Bennett aims to put on a show

The Valrico swimmer is a heavy favorite in the 800 freestyle.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 20, 2000

SYDNEY, Australia -- And so we come to the encore. The artist's specialty. The part of the performance you are absolutely sure you will enjoy.

This is where Brooke Bennett is supposed to dazzle the swimming world in her favorite race, the 800-meter freestyle. This is where she is supposed to win her second gold medal in a week.

Bennett, 20, already has shown she is capable of surprise, winning the 400 freestyle Sunday despite being an underdog.

Now the Valrico swimmer has to prove she can attain the same results from a different angle. Bennett is the undisputed favorite in the 800, which begins this evening with preliminary heats and concludes with the final Friday morning.

She is the defending Olympic champion in the event and is the No. 1 seed by a long shot. Her time of 8 minutes, 23.92 seconds is nearly five seconds faster than anyone else has done this year.

Bennett also could nudge her way into swimming lore with another gold. She likely would be the only U.S. woman to win two individual golds in these Games, and she would join Janet Evans as the only swimmers to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 800 free.

"Gold medals are how we measure swimmers. It's that simple," Bennett said. "The more you have, the bigger you look. It should be every swimmer's goal to win a medal every time they get in the pool, or else what's the point?"

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