2022 U.S. World Championship Trials
The first members of Team USA will book their tickets to 2022 World Championships and Junior Pan Pac Championships during tonight’s finals session in Greensboro.
It will be a crowded field seeking to represent the United States in the 200 fly, with Hali Flickinger, Charlotte Hook, Emma Sticklen, Regan Smith, and Olivia Carter all posting sub-2:10s in heats this morning. On the men’s side, Trenton Julian is in a position to earn his first slot on a United States LCM senior team after posting the #3 200 fly time in the world so far this year (1:54.34) in prelims. Olympians Zach Harting and Chase Kalisz will challenge Julian.
The 100 free final will determine not only the qualifiers in the individual races, but also the makeup of the 400 free relays. Natalie Hinds was the only swimmer under 54 seconds this morning (53.77), while Claire Curzan, Torri Huske, Mallory Comerford, and Abbey Weitzeil all qualified for the final with sub 54.2s. Caeleb Dressel led the qualifiers in the men’s race with 48.12; Ryan Held, Drew Kibler, and Brooks Curry were all under 48.4.
Olympic champions Katie Ledecky (8:11.83) and Bobby Finke (14:39.65) will occupy the middle lanes in the timed finals of the 800 and 1500 freestyles, respectively. Olympians Katie Grimes and Leah Smith are the next-fastest seeds in the 800, while Charlie Clark and Will Gallant lead the rest of the field in the 1500.
Racing gets underway at 6:00 PM Eastern time.
Tuesday, April 26
Women’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals
- World Record: 2:01.81 – Zige Liu (2009)
- American Record: 2:04.14 – Mary Descenza (2009)
- S. Open Record: 2:05.85 – Hali Flickinger (2021)
- Jr World Record: 2:06.29 – Suzuka Hasegawa (2017)
- FINA “A” Cut: 2:09.21
- SwimSwam Preview – W200 Fly
Podium:
- Hali Flickinger, Sun Devils – 2:06.35
- Regan Smith, Unattached – 2:07.93
- Charlotte Hook, TAC Titans – 2:08.80
- Emma Sticklen, Texas – 2:08.88
- Olivia Carter, Michigan – 2:08.90
- Lindsay Looney, Unattached – 2:08.99
- Rachel Klinker, Unattached – 2:10.15
- Amanda Ray, Florida – 2:10.70
In a repeat of the outcome at last summer’s Olympic Team Trials, Hali Flickinger and Regan Smith finished in the top two slots, both likely earning berths to World Championships. Flickinger drove the pace from the outset, leading at all four walls. She was up by about a body length at the halfway point, and while Smith looked like she might make a move on the third 50, it was Flickinger all the way. She split 1:00.17-1:06.18 to win in 2:06.35, the third-fastest time in the world so far this year.
| 2 | Zhang Yufei | CHN | 2:05.84 | 09/23 |
| 3 | Kina Hayashi | JPN | 2:06.41 | 03/04 |
| 4 | Hali Flickinger | USA | 2:06.67 | 03/03 |
| 5 | Zhu Jiaming | CHN | 2:07.24 | 09/23 |
Men’s 200 Meter Butterfly – Finals
- World Record: 1:50.73 – Kristof Milak (2019)
- American Record: 1:51.51 – Michael Phelps (2009)
- S. Open Record: 1:52.20 – Michael Phelps (2008)
- Jr World Record: 1:53.79 – Kristof Milak (2017)
- FINA “A” Cut: 1:56.71
- SwimSwam Preview – M200 Fly
Podium:
- Luca Urlando, DART – 1:54.10
- Trenton Julian, Unattached – 1:54.22
- Zach Harting, Cardinals – 1:55.09
- Chase Kalisz, Athens Bulldog Swim Club – 1:56.03
- Nicolas Albiero, Louisville – 1:56.27
- Gabriel Jett, Unattached – 1:56.58
- Alexander Colson, Unattached – 1:56.98
- Jace Crawford, Florida – 1:57.09
Luca Urlando snatched a seemingly sure victory away from Trenton Julian over the final 15 meters, edging him 1:54.10 to 1:54.22. Julian was out very fast, leading the field with 25.1-53.5 at the 50 and 100 walls. He led with 1:22.9 at the 150 and turned for home with a body-length lead. Urlando came home in 30.28 over the fourth 50, outsplitting Julian by .96 (31.24), and got the win by .12.
