Cam McEvoy resurrects a 20-year sprinting odyssey in Coach Tim Lane’s “Fast Lane to Fukuoka,” a pool of resistance and a little help from his friends.

Getting to the bottom of Australian Cam McEvoy’s Fukuoka revival in July of 2023 at age 29 was always going to be an intriguing story to say the least—a career spanning 20 years and three Olympic Games as he was preparing for a fifth World Championships in the fastest form of his life.

Cam and his coach, Tim Lane, didn’t disappoint when they revealed the back story behind McEvoy’s extraordinary swimming resurrection that surfaced with one of the biggest splashes of this year’s World Championships.

It came after the formation of a team that has listened, learned, implemented and delivered a swimming revival for the ages…and a man in Coach Lane who was quick to ensure that this was Cam’s story to tell.

This was a team led by McEvoy and coordinated by Lane that also included Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) sports science guru, Nick Smith, and former British strength and conditioning coach, Scott Pollock.

Each year, the truly elite swimmers are judged based on their results at the major long course championship meet, usually the World Championships or Olympics. Sometimes, the question of best swimmer in the world is clear-cut. For instance, even though Qin Haiyang won three world titles in the men’s breaststroke events this year and lowered a world record, few would argue that the No. 1 men’s spot belongs to Leon Marchand, the world’s premier medley swimmer and the man who broke Michael Phelps’ world record in the 400 IM. If Marchand had been able to fit the 200 breast into his schedule, he surely would have reached the podium there, too, maybe even challenging Qin for supremacy.

The women’s side, though?

Only Kaylee McKeown was a three-time individual winner in Fukuoka, and while she makes a compelling case for the top spot, plenty of rivals — including two of her Australian countrywomen — can make that same argument. Let’s dive into the candidates, listed here in alphabetical order by last name.

 

An attack mentality from Cody Simpson has seen the 24-year-old Gold Coat-based Olympic hopeful tear up the pool for his second National title in two nights on day three at the Australian Short Course Championships in Sydney.

Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) led from start to finish to win the 100m butterfly in 50.60 (10.88, 23.52, 36.76) to add to his 100m freestyle win from last night.

The high profile pop star has been one of the star attractions at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre this week and he kept two-time Olympian David Morgan (Surfers Paradise, QLD) 50.76 and Alex Quach (SOPAC, NSW) 50.97 at bay in a blanket finish.

And he has let his swimming do the singing off a song sheet he hopes will earn him a place one the 2024 Olympic team to Paris.

Simpson then spoke of his determination to get the absolute best out of his  training and attacking his races.

“I’ve adopted an attack mentality, aiming to leave nothing in the tank and to just see what happens,” Simpson told OlympianSarah Ryan on 9Now

Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel on Thursday announced the formation of the Simone Manuel Foundation. Her goal through the foundation is to expand access to water safety and swimming opportunities to BIPOC children.

Manuel made the announced with a video on her social media feed. You can follow the Simone Manuel Foundation on social media.

From Manuel’s introductory video:

When I was in the sport growing up, I didn’t feel like I fit in. I started the Simone Manuel Foundation because I want to help BIPOC children better be able to navigate the swim space. There is a huge disparity in the amount of lives that are lost to drowning by BIPOC children. The Simone Manuel Foundation provides funding for programming to bring more water safety and swimming opportunities to BIPOC youth.
 

The foundation is a coalescence of the efforts Manuel has been doing for years, advocating for access and education for children of color, with organizations such as the USA Swimming Foundation.