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From: essick@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sport
Subject: Re: Racquet Sports in the Olympics - (nf)
Message-ID: <14000001@uiucdcsb.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 15-Aug-84 10:17:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.14000001
Posted: Wed Aug 15 10:17:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Aug-84 00:14:10 EDT
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Nf-From: uiucdcsb!essick    Aug 15 09:17:00 1984

#R:noscvax:-56400:uiucdcsb:14000001:000:1229
uiucdcsb!essick    Aug 15 09:17:00 1984

There aren't really that many swimming events in the Olympics.  The
men's schedule includes:
	100, 200, 400, and 1500 freestyle
	100, 200 of back, breast, and butterfly
	200 and 400 Individual Medley
	400 Medley Relay
	400 and 800 Freestyle Relay
This is only 11 events for the men. Women have a slightly different
schedule: they swim an 800 instead of the 1500 (and may have
upgraded to the 1500) and do not have the longer free relay.

Total events: 11 and 10 for men and women respectively.

If we compare swimming to track we see that the you have at least
the 100, 200(?), 400, 800, 1500, 5000, and 10000 meter races. The
swimming 1500 is on the same order as running 5000 meters. You don't see
many (if any) people competing at both ends of the spectrum.
The individual medley's can be likened to the pentathalon and decathalon;
events which test the athlete's all-around abilities.

Mark Spitz won 7 medals because he outclassed the world in 2 different
strokes: freestyle and butterfly. He won the 100 and 200 races in
both strokes plus was on 3 relay teams.  Imagine Carl Lewis winning
both the 100 and 200 and going on to win a pair of hurdles races, then
put him on some relays.

-- Ray Essick, University of Illinois