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Friday, September 22
Britain will have to learn fast, says Palmer
From Craig Lord in Sydney
Paul Palmer of Britian swam his last Olympic race today, finishing 17th in the fastest series of 1,500m freestyle heats in history and then promptly declared: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”
Palmer, whose fifth place in the 200m freestyle final was Britain’s best finish in the pool, summed up his nation’s relative ignorance of the science of producing swimming champions: “The fact is that Britain doesn’t have a clue what’s going on out there.” Britain had to find “whatever it is that the rest of the world are doing to make them so fast”.
A measure of just how far world swimming has progressed since Atlanta is reflected in the number of records established at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre; 12 new global standards and 33 Olympic records, 15 of which were set in qualifying heats and semi-finals.
Britain, Palmer said, had simply not anticipated that level of advance. Some of it was dubious, he suggested, but added this qualification: “We are not getting beaten by thousands of drug cheats. We are getting beaten by people who are taking products that are helping them to win. We have to get out there, find what it is, how it’s used, what the implications are and start to play at that level.
“We’ve got to move with the times,” said Palmer who advocated the move for the next generation of British swimmers. As a man who rarely takes a vitamin pill, he declared himself “happy that I’m near the end of my swimming career”.
Britain, he said, had not done too badly by its own standards. “I’m disappointed and disheartened by the fact that we didn’t win any medals. As a whole we have worked so hard. But the truth is, it’s not just about hard work. The fact is that Britain doesn’t have a clue what’s going on out there.”
He believes that Bill Sweetenham, the Australian coach heading Britain’s way in the autumn to replace Deryk Snelling as national performance director, will bring some secrets with him. “He comes from one of the most successful nations and played a key role in that success. Snelling has opened our eyes to what we have to do, what we have to achieve, what we can achieve but you can’t expect to turn a new company into a multimillion-pound business in three years. It takes time.”
Time has just about run out for Britain at these Games, Alison Sheppard, of Glasgow, offering a last slim hope of a medal in the 50m freestyle today. If that hope fades, then Britain will return home empty handed from the Games for the first time since 1936.
The speed of change in world swimming was also summed up by Mark Foster, of Britain, who today finished seventh in the final of the 50m freestyle, half a second off the pace.
“I didn’t know what to wear,” said the world short-course record holder, referring to his Fastskin shark suit. “I noticed all the others were wearing just legs. I’m still not sure what’s for the best,” said Foster, who has never produced his winter form in the summer long-course season.
This is the Olympic Games, and Foster’s pondering spoke volumes about the steep learning curve that British swimming must still go through after a week of wishing for better things in Sydney.
