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USA World Trials Finals Day 1 Recap
Ledecky fastest in 4 years 8:09.2; Dressel 47.7 wins 100 Free
SWIM NERD
April 27, 2022
🏊♀️ WORLD CHAMP TRIALS 🌎
Finals Day 1
The girls kicked off Finals with some aggression. Hali Flickinger won from start to finish and Regan Smith came through to touch 2nd, though not by much and far away from her performance in Tokyo.
Four girls touch in 2:08 high -- well put together swims from all of them.
TJ was out fast but Luca caught him in the end as the two nearly broke 1:54. Who could have predicted that?
Other than Hungarian Milak, the Men are looking strong in this event. 1:53 podiums.
I believe we've just witnessed a changing of the guard. Representing Team USA in the Women's 100 Freestyle at World Championships: two teenagers.
Erika Brown is an underrated racer. She always seems to be in the mix while not being in the middle of the pool. Just got touched out by Curzan. Natalie Hinds might have gotten 4th but she's got the potential to be the biggest asset on the relay.
Kate Douglass cracks 54. And a couple of veterans don't make the team.
Caeleb Dressel changes up his stroke a little bit - always trying to improve. He seemed genuinely very happy with this 47.79.
Here's a full 100 Free race breakdown from Brett Hawke aka Brett Falcon aka Brett Pelican. Caeleb Dressel Stroke counts and times from the 100s 2022 WC Trials: 31/36 - 47.7 2021 OG: 30/37- 47.0 2019 WC: 29/35- 46.9
Brooks the mullet Curry transitions from SCY to LCM with ease and takes the 2nd roster spot. The men have very solid depth with everyone 48.3 or faster.
Hunter Armstrong making the relay and it not being a medley relay -- big progression from him over since the Olympics in his freestyle events. He was 49.3 at Olympic Trials.
Olympians Kieran Smith & Zach Apple are the odd men out. Justin Ress was 8th in Prelims - now it looks like he's made the team.
Just like old times, Katie Ledecky and Leah Smith go 1-2 in the 2 fastest times in the world over 800 meters.
Katie has not been this fast since 2018, Leah not since 2019. Ledecky was under her own WR pace for over half the race!
The young Sandpipers of Nevada go 3-4-5.
Somebody get Bill Dorenkott on the pod because Ohio State is on fire!
Charlie Clark easily takes the 2nd roster spot behind Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke with a huge drop down to 14:51.
Dax Hill with some high level, very interesting analysis of Bobby's stroke. Check it out here in this Twitter thread.
Watch Prelims every day right here at 9 AM EST.
Links to Finals are live on the Olympic Channel Tues / Weds / Thurs / Fri 6 PM EST. Finals on Saturday are on CNBC at 6. Refer back here for the links.
We will be live on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook watching Finals LIVE. Watch along with us as we see who makes Team USA.
