Swimmer Trying to Make Olympic History Is Left Off the U.S. Team
The New York Times
When the sport of artistic swimming, formerly synchronized swimming, announced it would allow men to compete in the Paris Games, Bill May saw his chance. But the U.S. team chose only women.
Bill May, the 45-year-old artistic swimmer who was vying for a chance to be the first man to compete in the sport at the Olympics this summer, did not make the U.S. team’s final roster, the team announced on Saturday.
Of the 12 people on the U.S. artistic swimming team, only eight, plus an alternate, were chosen to travel to the Paris Games in July. Mr. May, the only man on the team — who became eligible for the Olympics when a rule change opened the competition to men for the first time — was not among them.
Mr. May, who also works as the head coach of Santa Clara Artistic Swimming, one of the premier clubs in the country, did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the decision. He said in a recent interview with The New York Times that it would be “almost like a slap in the face” if men were not represented at the Paris Games.
Adam Andrasko, chief executive of USA Artistic Swimming, called Mr. May “an inspiration.”
But, Mr. Andrasko said, the team had to send the strongest squad possible to Paris. One of the complicating factors is that all eight athletes have to swim all three routines — technical, free and acrobatic — and they can’t swap in and out depending on their individual strengths.
“Unfortunately, the rules of artistic swimming only allow for eight athletes to swim all three routines,” Mr. Andrasko said in a statement. ”We will continue to celebrate Bill and support male participation across the sport while also celebrating the story of these eight incredible women.”
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