Swimming & Diving

Romanian swimmer David Popovici, who is just 17 years old, broke the men's 100-meter freestyle world record Saturday at the 2022 European championships in Italy.

He is the youngest swimmer in history to break the record in the men's 100-meter freestyle.

"There was no rush, and I had to be extremely patient about the world record," Popovici said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "It has hurt, but it's always worth it and I feel fine right now. It felt great, and it's very special to break this record."

Popovici finished the race in 46.86 seconds to break the record of 46.91 seconds held by Brazil's César Cielo, who accomplished the feat at the 2009 World Championships, also held in Italy.

The Romanian beat second-place Hungarian Kristóf Milák by 0.61 seconds. Alessandro Miressi of Italy finished third with a time of 47.63 seconds.

Popovici won gold in the men's 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races earlier this year at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. However, he was unable to compete against American Caeleb Dressel, who dropped out of the event for health reasons.

Dressel won five gold medals at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, including one in the 100-meter freestyle. The two are now on pace for an exciting clash at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The Cal women's swim team walked out of a scheduled practice Wednesday after a brief meeting with head coach Teri McKeever, according to Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register.

The demonstration comes one day after Reid published an investigation into verbal abuse and bullying allegations from more than 20 current and former student-athletes and parents who said McKeever has created a toxic environment within the team.

Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported McKeever has since been placed on administrative leave.

Those interviewed by Reid "portray McKeever as a bully who for decades has allegedly verbally and emotionally abused, swore at and threatened swimmers on an almost daily basis."

McKeever not only allegedly pressured student-athletes to compete despite injuries and chronic illnesses, but at least six women since 2018 "made plans to kill themselves or obsessed about suicide" as a result of the coach's bullying, per Reid.

Former swimmer Danielle Carter said McKeever laughed in her face and called her "pathetic" after discussing her suicidal thoughts.

"The allegations described are serious and deeply disturbing in that they describe behavior antithetical to our values and policies," Cal said in a statement.

Three additional women came forward with allegations since the report was published Tuesday, while current and former athletes have called for McKeever to be fired, per Reid.

After Wednesday's walkout, the team is scheduled to meet with Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton, associate AD Gordon Bayne and director of high performance and well-being Graig Chow.

McKeever finished her 30th season at Cal in 2021-22 and has won four NCAA titles and nine Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards. She was the United States Olympic Team head coach in 2012.

At least 26 people have alleged that Cal women's swimming head coach Teri McKeever has created a toxic culture rampant with severe verbal and emotional abuse that has led to significant mental and physical health ramifications for team members.

Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register provided an exclusive report Tuesday featuring a host of on-the-record comments about McKeever's alleged behavior, which also includes sharing confidential medical information about swimmers with the rest of the team, profane insults toward team members, forcing swimmers to perform despite injury, body-shaming issues and the use of a racial epithet when describing rap music, among other allegations.

Reid summarized what the 26 student-athletes and parents he spoke to said about McKeever's behavior and its impact:

But in interviews with [Southern California News Group], 19 current and former Cal swimmers, six parents, and a former member of the Golden Bears men’s team portray McKeever as a bully who for decades has allegedly verbally and emotionally abused, swore at and threatened swimmers on an almost daily basis, pressured athletes to compete or train while injured or dealing with chronic illnesses or eating disorders, even accusing some women of lying about their conditions despite being provided medical records by them.

The interviews, as well as emails, letters, university documents, recordings of conversations between McKeever and swimmers, and journal entries, reveal an environment where swimmers from Olympians, World Championships participants and All-Americans to non-scholarship athletes are consumed with avoiding McKeever’s alleged wrath. This preoccupation has led to panic attacks, anxiety, sleepless nights, depression, self-doubt, suicidal thoughts and planning, and in some cases self harm.

In addition, numerous swimmers and parents said they brought up their concerns to Cal athletic administration members only for their reports to be ignored, per Reid:

Several Cal swimmers and their parents said they have complained about McKeever to Cal athletics director Jim Knowlton and to Jennifer Simon-O’Neill, the school’s executive senior associate athletics director, and senior woman administrator. Those complaints have either been ignored or met with indifference, swimmers and parents said, or in one case dismissiveness.

Per Reid, at least six Cal women's swimmers since 2018 said they made plans to end their lives or "obsessed about suicide for weeks or months because of what they describe as McKeever’s bullying."

