By Jason Tillotson, Swimming World College Intern.Â
Okay. Before all the crazed Michael Phelps and Misty Hyman fans pick up their torches and pitchforks, let me explain. Let’s pretend, for the briefest of moments, that Michael Phelps and Misty Hyman never existed. Without Phelps or Hyman, the United States’ role in recent Olympic history of the 200m butterfly is, dare I say, mediocre?
After Tom Malchow won the gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, no American male, besides Michael Phelps, has earned a medal in the 200m Butterfly at any other Olympic Games. Malchow would go on the place 8th in Athens, behind Phelps winning gold. At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Phelps won the gold again while Gil Stovall, the second American, failed to advance past the semi-finals. At the London Olympics in 2012, Phelps would go on to lose the event for the first time in international competition since 2001, placing second to South Africa’s Chad le Clos. In that same race, Tyler Clary, the second American, placed 5th. At Rio, in 2016, Phelps earned yet another gold, while Tom Shields, the second American in that race swam to a 20th place finish.
The same one-swimmer dominance is seen on the women’s side. Misty Hyman won gold in 2000 (and, to this day, is USA’s most recent female gold medalist in that event) while Kaitlin Sandeno earned a 5th place finish. At Athens in 2004, Sandeno would take the bronze with no other American even making the final. Along comes Beijing 2008 and our two Americans, Elaine Breeden and Kathleen Hersey, take 7th and 8th. In London 2012, Hersey and Cammile Adams would take 4th and 5th place. Most recently in Rio, Cammile Adams got 4th and Hali Flickinger got 7th.
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