"It became about doing something for myself and inspiring others to have the courage to go do something they're scared of doing or is a little bit outside their comfort zone.". January 13, 2012 | 7:53 pm. Olympic Games; Olympic Winter Games; Youth Olympic Games; All . Sometimes I wonder if people are going to see all the wrinkles and see that I am not the same age as all these kids out here. "We both expected better," he said of Evans' performance. "Suddenly I was there swimming. --By Carla Thorpe June 27, 2012. In 1987, she broke the world records in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter freestyle distances. But they actually swam in the same meet in 2012, when Evans entered the U.S. Olympic Trials for the first time since 1996. "The end goal was to be here.". Evans, 44, has joked that she’s old enough to be Ledecky’s mother. By Amy Shipley. It's about trying something, and doing it, and being proud of what you've done. 2012 Summer Olympics US Olympic Trials 2012: 5 Comeback Athletes Hoping to Find Their Way to London ... Janet Evans made her Olympic debut way back in 1988 when she won three gold medals. He had been at loose ends after being fired as general manager and head coach of the national team by USA Swimming. In 1987, when she was 15 years old, Janet burst onto the international swimming scene, breaking world records in the 400m, 800m and the 1500m freestyle. "I'm not going to go back to my room and cry," said Evans, who was headed out to lunch with her daughter and 2-year-old son, Jake. "The more racing she could do, the better she would do. "That is so cool.". The fans in the stands cheered Evans as she was introduced during the race and again afterward as she walked off the deck smiling. Janet Evans finished eighth in her heat of the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Saturday, ending the former Olympic champion's comeback at age 40. Her longtime coach, Mark Schubert, responded, "I'm going to go back to my room and cry.". Evans was smiling and joking after changing out of her black bodysuit. He's kind of found his place at a very good club team very close to his home in Southern California and he seems very happy. Kate Ziegler had the fastest qualifying time for Sunday's final in 8:27.61. Olympic Games. "I'm out there on that pool deck with these kids. "I paused for like one second and moved it to permanent," she said. Allison Schmitt, a 22-year-old, won the evening final to make her second straight Olympic team. Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Janet Evans of Laguna Beach, who is making a competitive comeback at age 40, qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials by meeting the time standard for the 400-meter freestyle Friday at the Austin Grand Prix. After that race, Sydney asked her mom if she had won. Beijing 2022 . Janet EVANS, Janet Elizabeth EVANS. LA 2028; Milano Cortina 2026 . OMAHA — … "It took a lot of courage. Evans clocked 8 min 49.05 sec, inside the trials cut-off mark of 8-50.49 and 11 sec off her time at the 1996 Atlanta Games. She began her comeback a year ago as a way to challenge herself. She retired after the 1996 Games. She swam her 16-lap signature event in 9 minutes, 1:59 seconds -- more than 45 seconds off the American record she set in 1989 that still stands. Olympic medalist Janet Evans trains in Huntington Beach for a potential spot on the U.S. team after retiring nearly 16 years ago. ". ", Evans, 40, fails to reach 400 freestyle finals, Durham, 1st Black gymnastics champ, dies at 52, Metellus named race director of NYC Marathon, Weather forces skiing worlds schedule change, American Humphries sets bobsled mark at worlds, U.S. ponders 'shocking' end to America's Cup, Africa's Qhubeka makes 2021 return amid struggle, Team USA men's hoops planning Vegas bubble, Games 'playbook' orders less cheering, mingling, No turning back: Ankita Dhyani's mastery at improbable chases makes her unbeatable, It's all in the genes: Pavana Nagaraj looks to follow mother Sahana Kumari's illustrious footsteps, Tokyo head won't resign after sexist comments, Osterman to retire after Olympics, '21 league, Navratilova eyes proviso to trans executive order, Armstrong to be Olympic Canada GM if NHL plays, Groups call for boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics, Simmons in as Boomers reveal Olympics squad, Boomers selection just the start for Giddey, Shiffrin to resume speed races at worlds in Cortina, Latvia to host hockey worlds without Belarus, Tokyo's Mori: Games to be held 'no matter what', U.S. men's hoops to face France first at Olympics. She added a silver medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games. Schubert has been with Evans since her earliest