion of the competition on Sunday.
They have five golds and 20 medals overall.
Katie Ledecky will be hoping to add to that haul later Saturday when she faces off against Canadian phenomenon Summer McIntosh in the eagerly anticipated final of the 800m freestyle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Teenage kicks: McIntosh, 12-year-old Yu set to rule the pool at LA 2028
The United States also demonstrated that tales of their demise were exaggerated as teams embarked on the long road to the LA 2028 at the World Aquatic Championships in Singapore over the past week. Canada ended the world championships on Sunday with four gold medals, all won by the 18-year-old phenomenon McIntosh. Yet it was the one that got away that rankled with the teenager, having been forced to settle for bronze in the 800m freestyle which American great Katie Ledecky won for a seventh time. It meant that three-time Paris Olympics gold medallist McIntosh fell just short of matching Michael Phelps's feat of five individual titles at a single world championships. "I think it's just going to keep me hungry and push, and keep moving forward," said McIntosh. "Even if I were to get five golds, I would still want more. That's just my mentality." McIntosh broke three world records in a matter of days at the Canadian trials in June and then powered to gold in the 200m and 400m individual medleys, 400m freestyle and 200m butterfly in Singapore. Chinese schoolgirl Yu became the youngest medallist in world championships history, taking home a relay bronze. Racing against McIntosh, Yu narrowly missed out on an individual medal by finishing fourth in each of her events -- the 400m medley, 200m butterfly and 200m medley where she touched just 0.06 seconds from a bronze medal. Already her rivals are predicting Yu will be a major force at the 2028 Olympics. Canada's Mary-Sophie Harvey, who held off Yu for bronze in the 200m medley, said: "I think going into LA we're probably going to see her a lot more." American Alex Walsh, who took silver, said Yu was "phenomenally talented at such a young age". But there are also concerns about the physical and mental toll on someone so young. "Now she's gonna have a lot of pressure," said Harvey. USA bite back The United States, who will be under huge pressure to deliver in the pool at their home Games, endured a turbulent time in Singapore. Most of the squad had to battle acute gastroenteritis following a pre-competition camp in Thailand. That led to stinging criticism from Phelps and fellow Olympic swimming great Ryan Lochte, with wider concerns about the management of the team in and out of the pool. Lochte shared an image on Instagram depicting a funeral that featured a tombstone inscribed: "In loving memory of United States Swimming." "They set the bar high -- until they stopped reaching for it," the inscription said, with Lochte adding the caption: "Call it a funeral or call it a fresh start. We've got 3 years." The slight did not go down well in Singapore, with three-time Olympic gold medallist Bobby Finke among the American swimmers biting back. "There's just so much stupid stuff that's getting said," said Finke. The United States set two relay world records in Singapore and topped the final medals table with nine golds, one ahead of Australia. Third were France, with Leon Marchand blowing off the post-Paris Olympics cobwebs to smash Lochte's 200m individual medley world record from 2011. The 23-year-old Marchand, the face of the Paris Games with four individual golds, also romped to victory in the 400m medley. "It's not perfect, because it's never perfect, but it's more than I expected, especially the world record in the 200m medley," he said. "It shows that I still have a passion for swimming, that I love it."
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Messi out indefinitely with 'minor muscle injury': club
The 38-year-old Argentine legend suffered an upper right leg injury early in Miami's penalty-kicks home win over Mexico's Necaxa on Saturday in a Leagues Cup match. Messi went out in the 11th minute but walked off the field and into the locker room. Messi "underwent medical tests to evaluate the extent of the muscle discomfort he experienced" that forced him out of the match, Inter Miami said in its statement. "The results confirmed a minor muscle injury in his right leg. His medical clearance will depend on his clinical progress and response to treatment." That means there is no timetable for a return by the Miami talisman, who shares the MLS season lead with 18 goals and also has nine assists in 18 matches. Jordi Alba, who netted an equalizer for Miami in second half stoppage time to set up the penalty shootout the hosts won 5-4, said Messi's early exit was "a huge sadness for the whole team." Inter Miami is 12-4 with six drawn for 42 points, fifth in the Eastern Conference and eight points adrift of league pace-setter Philadelphia but with three matches in hand. Any extended absence also would be a major blow for Miami in the Leagues Cup, which Inter won in 2023 just after Messi arrived in South Florida. Miami, which will host UNAM Pumas on Wednesday, ranks second on the MLS table to qualify for the Leagues Cup knockout stage with five points and would clinch a quarter-final berth with a victory.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Coleman defends 'great person' Richardson after assault controversy
Speaking after a sixth-place finish in the 200m at the US track championships at Eugene, Oregon, Coleman said he believed Richardson should not have been detained following the incident at Seattle-Tacoma Airport last Sunday. Richardson spent a night in jail after being detained, with a police report later stating she was caught on video repeatedly shoving Coleman forcefully. "For me personally, I feel like it was a sucky situation all round," Coleman said when asked about the incident by AFP. "I don't feel like she should have been arrested. "I mean people have discussions and emotions and stuff like that. She has things that she needs to work on for herself of course. So do I, so do you, so does everybody. "But I'm the type of guy who's in the business of extending grace, and mercy and love." Coleman, the 2019 world 100m champion, said the controversy had not affected his championships, where he failed to secure a top three finish in both the 100m and 200m. He will still head to Tokyo as part of the US relay pool. Richardson meanwhile failed to qualify for the 200m earlier Sunday. She declined to speak to reporters afterwards, other than to wish media a "blessed day." But Coleman is backing the 25-year-old Texan to bounce back for the rest of the season. "It didn't affect me," Coleman said of last Sunday's incident. "She's a human being and a great person, and I feel like you know, we've been able to be really good team-mates all year. We're just two dominant personalities. To me, she's the best female athlete in the world. "She's just had a lot of things going on, lot of emotions and forces going on inside of her that not only I can't understand, but nobody can. "Because she's one-of-one. I know it's been a tough journey for her this year. "But she's gonna bounce back because she's the best female athlete in the world. I see it every day. She's gonna be just fine. She gonna be good, and I'm gonna be good too." © 2025 AFP
