As swimmers say, “last one, fast one” and we have finally made it to the eighth and final day of the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. With the individual and relay medley events on the line up today, we will see some of the toughest competitors in the water.
Usually the 400IM falls on the first day of competition in the Olympic Games, but here it is on the last and final day. Kosuke Hagino will be swimming his sixth individual event this morning, where he is the top seed. He is missing a gold thus far at this meet, and could find himself atop in the 400IM.
Ye Shiwen from China had quite the year in London, winning both gold’s in the IM’s. She had a disappointing 200 IM earlier this week failing to medal at 4th place. She will be the top seed today, but will have to swim her best to beat this deep field. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) is the 2009 World Champion in this event, had an 200IM was impressive, and look to her to be equally as impressive here if she has some gas in the tank. This will be her sixth event, along with Mireia Belmonte Farcia (ESP).
Our meet ends with the medley relay. Team USA finds themselves seeded first in the men’s and women’s race, and it’ll always interesting to see the combination they decide upon. A lot of races have been tight this week (Plummer vs. Grevers, Feigen vs. Adrian, etc.) and in past USA has fully switched out their relays from prelims to finals.
The biggest competitors for the men will be the Japanese who need a solid anchor if they want to have a chance. And for the women it will be from Australia, who are known for their sprints especially in the strokes.
Here is the event line-up for today in order –
Men’s 400m IM
Women’s 400m IM
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay
Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay
Looking ahead tonight’s final timeline –
Men’s 50m Backstroke FINAL
Women’s 50m Breaststroke FINAL
Men’s 400m IM FINALS
Women’s 50m Freestyle FINALS
Women’s 400m IM FINALS
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay FINALS
Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay FINALS
Links for the week –
SwimSwam Landing Page
Omega Live Timing
Omega PDF Results
Men’s 400m IM PRELIMS
Rookie Chase Kaliz is seed first tonight in the men’s 400IM at 4:11.87, which is right on his best from Indianapolis. His American teammate Tyler Clary is back in 3rd at 4:13.55.
They are split by Daiya Seto from Japan who was 4:12.96 this morning to sit 2nd. His teammate who is ranked first in the world this year, Kosuke Hagino is 4th at 4:13.80. This is Hagino’s sixth event of the meet, but he still remains the favorite.
David Verraszto of Hungary is 5th (4:13.95), Daniel Wallace is 6th (4:14.15).
Thomas Fraser-Holmes from Australia has been the second best this year will have an outside lane tonight, finishing 7th this morning at 4:14.52.
Silver medalist from London, Thiago Pereira frm Brazil was our last qualifier by .09 to finish 8th at 4:15.81.
Top 8: Kalisz, USA; Seto, JPN; Clary, USA; Hagino, JPN; Verraszto, HUN; Wallace, GBR; Fraser-Holmes, AUS; Pereira, BRA
Women’s 400m IM PRELIMS
The iron women of the meet, in the sixth event are our top two seeds in the 400IM. Gold medalists in the 200IM earlier this week, Katinka Hosszu is 1st by about two seconds (4:32.72) over Spain’s Mireia Belmonte Garcia (4:34.64).
Gold medalist from London last summer, Ye Shiwen is tied for 3rd close behind Belmonte Garcia at 4:34.93. Ye is looking to rebound from a disappointing 200IM earlier this week where we failed to medal.
Zsuzsanna Jakabos from Hungary shared 3rd with Shiwen, also finishing at 4:34.93.
Best in the world this year was Great Britain’s Hannah Miley, who is 5th after her morning swim at 4:34.94. Behind Hosszu, it is a pretty tight spread from 2nd to 5th, with only a .3 differentiation.
American’s Elizabeth Beisel and Madeline Dirado both made it into the final with a 6th (4:35.17) and 7th (4:37.39) finish this morning. Both women were 4:34’s in Indianapolis.
Otsuka Miyu rounds off our top 8, at 4:37.77.
Top 8: Hosszu, HUN; Belmonte Garcia, ESP; Shiwen, CHN; Jakabos, HUN; Miley, GBR; Beisel, USA; Dirado, USA; Miyu, JPN
Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay PRELIMS
We were interested who we’d find on the 4x100m relay this morning for the American men, and the team of David Plummer, Nicolas Fink, Eugene Godsoe and Jimmy Feigen are our top seed by a second at 3:32.72.
Australia tied for 2nd with Russia at 3:33.64 with Ashley Delaney, Christian Sprenger, Kenneth To and Cameron McEvoy. Russia was lead by Vladimir Morozov, Kirill Strelnikov, Nikolar Skvortsov and Nikita Lobintsev.
It will be a tight battle potentially between the men of Australia and USA. USA isn’t nearly as dominant as they were last summer, when they had three out of four members finish with Gold medals at the Olympics. Here in Barcelona only one of their members finished with gold, their backstroker Matt Grevers.
France (3:34.04), Japan (3:34.25), Italy (3:34.29) Hungary (3:34.64) and Germany (3:34.91) are all close behind for 4th though 8th, only a .87 second separates the pack.
Top 8: USA, Australia, Russia, France, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Germany
Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay PRELIMS
Just like the men in the event before them, Team USA sits 1st with a team of Liz Pelton, Breeja Larson, Claire Donahue and Shannon Vreeland with a time of 3:58.66.
Most likely we will see Missy Franklin (1st, 100 backstroke), Jessica Hardy (3rd, 100 breaststroke), Dana Vollmer (3rd, 100 butterfly) and Megan Romano (best relay swimmer in the field) tonight. They may not be as strong as they were last summer with three out of four gold medalists, but this team of four tonight is quite strong themselves.
