Two iconic backstroke names have reappeared on an international medal dais for the first time in thirty-five years, although not everything is the same as in 1988 when Daichi Suzuki beat David Berkoff to Olympic gold in Seoul.
When the United States of America’s Katharine Berkoff stepped up onto the podium in Fukuoka this week for the Women’s 100m Backstroke medal ceremony, there were probably very few people in the sell-out crowd that recognised the significance of the man presenting her bronze medal.
There was at least one though, being the man himself Daichi Suzuki, who is President of the Japan Swimming Federation and also President of the Local Organising Committee for the Fukuoka championships.
Suzuki, along with Katharine’s father David Berkoff, revolutionised modern-day backstroke. They went ‘one-two’ at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, an event best known for being the race that changed the rules of backstroke. Through their development of an extended underwater backstroke start that at times pushed 35-40 meters, the two forced the implementation of a 10m underwater limit rule in backstroke (a rule that has now been extended to 15m).
As Suzuki presented the medal to the 22-year-old at Marine Messe Hall A this week, Berkoff junior was completely unaware of the connection.
“I heard rumours that I might meet him this week, but when racing started I kind of forgot about it,” Berkoff junior told World Aquatics.
“That was until he handed me my medal and said that he knew my dad and that he raced him all time.”
“He told me to tell my dad he says hello, and I just thought that was really cool and have been telling everyone about it.”
It is now thirty-five years since Suzuki and Berkoff senior’s backstroke dual at the Seoul Olympics.
Suzuki was one of the first backstrokers to embrace the extended use of underwater dolphin kick. At the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 he spent the first 25m of his 100m Backstroke heat underwater - as at the time there was no limit placed on a swimmer’s underwater start. Suzuki emerged in front of his heat halfway down the first lap, but by the second and final lap the lack of oxygen intake caught up to the then 17-year-old and he failed to progress from the heats.
While Berkoff didn’t compete in Los Angeles, he became the next notable proponent of the extended underwater start, culminating with an NCAA record in in the 100-yard Backstroke in 1987. By 1988 the rest of the world was starting to take notice of the backstroke start that many had initially considered a novelty. When the then-21-year-old broke a pair of world records at the ‘Team USA’ Olympic Trials, the ‘Berkoff Blastoff’ had well and truly taken off.
Berkoff was the hot favourite heading into the Seoul Olympics, although his world-leading technique was now starting to be replicated by a number of backstrokers from around the globe. This included Suzuki, who was back from his 1984 disappointment and ready to go toe-to-toe with Berkoff in the 100m Backstroke.
The heats stage saw Berkoff again lower his world mark, clocking 54.51 and going into the final as top qualifier ahead of Igor Polyansky of the Soviet Union (55.04), Daichi Suzuki (55.90), and Sergei Zabolotnov (56.13).
As they lined up for the final, the NBC broadcasters summed the race up perfectly.
“One hundred metres, out and back, it’s over fast, and they start underwater – three of the swimmers for extended periods of time,” went the call.
“The ‘Berkoff Blastoff’ in lane four… look at this… ten… twenty metres underwater… there’s only three people on the surface and five underwater.”
The call continued.
“Berkoff comes out of the water in the lead with a 35m start and has turned it into a 65m swim.”
Berkoff’s thirty-five-metre start was almost matched by Suzuki, with Canada’s Sean Murphy actually staying underwater for five seconds longer than the pair (but not matching their distance gained).
As Berkoff tired in the final stages, Suzuki powered home and touched out the world record holder in a time of 55.05, ahead of Berkoff in 55.18 and Polyansky in 55.20. Murphy, who tried the ‘Berkoff Blastoff’ without success, touched last in 56.32.
Suzuki’s win was Japan’s first Olympic gold medal in swimming for sixteen years, and the final resulted in an almost immediate rule change to limit backstroke starts to ten metres.
Berkoff had already planned to retire post-Seoul, and Suzuki also followed his counterpart. Berkoff did return from retirement in 1991, and with the 10m rule now 15m, went on to win bronze in the 100m Backstroke. Both are also now International Swimming Hall of Fame members.
The significance of her father’s prowess in the pool is not lost on Berkoff junior, who says if it wasn’t for her father, she would not be a swimmer.
“He was my first inspiration, as soon as I knew what he did, I wanted to do the same thing,” Berkoff told World Aquatics.
“And through him, I’ve met a lot of other amazing backstrokers. I’ve had a lot of inspiration from a really young age, and that is what’s got me here.”
Her father’s influence obviously also exists for all backstrokers, which is something that is not lost on Berkoff junior.
“I had never been disqualified for going too far underwater until the start of this year when I thought I’d just add a couple of kicks to my race,” said Berkoff.
“And I went eighteen metres and I joked that it was my dad’s fault I got that ‘DQ’.