SINGAPORE — Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, minces few words when he broadcasts swimming for the American network NBC.
And he didn’t hold back in an interview with The Associated Press over the shaky state of American swimming. He called for big-time changes as the Americans struggle at the world championships in Singapore.
The American team isn’t winning as much as expected or dominating, it’s battling a case of “acute gastroenteritis” picked up at training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore, and the governing body — USA Swimming — has been without a CEO for a year.
Gaines called the body “rudderless.”
“Can you imagine any corporation going for a year without a CEO?” Gaines said.
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,” Gaines said in a telephone interview from the United States. “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 has been texting frequently with Greg Meehan, the national team director who was appointed four months ago. Meehan is also the head coach in Singapore.
The American haven’t said how many swimmers have fallen ill, but in an interview, Meehan said “the overwhelming majority of the team has gone through something” at the championship.
“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 has had too little time to turn things around. Gaines also pointed out that the focus is the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. These world championships, less so.
“I think he’s going to be great,” Gaines said of Meehan. “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 landmine.”
Like many, Gaines questioned why the Americans picked Thailand as a training camp site, and he noted that global swimming now has dozens of countries that can beat the Americans, and many of their elite athletes train in the States.
Those include the two stars in Singapore: Frenchman Leon Marchand and Canadian Summer McIntosh. Marchand trains at the University of Texas at Austin, and McIntosh will be there this fall and join Bob Bowman’s training group.
Bowman is, of course, the former coach of American swimming legend Michael Phelps.
“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?
“It just beats you up because mentally and physically you are focused on four straight years, and the post-Olympic year can beat some people up,” he said. “The post-Olympics is a real thing for all athletes whether you’re from China or the United States.”
On the positive side, he talked up the future of 10 to 15 young American male swimmers including Luca Urlando, the winner of the 200-butterfly and the only American man to win gold over the first five days. The championships end 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. “But 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.”