Australia with Emily Seebohm, Samantha Marshall, Alicia Coutts and Emma McKeon are in second at 3:58.73. They don’t have the luxury that team USA has by switching out the whole relay for tonight, but they will get a boost in their butterfly and freestyle legs.
China rounds off the top 3 with Fu Yuanhui, Sun Ye, Lu Ying and Tany Yi are 3:59.39. The last time to swim under the 4:00 mark this morning.
Top 8: USA, Australia, China, Great Britain, Japan, Canada, Russia, Germany
I’ve got some theories as to what caused that. Mostly, Phelps and stuff. Both his presence over the last decade and absence at this meet.
Didn’t watch saturday till I got back home from out of town, on
DVR. This session impressed by Kalisz, hopefully he saved some for the final. Not impressed by Pelton, missed a medal she was favorite yesterday in the 200 final then today was almost two secs off.
I suspect Vollmer tanked 50 fly. She knew she had slim chance to medal so she pulled back in the 50 fly to save her energy for the relay. Perhaps this is my wishful thinking….I would be more comfortable with Larson swimming breast over Hardy. I believe Larson was not physically 100% when swimming her individual races but right she regained most of her strength. Hardy after swimming 50 breast earlier in the session might have a hard time to give enough of the cushion to Americans…I hope to be wrong on this one.
Amanda, you have forgotten the men’s 1500 free in your tonight’s final timeline.
So I have forgotten it too.
Men’s 1500 free.
Sun Yang wins. No world record.
Cochrane second.
Jaeger or McBroom third.
Last preview of the meet. 😥
Men’s 50 back.
1-2 for France! Yes, I believe it! Lacourt is back. Stravius has a great start. This duet will save the end of the meet for France.
Be careful to Orzechowski!
Women’s 50 breast.
Meilutyte wins.
Efimova second.
Hardy third.
Men’s 400 IM.
Hagino will not swim 4.06 but he should win this race. 6th individual race for him!
Kalisz looked good in the prelims. He can take the silver medal.
Clary or Seto for the bronze medal.
Women’s 50 free.
Cate Campbell wins. Perhaps a sub 24 for her.
Ranomi second.
Ottesen Gray third.
Women’s 400 IM.
Hosszu wins.… Read more »
Vollmer didn’t look good yesterday. Sorry, the word good missed.
I think the men’s medley relay might turn out kinda interesting. Am I crazy if I think France could potentially win the thing? Lacourt drops some time, middle legs repeat their performances and someone (Agnel, right?) goes crazy on the anchor?
Definitely think Australia’s still in it – Sprenger should be at least a second faster tonight and could get similar anchor fireworks from Magnussen. Russia could also drop some time switching out their fly/free legs and Vlad was faster in Kazan. (Though the relay as a whole was already faster here, which is interesting.) For some reason I think Japan seems maxed out and won’t medal.
I dunno, I’m feeling weary about that race. I could honestly see… Read more »
You are crazy!
Hahah, thought so. France winning would be fairly contingent on the US/AUS not getting that much faster, which is fairly unlikely.
Though now I’m starting to get way more afraid of Australia in the men’s race.
French news.
It looks like Amaury Leveaux is ready to go to USA for the next 3 years until Rio. In an interview on eurosport, it was clear he wants to quit France after 10 years of swimming here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to NBAC with Agnel. I hope he will not go to Los Angeles at the Trojan Swim Club, the united nations of swimming. If yes, he will go each night to Las Vegas. 🙂
It’s an eight hour round trip drive from LA to Las Vegas (the American West is mind-boggling huge by both European and US East Coast standards) and even a well-compensated but not Phelps level swimmer can only do so many of those $99 round trip flights between the cities before feeling it in the budget if you’re living in a decent place in LA.
So USC should be safe enough for him, if he tries there.
Of course he would fly! Leveaux loves the nightlife!
Then Baltimore is not the city for him:)
And for Agnel? He is an intellectual who likes philosophy.
Johns Hopkins is a really excellent nationally known university located in the Baltimore area.
Seebohm very strong, even faster than individually. We don’t see a lot of swimmers do that at the end of the meet, e.g. Sjostrom split only 57.48.
Franklin and Campbell can gain 2-2.5 and 3-3.5 sec, resp., on their counterparts. Australia can’t gain much more elsewhere, so USA should win this comfortably with Hardy, Vollmer, and Romano.
Comfortably? Very funny to see I’m almost the only one on earth who believes the race will be very very very close.
And on the men’s side, what do you see?
Well, at least based on individual times. Franklin (no program this morning) should be ahead of Seebohm by 0.5, Hardy (who will have some recovery time after the 50 breaststroke final) could potentially gain another 2.5 on Foster, Coutts could slightly outsplit Vollmer. Romano should be able to hold a 2+ second lead. I think USA will win by about a second. Then again, a second isn’t that much given the uncertainties so you could very well be right.
Men: probably USA, though I’m not bothering with doing a detailed analysis.;)
You’e got Australia gaining a second more than the US. US qualified first by 0.07 this morning.
I’m with Bobo; it’s definitely not a sure thing.
(Hardy/Vollmer should probably be expected to gain a second total vs Larson/Donahue, putting it pretty even still. There’s always more to be gained from the freestyle leg, I suppose.)
It’s dangerous to give the keys of a relay to Jessica Hardy. She isn’t the most consistent swimmer of all time. But she looks strong this week. We’ll see.
As long as she’s closer to her 1:05.2 than her 1:06.2 from this week I think the US women are OK.
Now that you mention unpredictability, I’m now scared of the 50 final prior to the relay gunking up her stroke…