Swimming giants battle again

By Phil Gordos
BBC Sport in Athens

Great Britain's swimmers hardly registered a blip on the Richter scale when Australia and the United States held their respective news conferences within the space of 24 hours this week.

Michael Klim mocks the US after Australia's 4x100m win in 2000

For the two giants of the pool, the Athens Games will be all about inflicting as much pain and embarrassment on each other as possible. No one else really matters.

The Aussies did their best to play down the long-standing rivalry when they appeared first before the world's media on Tuesday, insisting that to ignore the threat from other countries would be both "unfair" and tactically naive.

But you could not help feeling they were simply playing a game, refusing to give the Americans any motivational ammunition ahead of their big confrontation in the water.

"It's not an Australia-US competition here," insisted Aussie head coach Leigh Nugent.

"We consider everybody to be our competition. The US are a strong team and come here as the strongest team in the world.

"But there are a lot of other people out there besides the red, white and blue."

Maybe Nugent is right, but the point is he successfully avoided winding up the Americans - and that was crucial.

With numerous world record-holders in their midst, the US hardly need an added incentive to add to their Olympic gold tally in Athens.

SYDNEY SWIMMING MEDALS AUSTRALIA Gold 5 Silver 9 Bronze 4 UNITED STATES Gold 14 Silver 8 Bronze 11

The Americans were at pains to follow Australia's lead when they took their turn in front of the barrage of television cameras, photographers and journalists on Wednesday.

But they have learned from bitter experience that it is unwise to taunt the men and women from Down Under.

Four years ago in Sydney, Gary Hall Jr goaded the home nation by insisting the US 4x100m freestyle team would smash the Aussies "like guitars".

The move spectacularly and memorably backfired, Ian Thorpe and company winning gold and rubbing salt into Hall's wounds by playing air guitar on the side of the pool.

The words were less inflammatory this time around, although it was hard for the US men's coach to contain his excitement given his charges include Michael Phelps, Brendan Hansen, Ian Crocker, Aaron Peirsol and Lenny Krayzelburg.

"This is the best men's team since '76, when they won every gold medal but one," said a bullish Eddie Reese.

Krayzelburg, like Aussie coach Nugent, was quick to highlight the dangers swimmers from other countries pose, insisting "there is so much talent out there".

But there is no doubt the Americans are feeling confident as they prepare to lock horns with the Australians.

Ian Crocker could deny Michael Phelps gold in the 100m butterfly

There wasn't any trace of menace in Crocker's voice when he suggested the team were capable of setting even more world records in Athens, but the statement was menacing nonetheless.

While Crocker and co were facing the world's media, Britain's swimmers were facing a much smaller audience by the side of the Olympic pool.

Head coach Bill Sweetenham was conspicuous by his absence but had issued a statement, which was suitably low-key.

There were no promises of gold, just a pledge that "every swimmer who contests an individual event should aim to make a final".

And he rubbished any thought of the rejuvenated Brits, who failed to win a medal of any colour in Sydney, taking on the might of Australia and the United States.

"To compare Britain to Australia or the USA is nonsensical," he wrote.

"However, the team is committed and have high expectations of themselves."

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