The Leaving London Series: Ye Shiwen

The most controversial swimmer coming out of the London Olympics was 16-year old Chinese swimming phenomenon Ye Shiwen.  Ye left London with a pair of Gold medals in the 200 and 400IM powered by phenomenal finishing speed on the freestyle legs of each swim.

In the 400IM, American Elizabeth Beisel looked in control of the 400IM after taking control in the backstroke leg but out of nowhere Ye blew by Beisel right away in the freestyle en route to a Gold medal and World Record.

Freestyle splits...

Beisel - 31.52 & 30.81 --> 1:02.33
Ye - 29.75 & 28.93 --> 58.68

.. and Beisel is no slouch when it comes to finishing races.  Beisel out-split everyone else in the 400IM on the freestyle leg with the exception of Ye's team mate and Bronze medalist Li Xuanxu who narrowly out split Beisel but still that leaves Ye more then 3 seconds faster then the rest of the world.

Then in the 200IM, the event in which Ye is the reigning World Champion, where as a 15 year old Ye Shiwen captured gold in Shanghai.  In 2011 Ye out touched Alicia Coutts from Australia to claim Gold.  In London, Ye trailed both Coutts and leader Caitlin Leverenz at 150, but again Ye unleashed a 29.32 to beat out Coutts and Leverenz and a second Gold medal.

Capturing two Gold medals in the fashion that Ye did was not the most reported storyline in London when it came to Ye.  Rather it was Ye's perceived dominance over Ryan Lochte that was most covered.  Ye's 58.68 split in the freestyle of the 400IM kept up with Lochte's 58.65 and Ye out-split Lochte on the final 50 28.93 to 29.10.

Impressive... but then speculation that Ye might be cheating surfaced without substantiation or evidence.  C'mon.  Yes, what Ye did in the final 100 of her 400IM was impressive but it was brilliant swim in a high exposure swim and nothing more.

Is it uncommon for a teenager to jump out ahead of the world?

Where were the cries of unfair play while American Missy Franklin won 5 medals, 4 of them Gold in London?

Where were the cries of unfair play when 15-year old Lithuanian breaststroker Ruta Meilutyte, with no track record of big-time International success, dominated the 100BR and claimed Gold in London?

If one argues the track record argument with Franklin, then arguer fails to recognize Ye's Gold medal in Shanghai.  If one argues that Franklin is a year older and more mature then Ye, then he/she fails to recognize the dominance of Meilutyte at a year younger then Ye.

Ye has been a swimming phenomenon for a while.  On the Chinese National team since 2008, Ye's been under the microscope for too long to point to her as a cheat.  It's sour grapes and lazy reporting by those who do not take the time to research the sport and drop in every 4 years for lazy reporting.  It is blatant hypocrisy to condemn Ye without condemning similarly great talents from the US and Europe.

TOMORROW... The Biggest Upset In London