Beijing Bound

In many ways, sophomore Kate Zubkova isn’t much different from the rest of the IU women’s swimming team. She laughs and chats with her teammates and coaches and swims alongside everyone else at practice. \nHowever, there is one big difference – none of her teammates have swum in the Olympic Games and she’s the only one to have qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.\nZubkova, along with senior diver Christina Loukas, who will be competing in the FINA Diving World Cup next week, hopes to continue IU’s storied Olympic tradition this summer.\nA Kharkov, Ukraine, native, Zubkova transferred to IU this past fall. The swimmer will represent Ukraine in the Olympics for the second time this summer. As a 16-year-old at the 2004 games, Zubkova won her first heat in the 100-meter butterfly, yet her time placed her 30th overall, and she failed to advance to the semi-finals. \nWith four more years of international experience and one semester of U.S. collegiate competition under her belt, Zubkova thinks she’s better prepared this time to compete on a world stage.\n“I think this year I’m training much harder than all my previous years,” she said. “And I’m expecting a good result.”\nZubkova has already claimed a spot on the Ukrainian Olympic team in the 100-yard backstroke. She plans to compete for IU in the Big Ten and NCAA championships and train in Bloomington until she leaves to train with her national team in August. Zubkova, who was ranked 33rd in the world in the 100-yard backstroke in 2007, will be competing against the best in her event, including U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin, the current world record holder.\nZubkova became eligible to compete in NCAA meets this semester and has made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers. She notched six first-place finishes in the Notre Dame Invitational, including pool records in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.\n“I really, really enjoyed these competitions,” she said. “And Big Tens and NCAA, as I was told, will be even more fun than that was. But I think any competition will help me prepare for the Big Tens, for NCAA and for the Olympic games.”\nZubkova will carry IU’s Olympic tradition with her to the Beijing games. Prior to 2004, at least one Hoosier medaled in every Summer Games since 1932. The IU swim teams have been particularly successful, highlighted by Mark Spitz’s record seven gold medals in 1972. Women’s swimmers have collected four diving medals and one swimming medal in past Olympics.\n“Our goals here are to win national titles and Olympic medals,” IU coach Ray Looze said. “That’s what IU was known for back in the days of (former head coach) Doc Councilman, and his great swimmers that were a part of so many medals ... Kate being a swimmer that is ranked fairly highly in the world just gives us a chance, a good starting point to put her in a position to go to Beijing and bring home some medals.”\nOne diver might be able to help Zubkova in representing IU. Christina Loukas, who redshirted this season to train for the Olympics, will attempt to qualify in the 3-meter springboard competition. Last year, she had one of the most impressive performances in Big Ten diving history, sweeping the 1-meter, 3-meter and 10-meter events, earning three first-place finishes.\nShe was named to the USA World Cup team and will compete Feb. 19 to 24 at the FINA World Diving Cup in Beijing. The meet serves as qualifying process for the Olympics, as a selection committee will choose the squad following the Olympic trials in Indianapolis in June.\nLoukas feels that her selection to compete at the World Cup bodes well for her chances to qualify for the Olympics.\n“If I was able to make this team,” she said, “I have a decent chance of making the Olympic team ... it will be whoever can handle the pressure, who can dive well and be consistent with their dives.”\nIt’s not a new concept for Loukas to compete and be successful at the national and international levels. In 2006, she won the gold in the 1-meter at the US National Championships. She earned a silver in the 3-meter at the 2007 World University Games in Thailand.\nIU head diving coach Jeff Huber will join Loukas at the World Cup as a U.S. coach. Huber, who was the U.S. Olympic diving coach at Athens in 2004 and Sydney in 2000, thinks Loukas has the ability to compete with anyone in the world. He said her 363 total points and her second-place finish at the World University Games is just under what it takes to win internationally.\n“We’re kind of on a quest,” he said. “We’re in the right direction. We’re trying to get into the 380 (points) range and so that’s what we’re working on now, just moving up 20 points, and if she does that, she can compete with anybody in the world and contend for a world title and an Olympic gold medal.”