Budapest World Cup: McKeown breaks 50 & 100 Backstroke World Records

Katinka defends Milak. New Parent Water Safety Hospital Bill. Lucy Charles-Barclay's Fav Set.

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SWIM NERD
October 24, 2023

Morning, Nerd.

Welcome to the Swimnerd Newsletter where each week we highlight the most interesting stuff going on in swimming. This week...

  • 🌎 Fast Swims Around the World

  • 📰 Swimming Headlines

  • 📜 Set of the Week

  • đŸ€Ą Swimming Meme of the Week

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Budapest World Cup

It was again the Kaylee McKeown Show, as she broke the 50 and 100 Backstroke World Records in 26.86 and 57.33. These were the only World Records broken this month and correctly predicted by huge Australian swim nerd, Nick the Walrus on X.

If you want to watch the races, and look at every result, you can go here and here, respectively. The Golden Race wasn’t shown, but here’s race footage of the Men’s and Women’s.

Now that the World Cup has come to a close, this is what I’m thinking about


Italy’s gold medals chances in Paris sit squarely on Thomas Ceccon’s shoulders.

Italy’s Men’s team is far better than their women’s team, with their women’s team missing a superstar ala Federica Pellegrini.

Thomas Ceccon is making 52 in the 100 Backstroke commonplace.

52.27 = 25.19+27.08 in Berlin

52.73 = 25.57+27.16 in Athens

52.58 = 25.72+26.86 in Budapest

The World Record holder has done everything except win Olympic gold. If the Russians can’t compete in Paris, his chances dramatically increase, with Ryan Murphy being the biggest threat, IMO.

Is Regan Smith’s best chance at gold in the 200 Fly?

Regan went 28.95 in the 50 Back and 59.09 the 100 Backstroke at the Arizona State vs. NC State swim meet over the weekend. She also clocked a 57.5 100 Fly.

With everyone infatuated with Kaylee McKeown rewriting the record books, Regan Smith is still the top contender in the world and still very much capable of dashing Kaylee’s dream of going back-to-back x 2.

Let’s not forget who won the 100 Backstroke on the 4×100 Medley Relay in Japan this summer.

She’s in good hands.

Does Adam Peaty have enough time to get back to peak form to challenge Qin Haiyang in the 100 Breast?

Unlike Kristof Milak, Adam Peaty showed up and raced the entire World Cup circuit. The more he raced, the more he improved.

26.98/59.85 in Berlin

26.89/59.98 in Athens

26.79/59.25 in Budapest

He sounds to be in high spirts in all the interviews this month. He even got to trade caps with the world’s best breaststroker, Qin Haiyang.

Yesterday, on the live show, Brett wondered if he’s lost his killer instinct.

Will Matt Sates be able to take the next step and get on a podium in Paris?

Sates had another strong meet in the last stop of the World Cup in Budapest. He swam another impressive 1:57.72 - 200 IM with both a strong front AND back half (24.76/30.32/33.77/28.77) - just off his best time by a few tenths. His best strokes are Fly & Breast. His weakest, by far, is backstroke. You know who loves working on weak stroke? Eddie Reese.

Sates was also 1:55.25 in the 200 Fly and took silver in the 100 Fly in 51.66. Both PB’s.

He is one of those swimmers that is built for college & World Cup racing. He can get up, do events back-to-back, and throw down very fast times in-season. Swimming PB’s in-season is a great sign. His 2 Free wasn’t very good this month, but I don’t think that is a primary focus.

1% improvement next year in the 2 Fly is 1:54.10 and 1:56.26 in the 200 IM.

Here is Matt Sates’ Goal Sheet from Jon Shaw’s Race Pace Calculator. Try it out. SCY coming soon.

Can Siobhan Haughey take down the Australian juggernaut next year?

Haughey had yet another strong leg of the World Cup. She was 24.30 in the 50 Free - her best time ever. She re-set her World Cup Record in the 200 Free by almost a full second (1:54.08), and destroyed the field in the 100 Free by a second (52.24).

While I was waiting for her to dip under 52 all month, she just couldn’t find the perfect balance of going out and coming back. In Budapest, she was out her fastest first 50, similar to her swim at World Champs, in 24.94.

Siobhan swims a very balanced 100 Freestyle, unlike World Champion Mollie O, who is an anomaly when it comes to swimming this race (25.75/26.41).

But, you can’t go 51.5 swimming it like that. You have to have speed.

Pan American Games

Olympic Champ Maggie MacNeil broke 57 to win the 100 Fly. Jonny Kulow is knocking down 47 mid 100 freestyles on relays.