days and their relationship has evolved from coach and swimmer into close and trusted friends. ", Evans misses 800 qualifying, ending comeback, Durham, 1st Black gymnastics champ, dies at 52, Metellus named race director of NYC Marathon, Weather forces skiing worlds schedule change, American Humphries sets bobsled mark at worlds, U.S. ponders 'shocking' end to America's Cup, Africa's Qhubeka makes 2021 return amid struggle, Team USA men's hoops planning Vegas bubble, Games 'playbook' orders less cheering, mingling, No turning back: Ankita Dhyani's mastery at improbable chases makes her unbeatable, It's all in the genes: Pavana Nagaraj looks to follow mother Sahana Kumari's illustrious footsteps, Tokyo head won't resign after sexist comments, Osterman to retire after Olympics, '21 league, Navratilova eyes proviso to trans executive order, Armstrong to be Olympic Canada GM if NHL plays, Groups call for boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics, Simmons in as Boomers reveal Olympics squad, Boomers selection just the start for Giddey, Shiffrin to resume speed races at worlds in Cortina, Latvia to host hockey worlds without Belarus, Tokyo's Mori: Games to be held 'no matter what', U.S. men's hoops to face France first at Olympics. Looking around at the nervous youngsters who waited with her for their heat, Evans' mind wandered. "I'm just looking forward to sitting in the stands finally," said Evans, who plans to be in London during the games. Evans … OMAHA, Neb. "I said, 'No, I didn't win,' " Evans said. -- Janet Evans stepped on the blocks, heard a big cheer and realized that she was more than twice as old as every other swimmer in her … Evans … ", Evans walked away smiling, buoyed by the cheers from a sellout crowd and shouts of "Go Janet! Janet Evans speaks with reporters after swimming in the women's 400 meter freestyle preliminary race at the Austin Grand Prix swimming meet, Friday, Jan. 13, 2012, in Austin, Texas. Evans' supporters included her parents and two kids, who ended up in the hotel room next to hers, which made for some hectic moments on Monday when she should have been resting. Swimming at Atlanta 1996, Barcelona 1992, Seoul 1988 Olympics. Your kids will love you no matter what.". I think it just kind of helped him get back on the pool deck and inspired him to start coaching again. I could have slept in every day and just taken my 5-year-old to preschool, but I chose not to. "We have an agreement," Schubert said. "They were closer in age to Syd than me," the 40-year-old Evans said with a smile, referring to her 5-year-old daughter Sydney. -- Janet Evans stepped on the blocks, heard a big cheer and realized that she was more than twice as old as every other swimmer in her heat except one. The 800 will be better than this.". ", "It's just so fun to be back. Evans will be back in the pool on Saturday for prelims in the 800 free, her signature event in which she became the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic and world titles. The London 2012 Olympic Games are fast-approaching and Brian Osuch has more with an Olympic gold medalist hoping to inspire you to have the . Her husband, Billy Willson, plans to be on hand for the 800 free. She gave a brief wave to the crowd that included her parents and two children, 5-year-old Sydney and 2-year-old Jake, who had slept through her 400 free prelim in which she finished 80th among 113 swimmers. The queen of distance swimming was far off the pace in her return to the U.S. Olympic trials on Tuesday, failing to qualify for the final of the 400-meter freestyle. She stashes her five Olympic medals -- four gold and one silver -- at her parents' California home, never pulling them out or watching old videos of her races. Evans became the queen of distance swimming as a three-time Olympian who won the 800 free at the 1988 and '92 Olympics, and was undefeated in the grueling event for eight years. Tokyo 2020 . "I was like, 'Are they cheering for me?' JANET EVANS MAKES 2012 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS 1 2 USA SWIMMING GRAND PRIX Columbia, Missouri Feb. 10-12, 2012 1 2 3 That's what I'm proud of.". Evans called it a career -- again -- after finishing 53rd out of 65 swimmers in the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. trials on Saturday. OMAHA, Neb. June 27, 2012 Veteran swimmer Janet Evans had fun at the 2012 Olympic Trials, despite not being named to Team USA Al Bello/Getty Images Picture this: You are at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials … PHOENIX, Arizona, June 6. It’s been 15 years since Janet Evans last swam competitively, but that’s not going to stop the Olympic gold medalist, now 40, from pursuing her competitive dreams