US star seeks ‘swim’ changes
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’s calling 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 asked.
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.
