Janet Evans Update

So close and yet so far...but there is always a chance.  

When it comes to Janet Evans, I would NEVER count her out.  But, as even she knows, qualifying for the Olympic Trials is MUCH different than qualifying for the Olympic Games.  I am pretty sure she qualified for her first Olympic Trials when she was about 12 years old, so she's got that down pat.  Can you believe it, she is now 40 and qualifying again for two events.  Amazing.  

Evans at Austin Grand Prix courtesy of the Statesman.

But we moms like to keep things real, and her journey is FAR from over.  The facts, she was 12 seconds behind the best at the Austin Grand Prix  in the 400 free and 17 seconds slower in the 800 free.  Not all the best swimmers were at the Austin Grand Prix, yet all that were there were in the middle of INTENSE training, so they were swimming a little tired, including Janet.  She IS getting faster with each race, and she is definitely regaining that "confidence of steel" she's known for,  but qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games is going to be tough. I couldn't do it in 1996, just four years after my Olympic glory, but then again, I'm not Janet. 

And of course, Janet would be the first to say, "Nobody said it was going to be easy." Which is so true, if it were easy, we'd all be doing it.