Swimming World Presents – The Trouble With Sprinters Parts 1, 2, and 3 The theme of this series of articles has been that sprinters are different from other swimmers—athletes who have historically been considered troublemakers by the establishment, but who have been great for the sport. This month’s featured sprinter is Gary Hall Jr.—one of the greatest in Olympic history…but, perhaps, one of the most maligned and misunderstood. For the last two months this space was devoted to iconic swimmers who were considered troublemakers by the swimming establishment. The “trouble” with them was that they rebelled against authority and refused to be the ideal representative of amateur sport. Part 1 in July: “Calling All Troublemakers,” told the story of Eleanor Holm Jarret and Dawn Fraser, both banned from swimming for their non-conformity in and out of the pool. See the July issue. Part 2 in August: “The Tom & Matt Show,” focused on Tom Jager and Matt Biondi, who forced a reluctant national governing body to join the modern world of sport. They paved the way for older swimmers to continue in the sport they loved without great financial sacrifice. See the August issue. Part 3 in September: The Free Spirit of Gary Hall Jr. “Give me a chance. Let me step on the blocks and race. I don’t care if I come in dead last. I just want to race… because the race is what I love more than anything!” —Gary Hall Jr. Read this article. |