By Elliott Almond, San Jose Mercury News –
LONDON — Dana Vollmer put her hand to mouth once she cleared her goggles.
The Cal graduate knew she had the gold medal. Soon Vollmer realized she also had a piece of history.
(PHOTO: The USA’s Dana Vollmer swims in the final of the Women’s 100m Butterfly at the Aquatics Center during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England, Sunday, July 29, 2012. Vollmer won gold, and set a new World Record in 55.98 seconds.)
After failing to the make the Olympic team in four events four years ago, she became the first woman to break the 56-second barrier in the 100-meter butterfly, winning her signature event Sunday night at the Aquatics Centre in 55.98 seconds.
Relying on a smooth and powerful second half of the race, Vollmer, 24, annihilated the field with Ying Lu of China finishing second in 56.87 and Australia’s Alicia Coutts taking third in 56.94.
Coutts gave Vollmer a long embrace in the pool afterward.
“Obviously it’s great to be part of such an historic occasion, and Dana’s such a beautiful person, she really deserves it,” Coutts said.
Few could question that on a night the French earned revenge in the men’s 400 freestyle relay when Yannick Agnel surged past Ryan Lochte on the anchor leg to seize the gold medal. It came four years after Jason Lezak chased down the French anchor to preserve Michael Phelps’ historic gold-medal run in Beijing.
It was another big night for American swimmers as veteran Brandan Hansen grabbed a bronze medal swimming from the eighth lane in the men’s 100 breaststroke, and Allison Schmitt broke a U.S. record in earning a silver medal in the 400 freestyle.
But Vollmer has had the most dramatic turnaround among American swimmers. Four years ago she finished fifth in the 100-meter butterfly, seventh in the 200 freestyle and didn’t even make the finals of the 50 and 100 freestyles at the U.S. Olympic trials.
Devastated and dispirited, Vollmer considered walking away from the sport she loved. She was physically hurting from back and shoulder injuries and at the time an unknown stomach illness.
“I was tired of being sick all the time,” Vollmer said.
But Cal coach Teri McKeever — the U.S. Olympic coach — gently guided the Texas swimmer back to life. Together they worked on getting healthy. With back and shoulder injuries conquered, Vollmer solved a stomach problem by changing her diet to gluten-free foods.
“I just finally get to train and push myself without fear of hurting,” Vollmer said. “To keep going with that and ride that, I couldn’t have imagined that in 2008.”
Vollmer, who is among the post-graduate swimmers who train with McKeever in Berkeley, took .08 off the old world record set in 2009 by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who was fourth Sunday night. She also took 0.63 off the Olympic record set by Holland’s Inge de Bruijn at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Vollmer didn’t have the fast start she enjoyed in the semifinals Saturday. But she didn’t want to do that again, saying it took too much energy.
“I kept telling myself my strength is my second 50,” Vollmer said. “Normally I am not in the lead after my start so I just set it up well and passing people and charging my way home.”
New Zealander Lauren Boyle watched her former Cal teammate intently on a screen before her 400 freestyle final.
“It was so inspiring,” she said of Vollmer’s race.
Vollmer, from Granbury, Texas, has been a huge inspiration throughout her career. She overcame two heart defects as a teenager to qualify for the 2004 Olympic team and win a relay gold medal.
Vollmer attended Florida before transferring to Cal. She has never looked back since landing in Berkeley where McKeever’s unorthodox coaching techniques helped allow Natalie Coughlin to blossom into one of history’s greatest swimmers.
Vollmer credited McKeever and her Australian stroke coach Milt Nelms for her own transformation. Vollmer, like Coughlin, has spent time in Australia training in the ocean.
Swimming against forceful waves left her confident and feeling relaxed while gazing at the pool just before the starting gun Sunday.
The pool looked “clam and flat and full of potential,” Vollmer said.
It also was full of golden dreams as the swimmer left all comers in her considerable wake.