2020 Olympian Zach Harting, who won this event at Trials with 1:55.06, was third in 1:55.09.
| 2 | Kristof Milak | HUN | 1:53.88 | 04/21 |
| 3 | Trenton Julian | USA | 1:54.34 | 04/26 |
| 4 | Daiki Tanaka | JPN | 1:54.55 | 10/08 |
| 5 | Juner Chen | CHN | 1:54.61 | 09/22 |
Women’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals
- World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom (2017)
- American Record: 52.04 – Simone Manuel (2019)
- S. Open Record: 52.54 – Simone Manuel (2018)
- Jr World Record: 52.70 – Penny Oleksiak (2016)
- FINA “A” Cut: 54.25
- SwimSwam Preview – W100 Free
Podium:
- Torri Huske, Unattached – 53.35
- Claire Curzan, TAC Titans – 53.58
- Erika Brown, Tennessee Aquatics – 53.59
- Natalie Hinds, Unattached – 53.65
- Kate Douglass, Virginia – 53.99
- Mallory Comerford, Cardinal Aquatics – 54.09
- Abbey Weitzeil, Cal – 54.41
- Olivia Smoliga, Sun Devils – 54.55
It’s a changing of the guard in the women’s 100 free, with Torri Huske and Claire Curzan edging the veterans at the top of the list.
Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil, who won this event at Trials last summer, was out first at the 50, flipping in 25.34 ahead of Huske and Curzan. Huske came home in 27.58, powering past Weitzeil by the middle of the second 50, to win in 53.35. Last summer, she was 10th in the semi-final with 54.18. Curzan, who was 12th at Trials last year (54.39), got her hand to the wall 1/100 ahead of Tennessee’s Erika Brown, last summer’s runner-up.
| 2 | Sarah Sjostrom | SWE | 53.15 | 04/12 |
| 3 | Yang Junxuan | CHN | 53.42 | 09/24 |
| 4 | Anna Hopkin | GBR | 53.45 | 04/09 |
| 5 | Mollie O’Callaghan | AUS | 53.67 | 03/04 |
Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle – Finals
- World Record: 46.91 – Cesar Cielo Filho (2009)
- American Record: 46.96 – Caeleb Dressel (2019)
- S. Open Record: 47.39 – Ryan Held / Caeleb Dressel (2019)
- Jr World Record: 47.57 – Andrei Minakov (2020)
- FINA “A” Cut: 48.77
- SwimSwam Preview – M100 Free
Podium:
- Caeleb Dressel, Gator Swim Club – 47.79
- Brooks Curry, Tiger Aquatics – 48.04
- Ryan Held, NY Athletic Club – 48.18
- (tie) Drew Kibler, Texas / Hunter Armstrong, Ohio State – 48.25
- –
- Justin Ress, Mission Viejo – 48.38
- Kieran Smith, Florida – 48.51
- Zach Apple, ISC – 48.52
| 1 | Alessandro Miressi | ITA | 47.88 | 04/11 |
| 3 | Rafael Miroslaw | GER | 47.92 | 04/09 |
| 4 | Maxime Grousset | FRA | 48.03 | 04/07 |
| 5 | Thomas Dean | GBR | 48.06 | 04/07 |
Women’s 800 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
- World Record: 8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
- American Record: 8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
- S. Open Record: 8:06.68 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
- Jr World Record: 8:11.00 – Katie Ledecky (2014)
- FINA “A” Cut: 8:37.90
- SwimSwam Preview – W800 Free
Podium:
16-year-old Jillian Cox of Longhorn Aquatics dropped 8.3 seconds from her PB to win the earlier heats of 800 free with 8:33.83, the 23rd-fastest time ever in the 15-16 age group. Michaela Mattes, 17, of Sarasota Sharks improved on her best time, swum in March, to place second with 8:35.88. University of Florida’s Tylor Mathieu was third this afternoon, clocking in at 8:36.85.
Men’s 1500 Meter Freestyle – Fastest Heat
- World Record: 14:31.02 – Yang Sun (2012)
- American Record: 14:39.48 – Connor Jaeger (2016)
- S. Open Record: 14:45.54 – Peter Vanderkaay (2008)
- Jr World Record: 14:46.09 – Franko Grgic (2019)
- FINA “A” Cut: 15:04.64
- SwimSwam Preview – M1500 Free
Podium:
