Chase Kalisz Focuses On IMs, 200 Fly For Nats: No 200 Breast

2017 U.S. NATIONALS/WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TRIALS

• Tuesday, June 27th-Saturday, July 1st
• 50-Meter Course
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Meet Info
• Prelims timelines
• Broadcast schedule
• Event-by-event previews
• Psych Sheets

It’s a relatively expected move, but today’s U.S. Nationals psych sheets confirmed that Chase Kalisz won’t enter the 200 breaststroke, instead focusing only on the 200 IM, 400 IM and 200 fly for the American selection meet for the 2017 World Championships.

Kalisz currently holds the 3rd-fastest time in the nation this season in the 200 breast, which made for an intriguing possibility he’d push for another event at Worlds. But the 200 breast field is extremely tough. Josh Prenot rattled the world record last year and Kevin Cordes and Cody Miller are both returning Olympians in the breaststroke. (Cordes surprisingly does not appear on the psych sheets as released this morning, but that feels more like an accidental omission than a sign that Cordes is passing up Nationals and Worlds this year. We’ve reached out but haven’t yet gotten confirmation). Update: Cordes will swim US Nationals, according to USA Swimming.

Kalisz was the Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, and with Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte both absent this summer, Kalisz looks like the heir apparent to the American IM throne. He’s currently got the fastest 200 IM time of any American this season by 2.7 seconds and the fastest 400 IM time by 4.3. He’s also the American leader in the 200 fly by almost a full second in another race where an Olympic slot has been vacated by Phelps.

That means Kalisz’s Nationals lineup will look something like this:

• Tuesday: 200 fly
• Wednesday: Nothing
• Thursday: 400 IM
• Friday: Nothing
• Saturday: 200 IM

The 200 breast would have fit in on Wednesday.