Duel in the Pool

The Duel in the Pool is a swimming event that took place bi-annually from 2003 to 2015.[1] In 2022, the event was reintroduced with an edition between the United States and Australia and co-organized by Swimming Australia and USA Swimming.[2][3] From 2003 to 2015, the competition was organized by USA Swimming, and sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, the event was a made-for-television competition pitting the stars from the United States against another team, accumulating points across a series of individual and team-relay events. In between those times, the event has occurred regularly in major international meets from the Olympic Games to World Aquatics Championships.[4][5][6]

The original concept (2003–2015) focused on the rivalry between the world's then two powerhouse swimming nations, Australia and the United States, who together would shutout all other nations for the top two spots of the medals tables at ever major all-nation competition for a decade, including the FINA World Championships (1998–2007) and the Summer Olympics (2000–2008).

The reintroduction concept (2022) expanded the event line-up from the original concept to include para swimming and open water swimming events.[2][3]

Following three consecutive American victories (2003, 2005, 2007), where they averaged nearly double the points of the Australians, the Australians were replaced by an all-star team with members from various European nations. The Europeans did no better than the Australians, with the Americans winning all four of their meetings (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015), again averaging nearly double their opponents' scores in three of the events, and scoring a one-point victory — via a tie-breaker race — in 2013, the one competitive tournament in the series. After the 2015 event, a reporter noted the futility of the competition, stating: "The score was hardly relevant: by a whitewash – for a 7th consecutive win".[7] In 2017, swimming news website SwimSwam claimed the event could never be held again, as USA Swimming was unable to renew a television sponsorship deal after 2015.[1]

While reports in The Guardian[8] and NBC Sports[9] compared the later USA-vs-Europe versions of the Duel in the Pool to golf's USA-vs-Europe Ryder Cup, it was noted that a number of stars were missing from both swim teams,[9][10] unlike the participation of the most elite golfers in the Ryder Cup.

  1. ^ a b Keith, Braden (11 November 2017). "No Duel In The Pool in 2017; "Could Return in the Future"". SwimSwam. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SA19Apr2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference USAS20Apr2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Park/Paris, Alice (2024-07-27). "The Team USA-Australia Swimming Rivalry Is Alive and Well at the Paris Olympics". TIME. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ^ "Swimming rivals USA and Australia set for Paris showdown | NBC Olympics". www.nbcolympics.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  6. ^ Futterman, Matthew. "The great America-Australia relay rivalry gets another worthy chapter in Paris". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  7. ^ Lord, Craig (12 December 2015). "Duel in the Pool Over Before Over: WRS for Grevers, Kromowidjojo; USA Keeps Crown". SwimVortex. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015. The score was hardly relevant: by a whitewash – for a 7th consecutive win
  8. ^ "British Swimming plans 'Ryder Cup' duel in the pool". The Guardian. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  9. ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (17 September 2013). "Duel in the Pool swimming competition set for December". NBC Sports. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. ^ Burke, Keaton (6 May 2020). "Cody Miller Reflects on the History of 'Duel in the Pool'". SwimSwam. Retrieved 2 December 2020.