Former Cal swimmer Danielle Carter said that McKeever's abusive behavior led to her attempting to end her own life in 2019. Carter said that McKeever accused her of lying about having epilepsy and berated her at "almost every practice, usually in front of the rest of the team," calling her "worthless," "lazy" and "piece of s--t."

She texted a teammate before attempting to end her life and went to practice the next day, where McKeever was informed about what happened by numerous team members.

McKeever allegedly confronted Carter about what happened the night before, per Carter:

"Teri literally laughed in my face and said, 'Do you know how pathetic that is? How stupid that is? How selfish that is?'"

McKeever also chided Carter by saying her actions had "totally messed up" another swimmer's practice that day.

In addition, 14 women said that McKeever bullied them on a regular basis. All 19 swimmers who spoke about McKeever's alleged behavior said they witnessed McKeever's "almost daily verbal and emotional abuse" of her team members.

Of note, ex-Cal swimmer Chloe Clark said she was forced to swim at practice despite suffering from severe stomach pain as a result of Crohn's disease and appendicitis.

"No one died from swimming with a stomachache, get in the water," McKeever reportedly told Clark, who ended up practicing and underwent an emergency appendectomy weeks later. McKeever later disclosed Clark's Crohn's diagnosis to the team at a meeting Clark "was not allowed to attend."

McKeever is already being formally investigated by the university’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination for her alleged use of a racial epithet. The investigation "will initially focus on potential racial discrimination but could be expanded to also consider possible discrimination based on sexual orientation and national origin," per Reid.

Five current swimmers also said McKeever told a Black swimmer that she had too much "attitude."

McKeever has been Cal's head women's swimming coach since 1993. Her teams have won six Pac-12 Championships and four NCAA Championships.

McKeever also served as the head coach for the United States Olympic women's swimming team in 2012 after working as an assistant in 2004 and 2008. Team USA won eight gold medals, four silvers and a pair of bronze medals.

The NCAA announced it will not adopt a new USA Swimming policy regarding transgender athletes for its winter championships, which should pave the way for Penn swimmer Lia Thomas to compete for a national championship. 

"The subcommittee decided implementing additional changes at this time could have unfair and potentially detrimental impacts on schools and student-athletes intending to compete in 2022 NCAA women's swimming championships," the NCAA said in a statement.

The NCAA said transgender athletes will only have to comply with rules set forth under a 2010 policy that requires male-to-female transgender athletes have less than 10 nanomoles per liter of testosterone in their blood.

A new USA Swimming policy, which was announced last week, allows for a maximum of five nanomoles per liter of testosterone and must be demonstrated for a 36-month period. 

Thomas, who competed on the men's team before taking two years off to transition and undergo gender-confirming hormone replacement therapy, has emerged as one of the top middle-distance women's swimmers in the NCAA. She holds the top times in the NCAA in two events and is considered a strong contender to win a national championship.

Transgender athletes competing on sports teams that match their gender identity has become a recent topic of criticism and legislation. Sixteen of Thomas' 41 teammates asked the NCAA to follow new Team USA rules and bar her from competition, claiming a competitive advantage.

"We, 16 members of the Penn Women's Swimming Team and our family members, thank USA Swimming, for listening to our request to prioritize fairness for biological women in our elite competitions," the letter said. "We ask that Penn and the Ivy League support us as biological women, and not engage in legal action with the NCAA to challenge these new Athlete Inclusion Policies."

Six of Thomas' teammates were among the more than 300 swimmers who signed an open letter sent to the NCAA's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports supporting her right to compete. The signees included swimmers from all of the Power 5 conferences and Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan. 

"With this letter, we express our support for Lia Thomas, and all transgender college athletes, who deserve to be able to participate in safe and welcoming athletic environments," the letter in support of Thomas said. "We urge you to not allow political pressure to compromise the safety and wellbeing of college athletes everywhere."

More than 20 states have considered or passed bills banning trans youth from competing on teams that match their gender identity over the last two years, per NBC.

Thomas will compete at Ivy League championships beginning Feb. 16, and the NCAA Division I men's and women's swimming and diving championships are set for March 16-19.

Teammates of transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas offered her support in a statement Tuesday, via ESPN's Katie Barnes:

We want to express our full support for Lia in her transition. We value her as a person, teammate, and friend. The sentiments put forward by an anonymous member of our team are not representative of the feelings, values, and opinions of the entire Penn team, composed of 39 women with diverse backgrounds.

We recognize this is a matter of great controversy and are doing our best to navigate it while still focusing on doing our best in the pool and classroom.

