In the wake of an uninspiring performance at the Paris Olympics, major leadership changes are coming at USA Swimming, sources tell Sports Illustrated. CEO Tim Hinchey and national team manager Lindsay Mintenko are expected to leave the organization in the near future, though nothing has yet been formally announced.
The United States won more swimming medals than any other country (28) and more golds (eight), but those numbers fall short of what have become standard American Olympic performances. It was the fewest U.S. swimming golds since 1988 and fewest total medals since 2004, and there are three more events in the Olympic program now than there were then.
That follows a dismal American performance at the 2023 world championships, where Australia won the gold-medal count 13–7. There were some within the national swimming ranks calling for change coming out of that meet, but USA Swimming largely stood pat. Heading into an Olympic cycle that will conclude with the Summer Games on home soil in Los Angeles, the urgency to improve has picked up.
Mintenko, who has held her position since 2017, already has informed some colleagues that she intends to leave USA Swimming, sources say. The buck stops on Mintenko’s desk for the U.S. competitive performance, and recent results make it hard to return.
Mintenko’s lack of coaching experience and overall leadership skills were viewed as detriments by many in the USA Swimming hierarchy. In the past that position has been filled by former coaches who were providing hands-on feedback to swimmers and coaching staff on the pool deck.
Mintenko, center, was a team captain for Team USA in 2000 and 2004, but her leadership style as the team’s manager has been questioned. / Harry How/Getty Images
Hinchey, who held the CEO position since 2017, has his contract up for renewal in ’25. Hinchey and the board are supposed to express whether they have intent to go forward with a new deal by Sept. 30, but a decision by both parties to explore other options appears to be in the offing, sources say.
He was an innovative marketer, leading the dramatic move of U.S. Olympic Trials from a basketball arena in Omaha to the NFL venue in Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium. That resulted in record crowds and rave reviews from the swimmers, likely cementing the event as a stadium-sized event going forward. (The 2028 Olympic swimming competition will be held in SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.)
Whether the event was a financial success is another matter. But Hinchey’s fate was largely tied to the U.S. performance in Paris, and it was uneven at best.
The women performed well, winning five gold medals, four of them in individual events: Katie Ledecky in the 800-meter and 1,500 freestyles; Kate Douglass in the 200 breaststroke and Torri Huske in the 100 butterfly. The quartet of Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Huske also set a world record in the 400 medley relay on the final day of the competition.
But the men were in danger of being shut out of individual golds for the first time since 1900 until Bobby Finke pulled off a victory in the final individual event of the meet, the 1,500 free. Their only other gold was in the 400 freestyle relay on the first night of the meet, and their silver medal in the 400 medley relay marked the first time in Olympic history that the U.S. didn’t win that race.
There has been dissension within USA Swimming’s club membership and coaching ranks as well. The Coaches Advisory Council wrote a recent letter articulating a “lack of faith in our current USA Swimming leadership,” and the American Swim Coaches Association also expressed concerns.
Where USA Swimming turns next for a national team manager will be an interesting decision. The most accomplished coach in the country, Bob Bowman, is assuredly off the market.
The man who coached Michael Phelps to 23 gold medals just coached French sensation Leon Marchand to four, and the 22-year-old Marchand is likely just heading into the prime of his career. In addition to that, Bowman just took the director of swimming job at Texas, which he assuredly would not leave before even getting started.
Source : Sports Illustrated