The USA Swimming War of Words: How We Got Here
Some of the icons of USA Swimming’s program have been in the news recently, and it’s not in the way that the sport would prefer. It’s also the latest and most public form of dysfunction roiling a sport in which the United States is one of the world’s most dominant nations.
From statements by Michael Phelps and Rowdy Gaines to the continued directionless drift of USA Swimming, how did we get here? And where, three years away from the Los Angeles Olympics, does it go from here?
The Background
USA Swimming’s 2024 was the capstone on an era. Tim Hinchey, who had led the organization since 2017, stepped down in late August. He had navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced USA Swimming registration numbers and imperiled the viability of many swim clubs with a lost summer in 2020. His tenure ended on the high note that was the biggest swim meet in the world, the U.S. Olympic Trials held in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium in June.
The U.S.’s performance at the Paris Olympics was up-and-down. While the U.S. finished atop the medal table with eight gold and 28 total medals, the men’s team won just one individual gold medal (Bobby Finke on the final day of the meet) and had a number of high-profile misses. Hinchey’s resignation coincided with the resignation of Lindsay Mintenko as the national team managing director.
USA Swimming remains without a permanent CEO. Shana Ferguson took over on an interim basis. In February, Chrissi Rawak was hired as the CEO, but she withdrew within a week for what was first termed “unforeseen personal circumstances” and later revealed to be a SafeSport complaint against the former athletic director at the University of Delaware. In March, Ferguson left to join the LA2028 organizing committee, with Bob Vincent taking over as interim CEO.
Mintenko’s job has proven easier to fill, Greg Meehan hired in April for that job. Meehan was the NCAA Championship winning coach of Stanford’s women’s team.
To Singapore
The U.S. selected its team for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships at Trials in Indianapolis in June. The team held a staging camp in Thailand in July prior to the competition, standard practice for a meet on a different continent. A number of swimmers – USA Swimming has not released specifics nor made Meehan available for comment beyond a short interview with NBC Sports during the meet – came down with an illness that the organization termed acute gastroenteritis. Some had their travel delayed. Others traveled and had onset of symptoms later in the week, with reports indicating that some swimmers lost as much as 15 pounds from their bouts.
Six swimmers withdrew from individual events for health reasons, plus the withdrawal of Gretchen Walsh from the final of the women’s 400 freestyle relay. Many more failed to get anywhere near their trials times. The U.S. ended up atop the medal table again with nine gold and 29 total medals. But the U.S. had just five medals and one gold through the first two days of the meet.
The women’s team performed well as it has almost unerringly in the last few years, medaling in each event until the final day of competition. The men’s team won just one individual gold medal (Luca Urlando in the 200 fly) and managed just bronze in the 400 free and 400 medley relays plus fourth in the 800 free. The mixed medley relay finished 10th in prelims and missed the finals.
The Mud Starts Flying
On Aug. 1, the sixth day of the eight-day swimming program, Ryan Lochte posted to Instagram an AI-generated image of a headstone reading, “In loving memory of United States Swimming” with the quote, “They set the bar high – until they stopped reaching for it.” Phelps reposted it with the message, “Is this the wake up call USA Swimming needed? Let’s find out.”
In an interview with the Associated Press that day, Gaines called the team’s performance “rudderless,” aiming his criticism specifically at USA Swimming. That trio is the owner of 32 Olympic gold medals and 43 total medals.
Further Reading
USA Swimming kept mum about the criticism. But swimmers responded. Finke called the outside criticism “stupid.” Lilly King, in the final meet of her distinguished career, tagged Phelps and Lochte on Instagram pointing out that they were pretty quiet on Night 7 of the meet when the U.S. won three gold and six total medals, including a world record in the mixed freestyle relay. Regan Smith’s post-Singapore Instagram post was pointedly captioned, “USA Swimming is alive and well.” Smith won relay gold and four individual silvers in a typically outstanding meet for one of the women’s program paragons.
Gaines expanded on his criticism in a long social media thread on Aug. 6, stating that he stands with Phelps’ criticism.
USA Swimming finally broke its silence. In a statement to media at the lightly covered TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Irvine on Aug. 6, it distributed a statement attributed to Vincent. The statement has not appeared on any of USA Swimming’s social media channels, nor on its website, nor been widely shared in any official capacity with media. It thus didn’t surface until a day later.
As reported by The Big Friendly Swim Podcast, Vincent wrote that “we respect and value the opinions of Rowdy, Michael, Ryan and all USA Swimming alums”. In the comments, Phelps refuted that USA Swimming had reached out to him or Gaines since their comments and that USA Swimming “treated me like a piece of meet thro [sic] my career.”
Phelps on Aug. 13 released a lengthy statement detailing his interactions with USA Swimming, clarifying that his comments were never aimed at swimmers but rather the organization and advocating for change. He said past attempts at outreach have been brushed off, and he outlined plans for USA Swimming to move forward, while professing a desire to be part of the solution.
What’s Next?
That’s the big question. USA Swimming remains leaderless on the business side. The massive opportunity that is the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles creeps closer each day.
Swimming will exit the mainstream consciousness for an extended period. The next World Championships aren’t until 2027 in Budapest, after four World Aquatics events in as many years. Next summer’s calendar doesn’t include a major trials meet, but the U.S. will host the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif., against the top talents from Canada, Japan and Australia, and other invited guests. The World Aquatics World Cup will visit the United States in October in Carmel, Indiana, and Westmont, Illinois.
By the international media standards of the Olympics and even World Championships, none of those events are likely to register internationally. It’s a chance for USA Swimming to get out of the spotlight and get its house in order. But it’s also time for the ramp up to Los Angeles that can’t be squandered.
