Have recently commented on the lackluster performance of the Aussie swim team at the London Olympics. The British team had an equally-dismal showing. Mike at Simply Swim wrote a nice comparison between the two teams, including some of the major changes that each team has implemented since the games in an effort to turn the tide
One positive from London was that the British swimming team has never had so many finalists in Olympic finals. Half of Britain’s finalists also finished fourth or fifth in their events. Overall, in London, on 20 occasions a British swimmer finished between eighth and fourth, and that was apart from the three medals won. None of this however was enough to stop a £4m drop in swimming funding in the build-up to Rio in 2016.
Australia is a traditionally strong swimming nation, but London saw their worst performance in an Olympics since the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. The Aussies won just one gold medal and ten medals overall. The perceived failure of the Australian swimming team has led to accusations of disharmony within the team in one review.