Morning, Nerd.

Welcome to the Swimnerd Newsletter where we sift through the best swimming content of the week. Share with just 1 friend for a chance to win a PPC every week.We had a big weekend so let's hop to it...

• 🦘 Australian World Trials: Titmus breaks Ledecky's 400 Free WR, Cody Simpson, and the Australian media circus

• Mare Nostrum: Bruno Fratus blasts a 21.49!

• 🤡 Swimming Meme & 📜Swimming Set of the Week

🦘 AUSTRALIAN WORLD TRIALS 🌏

What a week it was down under! S/O to Amazon Prime and Swimming Australia for putting on the best swimming production in the world. The best lighting. The best commentators. The best camera angles. The best interviews. Another job well done! It will raise the bar around the world.

Overall Thoughts

The Women's team is stellar even without Emma McKeon, Emily Seebohm, or the Campbell sisters. Their freestyle relays are still going to be hard to beat with Shayna Jack (52.6) back in the saddle and the emergence of Mollie O'Callaghan (52.4). Not to mention Meg Harris (53.0) and Maddie Wilson (1:55.8).

Lani Pallister will be a podium threat in the 400/800/1500 after a sensational breakout weekend (4:02/8:17/15:55) especially without Titmus competing at World Champs. Kaylee McKeown showed off her IM skills (2:09/4:31) while easily winning the 100 and 200 Backstrokes (58.4/2:05.3).

Where they are relatively weak is butterfly - across all distances. Without Brianna Throssell (57.3), they'd be in a heap of butterfly trouble for the MR. Breaststroke is being led in the sprints by Australian 50 record holder Chelsea Hodges (30.1). Add her in alongside Jenna Strauch and Abbey Harkin, and AUS has 3 x 1:06 breaststrokers.

The Men's side...is another story. They have gaping holes throughout with very few medal contenders. Freestyle as a whole, without Kyle Chalmers swimming, is lacking stud power. I think Brett's 50 time from 20+ years ago would have made the team which means only 1 dude broke 22 in the 50.

Elijah Winnington had a solid meet (3:43.1/7:45.3) and will clearly be thinking about redemption after a disappointing Olympics. ZSC is now the fastest human ever in the 200 Breaststroke; but over 100 meters, he's just another 59 mid among a sea of 59 mids. Add a 54.0 backstroker (Isaac Cooper who set the Aussie record in the 50 Back at this meet) and the medley relay isn't looking so hot. Team America will pummel them.

Olympic bronze medalist Brendon Smith won the 200 (1:58) and 400 (4:11) IM's and should be in contention for the longer event. I thought he'd take the next step in the 400 Free (3:47) but that didn't happen.

With Kyle Chalmers' metamorphosis into a butterflyer, will he swim on the free relays? Will his shoulder allow it?

Instead of the headlines being about fast swimming, they were about love triangles and other reality tv laden crap. Clickbait centric and mostly made up. In other words, typical Australian media. Australia loves to batter their own.

Kyle, the Olympic Champ, was on the podcast last week and this was my favorite quote. I think he should double down on it. Sometimes the best defense is an even stronger offense.

"I know exactly what to expect leading into Paris and I'm a more resilient, stronger, thicker skinned athlete that is completely focused on myself and my own performance rather than anyone else and I'm not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that." - Kyle Chalmers

Cody Simpson

When he went 53.8 in California during COVID, I was shocked. Sub 54 long course with just a few months under his belt after a decade of singing and dancing?

This weekend he stopped the clock at 51.79 knocking Michael Klim off the Australian Top 10 list. He finished 3rd, qualifying for his first Australian team, headed to compete in the Commonwealth Games.

Truly a remarkable feat and testament to his focus and work ethic.

World Record Analysis

Zac Stubbedly-Cook broke the Men's 200 Breast World Record in 2:05.95

Ariarne Titmus broke the Women's 400 Free World Record in 3:56.64

MARE NOSTRUM

The Mare Nostrum series has begun in Monaco. You can watch via live stream here.

There have been a hand full of excellent swims including...

• Bruno Fratus' 21.49 50 Free. That's faster than what he went in Tokyo where he got 3rd.

• Lydia Jacoby's 1:06.2 100 Breaststroke victory. Good to see her continue to get up and race. Racers need to race. She also went a best time in the 200, breaking 2:26 for the first time.

• All Matt Sates does is win. 1:46.6 200 Free. 3:49 400 Free. 1:57.4 200 IM. 4:12.7 400 IM. What a freak.

• Speaking of freaks...42 year old Nic Santos ripped a 22.8 in the 50 Fly

• Sarah Sjostrom 25.2 50 Fly and 24.0 50 Free - excited to see her in Budapest after that elbow injury last year before the Olympics

• Lara Van Niekirk (who upset Tatjana Schoenmaker at SA Trials last month) ripped a sub 30 second 50 Breast (29.8) for an easy victory lap

BRETT HAWKE CLIPS OF THE WEEK

• Importance of Core Strength for Swimmers

• What Kyle Chalmers learned getting 2nd to Caeleb Dressel in the 100 Free

• Best Gym Exercises for Swimmers

• How Zac Incerti swims the 200 Free (he just won Australian Trials in this event)

Some Shorts with Breaststroke World Record holder Ilya Shymanovich...*kick drills*speed drills*kicking breaststroke with fins

Today on INSIDE with BRETT HAWKE...

Dean Farris on his Harvard career, the 200 Free, and Whoop

Dean Farris is a recently retired American swimmer and soon to be Harvard graduate. COVID allowed him to spend 6 years in college, graduating at 24 years old. He is the 200 SCY Freestyle record holder - 1:29.15. Dean currently works with fitness wearable company, Whoop.

SET OF THE WEEK

Kyle Chalmers loves a big, mentally tough set

4x

800 Free (negative split or descend the 2's)4x50 200 Pace @ 1:00

🤡 SWIMMING MEME OF THE WEEK