Here are a few of the winning times from the first three days of competition:

Paige Madden (USA): 400 Free đŸ„‡ 4:06.45

Rachel Nicol (Canada): 100 Breast đŸ„‡ 1:07.28

Maggie MacNeil (Canada): 100 Fly đŸ„‡ 56.94/100 Free đŸ„‡ 53.64

Jack Aikins (USA): 200 Back đŸ„‡ 1:56.58

4X100 Free Relay Notable Splits: Marcelo Chierighini (BRA): 47.59 — Jonny Kulow (USA): 47.44

Gui Caribe (BRA): 100 Free đŸ„‡ 48.06

Jonny Kulow (USA): 4X100 Mixed Medley Relay (Split): 47.39

📰 SWIMMING HEADLINES

New York Water Safety Hospital Bill

For the longest time I’ve been pushing for water safety education to begin in hospitals on the maternity wards. Educating parents that drowning is the most likely reason they will lose their child before the age of 5 is the first line of defense.

The New York Water Safety Coalition is waiting for the Governor to sign it’s “newborn hospital video bill” into law. The bill has passed both the New York Senate & Assembly.

“Senate Bill S.3608 / Assembly Bill A.4987, written by the New York Water Safety Coalition, would require hospitals to offer new parents a brief, state-approved video highlighting the dangers of drowning for infants and young children during the mother's maternity stay. This bill is modeled after the existing law that requires hospitals and birthing centers to offer new parents the opportunity to view a state-approved video on Shaken Baby Syndrome.”

Here is to hoping this is a blueprint for other states to take simple, cost effective educational measures to prevent the 1,000+ child drowning deaths that occur every year in America.

New Parent Water Safety

This is "New Parent Water Safety" by US Swim School Association on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

vimeo.com/764178437

Katinka Hosszu Responds to Standor Wladar

Yesterday, SĂĄndor WladĂĄr commented that KristĂłf MilĂĄk, a swimmer clearly struggling to find motivation, owed it to his country to put in the work necessary to defend his Olympic title in Paris.

WladĂĄr expressed sadness that MilĂĄk, eight months away from the Paris Olympics, still lacked motivation and was in a phase of searching for his path. He stated that MilĂĄk "owes it to Hungary, and should honor himself by doing the work, because he has a talent that very few athletes are blessed with in their lifetimes."

HosszĂș responded today on IG by saying, "I believe that KristĂłf does not owe anything to Hungary, and the sports leadership should be grateful for his achievements so far! The statement that an Olympic champion, world record holder, still owes something to the country...is outrageous and primitive."

MilĂĄk, the defending 200 Fly champ, announced in mid-June that he would not swim at World Champs in Fukuoka. He stated that he was not physically or mentally fit to compete with the world's best. He resumed training at the beginning of September. Two weeks ago, he planned to race over the weekend but changed his mind.

His coach, BalĂĄzs Virth, revealed that his student hadn't done the necessary work to be a top athlete for about half a year and was "in the 11th hour" if he was serious about preparing for the Olympics.

Now, I ask again...

If you're Leon Marchand, would you rather race Kristof Milak in the 200 Fly or Qin Haiyang and Zac Stubblety-Cook in the 200 Breast in 8 months?

This week on INSIDE with BRETT HAWKE...

Yesterday


Budapest World Cup Review Show LIVE!

This week from the American Swimming Coaches Association


Bill Sweetenham provides a masterclass on commitment.

inside with brett hawke banner logo transparent

CAL CLIPS OF THE WEEK

Brett & Sonny visited the University of California Golden Bears last week. Here is some of the clips collected:

📝 SWIM SET OF THE WEEK

“I love the sickening pain of the session.” - Lucy Charles-Barclay, Ironman World Champion

Last weekend, Lucy Charles-Barclay became Ironman World Champion in a new course record. Is it not called Ironwoman yet? Thought the Woke Police would be all over that one.

Lucy grew up as a top tier distance swimmer for Great Britain. Not being chosen for the 2012 Olympic team in the 10K crushed her at 17 years of age. Her boyfriend at the time (now husband), Reece Barclay, suggested they do a triathlon. And that is the short story of how a swimmer came to dominate the sport of triathlon.

Her favorite pool session is the Rebecca Adlington Set


4 Rounds. All Freestyle. All Fast.

50 @ 1:00
100 @ 2:00
150 @ 3:00
200 @ 4:00
250 @ 5:00

300 easy swim

đŸ€Ą SWIMMING MEME OF THE WEEK

BREAKING: World Aquatics looking into potential Burger King sponsorship.

📅 COMING UP


This weekend (Oct 27 & 28) is the Marek Petrusewicz Memorial swim meet will take place in WrocƂaw. It is the largest swimming event in Poland.

This year, some of the world’s most prominent swimmers, including Chad le Clos, David Popovici, Arno Kamminga, Benjamin Proud, Tes Schouten, Dylan Carter, Konrad Czerniak, Julie Jensen, Adela Piskorska, Simone Stefani, Ryan Coetzee, Knezo Simons, and Caspar Corbeau will be competing.

We are working on live streaming directly to the Inside with Brett Hawke YouTube Channel so stay tuned!

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