once again. Janet Evans is just another face in the pool as she trains at Golden West College with an eye on qualifying for the Olympic Trials and earning a spot on the United States Olympic team. "I thought, 'It's kind of strange that I'm here swimming,' " she said. Pyeongchang 2018 . She had no illusions about a comeback she began last year after 15 years away from the pool. In the 800, she finished eighth in her heat, beating just two other swimmers. But this is 2012, not the 1990s. She was told she had to check temporarily retired or permanently retired. Born 28 August 1971. He was only half-joking. Not many coaches get a chance to do this. Paris 2024 . It would have been easy to be that girl who shows up and sits in the stands.". "That's good.". OMAHA, Neb. IS 2012 destined to be the year of the comeback? Her long-shot bid to make the Olympics at 40 after retiring 15 years ago was over. The London 2012 Olympic Games are fast-approaching and Brian Osuch has more with an Olympic gold medalist hoping to inspire you to have the "heart" to improve your everyday health. "We helped each other," she said. Evans finished in 4 minutes, 21.49 seconds, having been fifth during her heat before fading to seventh. "She said, 'OK, I still love you.' "The project is over, but boy has it been a blast. Olympic Athlete for United States of America. Janet Evans is widely considered to be the greatest female distance swimmer in history. "Getting out of bed every morning and not giving up. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, she won three individual gold medals, and she also earned the nickname "Miss Perpetual Motion. " she said. Despite her small size and unorthodox windmill stroke, she was a natural-born swimmer, completing laps by the age of two. Janet Evans finished 53rd out of 65 swimmers in the 800-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. trials on Saturday, ending the former Olympic champion's comeback at … "I swam faster all season, so who knows what happened with that?" It makes me feel young," she said. Evans said, "but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. "I didn't drown," she said, laughing. With the US Olympic trials under way in Nebraska, Evans has again donned her swimsuit and set her sights on London 2012. Janet Evans, working out at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif., last week, has qualified for the Olympic trials in June in her signature events, the 400- and 800-meter freestyles. Evans finished 80th among 113 swimmers in the event in which she won one of her three gold medals as a 16-year-old phenom at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. "That was it.". Now, 16 years on and five months since her 40th birthday, Evans is hoping to represent USA at her fourth Games and on Sunday sealed a berth for the US Olympic trials in the 800m freestyle, … Evans, a … She's too busy living in the present, being a full-time mom in between working for her sponsors and giving motivational speeches. "I realized a long time ago I wasn't going to get to the Olympics," she said. "I hope to go somewhere in the 8:30s.". -- Janet Evans climbed out of the pool and was quickly handed her retirement papers. ", "I'm just proud of the courage it took," she said. Evans, who last competed in the Olympics in 1996, won her preliminary heat in the 400 in 4 minutes 17.27 seconds. She endorsed a slew of companies and products, was a motivational speaker and even competed at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2012 — 15 years after retiring. "I need to re-group," she said. Rio 2016 . skip to content. "I don't have to go warm up.". Janet Evans leaves her lane after swimming in the women's 800-meter freestyle preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Saturday, June 30, 2012, in Omaha, Neb. "It became about more than making the Olympic team," she said. At age 40, American swimmer Janet Evans returns to the Olympic Trials for the first time since 1996, when she retired from the sport with four Olympic gold medals. U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Katie Ledecky beats age group record held by Janet Evans in 400 freestyle . She reconnected with her longtime coach Mark Schubert, who guided her workouts at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif. Top 10 American swimmers to watch at 2012 Olympic trials Omaha Nebraska Michael Phelps Ryan Lochte Jessica Hardy Janet Evans Amanda Beard Cullen Jones Her dedication made waves when she made a comeback at the age of 40, swimming in the 2012 Olympic Trials against swimmers half her age. If Evans doesn't make the 800 free final -- and again, she's a long shot -- her comeback will end with no regrets. Menu. Sochi 2014 .