2024 SPEEDO ATLANTA CLASSIC driven by Jim Ellis Cadillac
- Wednesday, May 15th – Saturday, May 18th 2024
- McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
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- Live Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Speedo Atlanta Classic”
The 2024 Speedo Atlanta Classic will kick off this evening with just the men’s and women’s 1500 freestyle. The 1500s will be contested as timed finals, which means that anyone outside of the top seeded heat can make their way into the top eight.
World record holder Katie Ledecky enters the women’s event as the top entrant, and she’s seeded with her 15:26.27 winning time from the 2023 World Championships. The men’s race will include Bobby Finke, who broke the American record (14:31.59) en route to silver at the 2023 Worlds.
Livestream:
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINALS
- World Record: 15:20.48 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
- World Junior Record: 15:28.36 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
- American Record: 15:20.48 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
- U.S. Open Record: 15:20.48 — Katie Ledecky, USA (2018)
- U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Time: 16:45.69
Top 8:
- Katie Ledecky (GSC) – 15:38.25 *Fastest Time In The World So Far This Year*
- Ashley Twichell (TAC) – 16:22.69 *Olympic Trials Qualifying Time*
- Abigail McCulloh (SA) – 16:24.90 *Olympic Trials Qualifying Time*
- Caroline Pennington (FLOR) – 16:35.35 *Olympic Trials Qualifying Time*
- Liberty Williams (BAMA) – 16:42.82 *Olympic Trials Qualifying Time*
- Brooke Travis (UNTAC) – 16:43.98 *Olympic Trials Qualifying Time*
- Kate McCarville (UN) – 16:45.86
- Anna Moehn (UN) – 16:52.77
Katie Ledecky opened up the first event of the 2024 Atlanta Classic in style, dominating the women’s 1500 freestyle from start to finish. Ledecky took the race out swiftly, turning through the 800 in a sub-8:20 effort of 8:19.48. She ultimately hit the wall at the end of the race in 15:38.25, which undercut her previous season-best time of 15:38.81 from January’s Knoxville Pro Swim Series. Her Knoxville swim was the previous world leading time, so she improved upon her own mark tonight.
2023-2024 LCM Women 1500 Free
LEDECKY
15:37.35
| 2 | Simona QUADARELLA | ITA | 15:46.99 | 02/13 |
| 3 | Lani PALLISTER | AUS | 15:49.94 | 12/13 |
| 4 | Isabel GOSE | GER | 15:50.56 | 06/21 |
| 5 | Bingjie LI | CHN | 15:51.18 | 09/24 |
Taking 2nd place honors tonight was Ashley Wall (Twichell), who stopped the clock in 16:22.69. She dropped about nine seconds from her Knoxville Pro Swim Series performance of 16:31.13. Her best time in this distance stands at 15:54.19, which she produced at the 2019 World Championships.
The 2024 NCAA Champion in the 1650-yard freestyle, Abigail McCulloh, punched an effort of 16:24.90 for 3rd place. She dropped nearly three seconds from her previous lifetime best of 16:27.71. The Georgia Bulldog notched her previous fastest-ever time at the 2023 U.S. World Championship Trials.
MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINALS
- World Record: 14.31.02 — Sun Yang, CHN (2012)
- World Junior Record: 14:46.09 — Franko Grgic, CRO (2019)
- American Record: 14:31.59 — Bobby Finke, USA (2023)
- U.S. Open Record: 14:42.81 — Bobby Finke, USA (2023)
- U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying Time: 15:39.89
Top 8:
- Bobby Finke (SPA) – 14:58.08
- Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) – 15:41.80
- Andrew Taylor (FLOR) – 15:42.10
- Aryan Nehra (FLOR) – 15:44.34
- Bobby Dinunzio (FLOR) – 15:44.86
- Josh Parent (FLOR) – 15:46.82
- Shane Washart (VS) – 15:49.50
- Joey Tepper (UN) – 15:50.04
Reigning Olympic Champion Bobby Finke was the quickest 1500 freestyler in the pool tonight. The 24-year-old registered a final time of 14:58.08, which represents his first ever in-season swim under 15 minutes. The American record holder dropped about six seconds from his previous season-best (15:03.97), which was put on the books back in December.
For comparison’s sake, Finke was 15:26.89 at this same time last year, which means he was about 30 seconds quicker this time around. He won tonight’s race by 43.72 seconds.
Finke’s Florida training partner, Giovanni Linscheer, was the 2nd place finisher tonight. He put his hand on the wall in 15:41.80, just ahead of fellow Gator Andrew Taylor (15:42.10). Aryan Nehra, Bobby Dinunzio, and Josh Parent finished 4th, 5th, and 6th, making it a 1-2-3-4-5-6 sweep for the Anthony Nesty-trained swimmers.
What is Finke cooking? 🧑🍳🔥🍳
The competition.
Is this time by Ledecky faster than anyone else has ever gone?
I think lotte frijs from Denmark is still number 2 performer all time with 15.38.88
Anyone know if/when UVA and ASU are swimming their final tune-up meets? Thought the UVA crew would be here but looks like they aren’t.
UVA has graduation this weekend. I think there is a group going to an NCAP meet May 31-June 2
7 girls under the Trials Cut versus only 8 competing it in Irvine. Great meet so far in Atlanta. Excited to see Austin and Atlanta results versus the Cal intrasquad out in Irvine.
To be fair, the men’s 1500 results look kinda Florida intersquad-y.
And, aside from Finke, none of the boys swam a Trial time!
Finke world record summer 😏
Finke and Ledecky looking solid
Since Katie Ledecky’s performance today is faster than the performance in the heats and final of the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the 2021 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials, there is only one logical course of action to take:
I want Greg Meehan manning a lighthouse in Alaska by the end of the day.
For heaven’s sake — either change careers, become AD at Stanford and make it so, or zip it.
Check the results at Irvine before you made idiotic comments.
Are we just gonna forget that Ledecky swam her PB and WR in 2018 with Greg?
I think her improvement at Florida has a lot to do with the fact that she’s not doing any course work at Stanford. She also went 3:57.2 in the 400 at the Olympics which she hadn’t been close to since 2016 and hasn’t been close to since.
I’m sure she’s benefited from the training environment too, but the pressure is not as intense as she’s able to focus on just swimming.
Since only Finke beat her what do you think all the other men and their coaches should do?
If Stanford wants to continue to keep that dumpster fire burning then let them. Pass the marshmallows.
It’s hard to be motivated to go faster in a meet like this when second place is 43-44 secs behind
It’s been Katie versus the clock ever since the epic race versus Lotte Friis in the final of the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships.
I think at trials she probably gonna be ten second faster than today under 15:30.
I’m sticking by my prediction in the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials:
15:25.48 + 6.00 = 15:31.48
Katie Ledecky will be partially tapered at the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials.