Top Olympic Rivalries: Part IV

We’re back with another (and likely final) part of this series. It’s been quite fun uncovering these rivalries and taking a deep dive down memory lane. Perhaps these narratives remind us of the challenge, commitment, and determination needed to not only stay at the top, but also to fend off relentless challengers from those ready to take the top step for themselves.

If you missed them, here are Part I, Part II, and Part III. Let’s dive into this final set of rivalries…

1. Matt Biondi v. Tom Jager

We’re talking about one of the greatest all-round swimmers of his generation, going toe-to-toe with one of the finest sprinters to ever represent the United States. In fact, both Biondi and Jager have held the 50 freestyle world record on multiple occasions: Biondi broke the record three times, and Jager did so six times. Jager was also the fastest man in the 50-yard freestyle over the span of 15 years, putting up a time of 19.05 back in 1990.

Biondi and Jager first met on the international stage at the 1984 Olympics — albeit for the same effort: they jointly contributed to an Olympic gold medal on the 400 freestyle relay, with Biondi swimming in the finals and Jager swimming in the heats. During those years, Biondi and Jager often faced off at the NCAA level in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events, trading victories and NCAA records in the process.

Their first showdowns at the international stage took place at the 1986 Worlds: in the 50 freestyle, Jager won gold and Biondi took bronze; in the 100 freestyle, it was Biondi taking gold with Jager earning bronze. Over the next few years, Jager would defend his 50 freestyle title for a three-peat across the 1987, 1989, and 1991 Pan Pacific Championships. Biondi took silver right behind Jager in both 1987 and 1991.

At the 1991 Worlds, Jager would defend his world title in the 50 freestyle with a new championship record, with Biondi rallying to silver just a tenth behind. After 1991, however, their back-and-forth rivalry in the 50 freestyle would be interrupted by a new dominant force — none other than the great Alexander Popov.

2. Jeff Rouse v. Mark Tewksbury v. David Berkoff

It’s not often we find ourselves with a three-way rivalry in the sprint backstroke discipline. This rivalry that took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s saw not only a constant back-and-forth in world records, but also a complete redefinition of the rules governing backstroke.

First, a recap on the rules: Berkoff first revolutionized the use of an underwater dolphin kick for backstrokers underwater, and he would stay underwater for as far as 35 meters. In 1988, FINA limited backstrokers to just 10 meters underwater; a year later, they increased the limit to 15 meters, a rule that continues to this day.

At the Seoul 1988 Olympics, Berkoff and Tewksbury had their first major showdown on the world stage. Notably, Tewksbury had won the 100 backstroke at the 1987 Pan Pacific Championships. In Seoul, Berkoff would break the 100 backstroke world record in the heats, but he was out-touched in the final and settled for silver — with Tewksbury almost a full second behind in fifth.

Following the Olympics, Tewksbury and Rouse would face off at the 1989 Pan Pacific Championships. Rouse emerged victorious, with Tewksbury back in the bronze medal position. Two years later, they met again at the 1991 Pan Pacific Championships, with Rouse winning gold and Tewksbury earning silver. That same year, Rouse and Tewksbury went toe-to-toe at the World Championships with the same result: Rouse clinched the gold by just six-hundredths over Tewksbury.

The final clash between all three titans of the backstroke saw the 1992 Barcelona Olympics play host. In a dramatic twist of fate, Tewksbury would get the better of both Americans — this time, he out-touched Rouse by six-hundredths to claim Olympic glory, a complete reversal of the result from the previous year. Rouse settled for silver, and Berkoff took the bronze.

Following the Barcelona Olympics, Berkoff and Tweksbury would retire from competition. Rouse, however, had more to prove: four years later at the 1996 Olympics, he would avenge his narrow loss to Tweksbury to claim the first and only individual Olympic gold medal of his career.

3. Leisel Jones v. Rebecca Soni

Though their eras of dominance didn’t overlap entirely, those brief years during which Jones and Soni routinely faced each other in championship finals did not disappoint. While Jones won her first Olympic medal at the 2000 Games in Sydney 2000, Soni’s first medal came at Beijing 2008 — and that’s where we’ll start this narrative.

Prior to Beijing, Jones had asserted herself as one of the world’s most dominant breaststrokers. At just the age of 14, she swam her way to silver at her host nation’s Olympics and would collect a total of 17 World Championship medals across her career. Soni, meanwhile, was dominating the NCAA landscape, earning six NCAA titles in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events.

Their first clash at the international level took place at the Beijing Olympics — with Jones the world-record holder in both distances. In the 100 breaststroke, Jones dominated the field en route to an Olympic record, with Soni in the silver-medal position over a second behind. In the 200 breaststroke, however, Soni pulled off a remarkable upset to set a new world record, with Jones nearly two seconds behind.

The following year, Jones did not compete at the 2009 Worlds — in her absence, Soni earned a world title in the 100 breaststroke and a silver medal in the 50 breaststroke. At the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, they faced off in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, with Soni coming out on top in both races and Jones earning silver in both events. Later that year, they met again at the 2010 Short Course Worlds, where Soni set a new championship record and narrowly defeated Jones in the 100 breaststroke.

At the 2012 London Olympics, they would meet one last time in the finals of the 100 breaststroke. This time, Soni would earn the silver medal, with Jones back in fifth place. These Olympics would prove to be the final competition for both swimmers — a fitting ending to a rivalry featuring two titans in breaststroke history.

4. Ian Crocker v. Michael Phelps

A rivalry between the GOAT and one of the greatest sprint butterfliers of all time spanned the better part of a decade during the early 2000s. Phelps and Crocker had competed against each other on the national stage prior to 2003, but it was at the Worlds that year where they had their first major showdown.

In the finals of the 100 butterfly, Phelps swam under the existing world record — but it was Crocker who had the last laugh, becoming the first man under 51 seconds and out-touching Phelps by 0.12 seconds. Crocker continued his form into 2004, re-setting the world record and defeating Phelps at the 2004 Olympic Trials. At the 2004 Olympics, however, Phelps would make a remarkable surge in the last 15 meters of the race to out-touch Crocker by 0.04 seconds on his way to the gold medal — setting a new Olympic record in the process.

Their matchup at the 2005 Worlds was remarkable: Crocker, in perhaps the best form of his career, took over three-tenths off of his existing 100 fly world record and defeated Phelps by 1.25 seconds. As Phelps recalled, it was perhaps the biggest defeat he had ever taken on the international stage.

Two years later, they would meet again, this time in the finals of the 100 butterfly at the 2007 Worlds. With Crocker under world record pace and just 25 meters to go, Phelps made another remarkable surge to the wall to out-touch Crocker by 0.05 seconds. In case you haven’t noticed, Phelps is known for out-touching his competitors by the finest margins on the biggest stages.

Across these past four international competitions, Phelps and Crocker had secured the gold or silver medal in some order — often with a championship or world record falling in the process. At the 2008 Olympics, the result was slightly different: Phelps rallied to a gold medal in perhaps the most remarkable race of his entire career; Crocker, swimming right next to Phelps, ended up fourth — just one one-hundredth away from the bronze medal.

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