RIO DE JANEIRO — Times Insider delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how news, features and opinion come together at The New York Times. In this piece, the deputy sports editor Jay Schreiber introduces readers to the scene inside the Olympic pool on the eve of swimming competitions.
It was noon outside Olympic Park last Thursday, but it was rush hour in the 50-meter pool inside. Close to 100 swimmers crowded into the pool’s 10 lanes getting ready for the real competition that was just days away.
Somehow the swimmers splashed through their daily warm-ups without colliding, or even coming close to colliding.