Word: weeks
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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Every four years, a new generation of athletes appears from nowhere to grab the headlines and occupy prime time, upstaging aging heroes. Hard-nosed young swimmers from the U.S., Australia and Europe arrived on the world stage last week at Sydney's International Aquatic Centre, bewitching spectators with their triumphs in the water; six teenagers are taking home a total of eight individual gold medals from the 26 solo events contested in the pool. The class of 2000 did not come to Sydney to watch and learn - they came to win. Along with the tough-talking Quann, there was Ukrainian...
...accompanied each milestone. "I had a really rough time with the accusations," said De Bruijn, who won the 50-m and 100-m freestyle events and the 100-m butterfly and suggested other swimmers were jealous of her achievements. There was no rush of congratulations from her rivals last week. "If you get a world record, they just want to chop your head off," said De Bruijn. U.S. veteran Jenny Thompson thought it was sad when "everyone who does well gets questioned" about drugs. "But at the same time it's sad that there's reason to question...
Then there were those full body suits - though they are now a fact of life in international swimming and little was said about them last week. Of course, the aquatic center, with its temperature-controlled water and air, and the pool itself - 3.3 m deep, with special lane ropes to prevent backwash, two free lanes and a wet deck at the sides to stop waves - are state-of-the-art. "Yes, we are really going fast," said Van den Hoogenband, perhaps tired of the focus on a concrete and tile tank. "It's a nice pool... but personally I train...
...Hoogenband, who avoided big international meets for the past year, it all came together last week. He became the first man since Mark Spitz in 1972 to win the 100-m and 200-m freestyle finals - perhaps an even greater feat than the American's considering the Dutchman's stellar opponents. In winning the blue-ribbon sprint title, Van den Hoogenband ended the reign of Alexander Popov, who was trying to win his third straight Olympic 100-m freestyle gold. "It's not the end of the world, obviously," said the 28-year-old Russian, undefeated over the distance...
...Sydney, Italy won its first Olympic gold medal in the pool - and tripled the stash by the end of the week. While Domenico Fioravanti won the breaststroke double, it was his compatriot Massimiliano Rosolino who will stay in the memory of swimming fans. Following a silver medal in the 400-m freestyle behind Thorpe and bronze behind the freakish duo in the 200-m freestyle, the 22-year-old Neapolitan stormed past American Tom Dolan to take gold in the 200-m individual medley. The crowd roared in rapture. The likable Italian, who lived in Australia as a child, danced...