Gold in the water The true story of ordinary men and their extraordinary dream of Olympic glory

When we watched the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, we saw athletes in their prime, ready to take on their biggest challenge. But how did they get there? What kind of training was required? What toll did this preparation take on the athletes' personal lives? What's at stake at the Olympics, and how will defeat affect the person who has dedicated nearly his or her whole life to the dream of Olympic gold? This book chronicles the U.S. swimming team's journey to the 2000 Olympics, and we soon discover that although the training started in January 1998, the dreaming began a whole lot earlier. Like the best sports books, this one spends a lot of time with the athletes, letting us see them not just as performers but also as people. What motivates someone to structure his whole life toward a single goal, a goal the athlete knows may never be achieved? And what comes after the Olympics? Mullen answers all these questions in the words and actions of the young athletes he portrays. Although the book concentrates on swimming and swimmers, its exploration of "big" themes--dedication, the pursuit of success, and the possibility of failure--makes it applicable to all athletes (indeed, to all young people) grappling with how to direct their lives. A superb sports book. --David Pitt

Olympic fans undoubtedly remember the wonderful performances of the U.S. swimmers at the 2000 Olympics in Australia. What viewers may not fully understand is the grueling training endured by a larger group of swimmers who trained for other meets leading up to the trials and Olympic competition. Mullen, a sports writer and competitive swimmer, focuses on the Santa Clara Swim Club, two athletes Tom Wilkens and Kurt Grote and their coach, Dick Jochums. The author provides an intimate look at the physical training along with the emotional and psychological roller-coaster ride for the swimmers as they try to make the Olympic team. As coach, Jochums also endures serious hardships, including bankruptcy of the swim club and accusations of financial misconduct. Mullen skillfully details exactly what the swimmers are feeling (e.g., "Now Wilkins was furious.... He was in the best shape of his life, he'd just swum in the world's fastest pool, and his time was more than 1.5 second slower than his best. He needed to find an outlet for his fury...." Sports fans and anyone who has trained for competition will find this book enjoyable. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Tension builds along with skills as two American swimmers prepare for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Journalist Mullen (Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, etc.) begins at the 1998 World Championships, where Kurt Grote and Tom Wilkens finish first and seventh, respectively, in the 200-meter breaststroke. Soon after, the two former walk-ons at Stanford begin their Olympic training schedules. Friends and rivals, they lead different lifestyles. Grote, a naturally gifted swimmer, balances his athletics against the requirements of med school and a new marriage. His protege, Wilkens, more workhorse than prodigy, has no life outside the pool and is uncertain which events are his best. Both young men entrust their careers to Dick Jochums, the new head man at the Santa Clara Swim Club: a Bobby Knight-like coach fired from his job at the University of Arizona-abusive, self-righteous, burning with a redemptive fury to reestablish himself as an elite coach and restore Santa Clara to the national prominence it last held in the 1970s. Mullen uses other SCSC members to dramatize the world of the top-level swimmer. Dod Wales, son of an Olympian, evaluates all coaching suggestions with Spock-like rationality. Tate Blahnik's immense talent is tempered by his bitterness about past coaching exploitation. Dara Torres's feminine presence cheerfully alters the atmosphere of the macho club. Assistant Coach John Bitter is brilliant on the pool deck, but dangerously careless with the club's cash. Olympic stars Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson, and Tom Dolan make cameo appearances. A journalist and former collegiate and professional swimmer, Mullen confidently covers the design of a "fast" pool, swimming physics, collegiate and Olympic politics, and race strategy as his deftly constructed story moves through the exciting 1999 Pan-Pacific meet at midpoint to the climactic Olympics. Merits a spot on the top step of the podium. (8 pp. b&w photos, not seen)