Kate Ziegler of the United States competes in the Women's 800m freestyle heat during the 2008 Olympic Games. (Streeter Lecka, Getty Images)
Last Thursday, three days before she boarded a plane bound for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a meet she never thought she’d be swimming in, Kate Ziegler signed autographs for more than two hours at the YMCA Long Course Championships in College Park.
Among the hordes of kids who lined up to have a moment with the 20-year-old Olympian and world-record holder was a little girl, Ziegler said, whose face was streaked in tears. She was so nervous and eager to meet her idol that she bawled when she finally had the opportunity.
“She was so, so excited to meet me. It was really kind of shocking to have someone idolize you like that,” Ziegler said. “It was very humbling.”
Signing autographs was the last appearance for Ziegler, a Great Falls native who swims for FISH in McLean, before competing at the U.S. Open in Seattle today through Saturday in an attempt to salvage a frustrating year.
Despite holding back-to-back world titles in the 800-meter freestyle, she failed to qualify for final in her two top events, the 800 and 400. But by this summer, the Olympics were ancient history. Her sights were set on the World Championships in Rome, which concluded Sunday, but a bout with swine flu a few weeks ago forced her to miss the U.S. championships, which doubled as the world championship trials.
“It was definitely a tough year,” Ziegler said. “The Olympics certainly didn’t go as I hoped they would, but it was a good learning experience for me. And after taking a nice long break, and I was getting back into it, I was getting excited to go back to trials, and that was a big letdown.”
So instead of touring around Italy on a post-Worlds high, Ziegler – who said she has only paid fleeting attention to the meet in Rome – is one of the most recognizable swimmers competing at the U.S. Open, a meet typically for swimmers aiming to make their first ascent to international relevance, not for those searching for their second.
“The difficulty with the timing of the meet is that it’s after world championships and our top 50 athletes won’t be at the meet,” said Deborah Keane, the U.S. Open meet director.
Two other FISH swimmers will also compete at the U.S. Open, Michael Flach and Matthew Benecki. Local powerhouses Curl-Burke and Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club will also be represented. RMSC sent seven swimmers, while three from Curl-Burke will compete. Ziegler is one of three 2008 Olympians competing at the U.S. Open — Elaine Breeden and Margaret Hoelzer are the others. In 2007 Ziegler set the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the U.S. Open. Her time of 15 minutes, 42.54 seconds, remains the fastest time ever swum in the event, but she is seeded just fourth this week.
Even Ziegler said she doesn’t know what to expect. She said she is at about 85 or 90 percent of when she was healthy and in top shape. But that’s not to say she has fizzled out or has peaked. She is seeded as the top swimmer in the 800, with a time 10 seconds faster than the No. 2 seed, and in the 400, where her pace is six seconds ahead.
“I don’t really know what to expect going into the U.S. Open, but I’m excited to compete again and see where I’m at,” she said. She said the meet will provide an opportunity for her to continute ease back into competition. She swam most recently at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo, Calif., last month. “I don’t have any expectations there and there’s no pressure. It’s not nearly as big of a meet as Worlds would have been.”
Ziegler said she hasn’t yet set out to define what steps will get her to the 2012 London games. That will come later. In the fall, she said, she will sit down with FISH coach Ray Benecki and map out the next few years. And getting back to the Olympics, she said, is definitely the goal.
She said there are days she works out and says, “Oh, why am I still swimming? I just want to quit.” This year, in which every step seemed to be a step back, was about discovering what she wanted as a swimmer. And she said staying in competition – world competition – is it.
“I might have had a disappointing first Olympics,” she said. “But I’d really like to go to another one, really enjoy it and try again.”
That’s good news to her fans, including one little boy who, when he approached Ziegler in College Park, reversed roles and handed her his own autograph. She said the subtle reminders, like kids lining up and waiting two hours when they meet her is motivation to regain her earlier levels of success.
Said Ziegler: “When I know that there are fans out there, cheering me on, it gives me a little extra boost of energy, kind of to know people care and they want to see me do well.
Tags: Michael Flach
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