Gaines: 'complete reset' needed

SINGAPORE — Three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines minces few words when he broadcasts swimming for the American network NBC.

And he didn't hold back in an interview with reporters over the shaky state of the United States swimming team. He's calling for big-time changes after the US struggled at the world championships in Singapore.

The US team didn't win as much as expected, nor did it dominate, it was battling a case of "acute gastroenteritis" picked up at a training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore and the governing body — USA Swimming — has been without a CEO for a year.

The US swimmers did recover on Saturday, the penultimate day of the championships, with three gold medals, taking their tally to eight as of Sunday afternoon.

But that does not change the big picture, as Gaines called the governing body "rudderless".

"Can you imagine any corporation going for a year without a CEO?" he asked.

The Americans were also underwhelming a year ago at the Paris Olympics. They led the medal table, but won only eight gold medals, the lowest total since the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"We're far from killing it," said Gaines. "It's a major struggle, and we can't hide our heads in the sand and say this is just a blip."

Gaines said he's been texting frequently with Greg Meehan, the national team director who was appointed four months ago. Meehan is also the head coach in Singapore.

"Greg and I have been going back and forth in a very good way; very positive," Gaines said.

He called Meehan a good choice, and said he's had too little time to turn things around.

"I think he's (Meehan) going to be great," Gaines said. "He's got that calm reserve. He had great success at Stanford. He's coached some of the best swimmers ever. I think he's a good choice, he's just walking into a bit of a minefield.

"You can blame it on the illness, you can blame it on the inexperience — most of these kids have never been in this situation — and you can blame it on logistics," Gaines said.

"Thailand doesn't make sense to me in the first place."

He also put some blame on what he called the "state of today's athletes".

"I think, in some cases, there's an entitlement for a lot of these kids, they feel like: 'I should be in the finals of the world championships'. And: 'I can still do the peripheral stuff and not worry about making it all the way'.

"I think there needs to be a more focused attitude on the task at hand," he added.

Gaines also noted that many swimmers struggle the year after the Olympics. They just finished a four-year cycle, so where is the motivation to start over again?

"Mentally and physically, you are focused on four straight years, and the post-Olympic year can beat some people up. The post-Olympics is a real thing for all athletes, whether you're from China or the US."

On the positive side, he talked up the future of 10 to 15 young American male swimmers, including Luca Urlando, the winner of the 200m butterfly and the only American man to win gold over the first five days. The championships ended Sunday.

"The women are already very good," Gaines added.

Gaines said much of the problem is that USA Swimming has gone for a year without a leader. Tim Hinchey resigned as the CEO a year ago. He was replaced by Chrissi Rawak, who stepped down after just a few days.

"I do think changes need to be made, there needs to be a complete reset," Gaines said. "I don't think the sky is falling, but there needs to be some great leadership. Whoever they hire as CEO needs to be the leader that is sorely needed."

Agencies via Xinhua