A Penn spokesperson told Barnes the statement represented "several members" of the team, although it was not signed.

Thomas' success in the pool this season has led to both publicity and criticism. She set records at the Zippy Invitational in December and is among the nation's best in the 200-yard, 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle events.

The statement comes following anonymous public criticism from members of the Penn swim and dive community.

One Penn swimmer told Shawn Cohen of the Daily Mail that she feels "uncomfortable" in the locker room and it's "definitely awkward."

"Women are now third-class citizens," an anonymous teammate told Christopher Tremoglie of the Washington Examiner. 

Others outside of the program have also raised concerns, including three-time Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar. 

"Her domination of the 'women’s sports' category is doing nothing to engender greater empathy for inclusive practices throughout society for the trans community," she said of Thomas in a post for Swimming World Magazine.

The latest statement from her teammates provides a counter to these arguments, while Thomas has also received support from the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League and  LGBTQ+ inclusion advocates, per Barnes. 

Thomas also received support from Stanford swimmer and Olympian Brooke Ford, who released a statement on Jan. 25: "I believe that treating people with respect and dignity is more important than any trophy or record will ever be, which is why I will not have a problem racing against Lia at NCAAs this year."

Thomas is scheduled to compete at the Ivy League Championships from Feb. 16-19, while she has already qualified for the NCAA championships in March.

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is giving back to the next generation of swimmers.

Ledecky will join the Florida Gators swimming and diving staff as a volunteer swim coach, per an announcement Wednesday.

Introducing our new Volunteer Swim Coach, Katie Ledecky! Welcome to Gator Nation! @katieledecky #GoGators 🐊🐊 pic.twitter.com/x0WgvX77Gq

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) September 22, 2021

Widely regarded as one of the greatest female swimmers of all-time, Ledecky holds 15 world championships and is a 14-time world-record breaker in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles. She also has three Olympic silver medals, making her one of seven female swimmers to earn 10 Olympic medals in her career.

Ledecky's six individual gold medals are the most of any female Olympic swimmer and American female Olympian. Michael Phelps is the only swimmer with more individual gold medals with 13.

Ledecky, who completed her college degree this year, announced that she will be moving her training from Stanford to the University of Florida to be closer to her family. She also has her eyes on future competitions.

"I've decided to train at the University of Florida with Coach Anthony Nesty and the outstanding mid-distance and distance training group there," Ledecky wrote in her statement. "I'm looking forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the next phase of my swimming career."

Bobby Finke, who won two gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics, also trains with Nesty and his team.

At 24 years old, Ledecky does not plan on retiring anytime soon. She indicated that she intends on participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris and possibly also the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

"That was not my last swim," Ledecky said after winning the 800-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. "I'm at least going to '24, maybe '28. ... You never take anything for granted. You never know if you're going to be at the next Olympics."     

While relaxing on a beach in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Sunday, the captain of the St. Cloud State University swim team heard a cry for help coming from Lake Superior and immediately jumped into action.  

Marena Kouba, 21, swam out nearly 200 yards toward two children and an adult who were struggling against a strong current. Kouba was able to catch up with the three and swim them back to the beach safely.

The SCSU student detailed the rescue for KSTP 5 News in St. Paul:

"I couldn’t just stand around and wait to see what happened, immediately I dove into the water and started swimming out to them, they were all separated about 10 to 20 feet apart from each other...I got them all together, I had them all hold hands and then I went in the middle and linked up with them, and I paddled with one arm and kicked with both of my legs...

"If we had just waited for the Coast Guard, those three probably would not have made it, and it would’ve been a totally different story, I just couldn’t live with myself if anything would’ve happened to any one of them." 

Kouba's boyfriend, Dayton Nash, ran to find help while the college swimmer dove into the water. He says police told him 40 people required rescue from that area near Little Presque Isle two weeks earlier due to strong waves and currents, per KTSP. 

Prior to her college career, Kouba earned All-State honors at Sartell High School in Minnesota in the 200-meter medley and 400-meter freestyle relay. That earned her a spot at St. Cloud, which she says has helped build her confidence in the water. 

"She didn't think about herself, she didn't hesitate, she didn't think what was best for her, she just knew that she had to help somebody else and somebody else was in need and she did that," SCSU coach Jeff Hegle told KTSP. "I think that's the true sign of a leader and a captain." 

Kouba and Nash weren't originally planning on going out to Michigan that day. Both said they're relieved they were there.