Allison Schmitt’s Journey Leads To Her Fastest 200 Free Since 2012

2018 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, July 25 – Sunday, July 29, 2018
• William Woollett Aquatics Center, Irvine, CA
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Olympic champion Allison Schmitt has been on a windy road since the 2012 London Olympics where she claimed gold in the 200 freestyle in American record-breaking fashion (1:53.61) – a record that still stands to this day.

In 2013, she seemed off – failing to make the World Championship team after not even qualifying for an A-final at U.S. Nationals. She finished 9th in the 200 free (1:58.62) and 10th in the 100 free (54.98). Post Olympic hangover? That seemed the likely culprit. In 2014, she experienced more of the same – again finishing 9th in the 200 free (1:58.36) and 9th in the 100 free (54.74) at U.S. Nationals. Just like it is this year, the 2014 Nationals served as qualification for Pan Pacs and the 2015 World Championships. Schmitt found herself on the outside looking in for both teams. However, she was able to secure a spot on the 2015 Pan American Games team.

Something wasn’t quite right, though. Underneath her always smiling, cheerful personality Schmitt had been battling depression. She publicly opened up about this post-London struggle in the spring of 2015 in an effort to let others know it’s “OK not to be OK.”

Toronto 2015 Pan American Games – Allison Schmitt 200 free win

At Pan Ams in Toronto, Schmitt seemed like she was starting to find her footing in the sport again. She claimed gold in her signature event – the 200 freestyle – with a 1:56.23 along with a gold medal in the 4×200 freestyle relay (1:56.08 split) and silver medal in the 4×100 freestyle relay (54.4 leadoff in finals, 53.8 split in prelims).

2016 was very comparable to 2015 for Schmitt. She qualified for the Rio Olympics in a pair of relays (4×200 and 4×100 free relay) with a 4th place finish at Olympic Trials in the 200 free (1:56.72) and a 5th place finish in the 100 free (53.87). That 100 free still stands as a lifetime best. Schmitt was strong in Rio – leading off both the prelims (1:55.95) and finals (1:56.21) gold medal-winning 4×200 free relay teams. She also split a 53.72 in prelims of the 4×100 free relay that would go on to take silver in finals.

After Rio, Schmitt seemed to have moved on to the sport. Although she never formally made an announcement on her retirement, she was absent from competition. Instead, she was spending her time becoming an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and even went back to school to earn her Master of Social Work.

Through all of this, she never left the USADA drug-testing pool – leaving the door open for a return. Which she, of course, did – at this April’s TYR Pro Swim Series in Mesa, which is just outside of her Tempe, AZ training home. Schmitt looked strong in Mesa – finishing 2nd in the 200 free (1:59.57) and 6th in the 100 free (55.32).

All of this led to last night when she punched a ticket to next month’s Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan by finishing 2nd in the 200 free at U.S. Nationals with a 1:55.82 – her fastest performance since 2012. In a come-full-circle, feel-good moment, Katie Ledecky (1st, 1:54.60) immediately jumped over the lane line to embrace Schmitt – validating the significance of the moment.

It’s not certain what Schmitt’s future holds in the sport, but for now she is proving she can make her way back to the top.

Schmitt’s Top 10 Performances – 200 Free

1. 1:53.61 – 2012 Olympics
2. 1:54.40 – 2012 Olympic Trials
3. 1:54.96 – 2009 World Championships
4. 1:55.04 – 2012 ST TXLA Elite Invite
5. 1:55.29 – 2012 Olympic Trials
6. 1:55.82 – 2011 Minneapolis Grand Prix
7. 1:55.82 – 2018 U.S. Nationals
8. 1:55.83 – 2012 Austin Grand Prix
9. 1:55.92 – 2008 Olympic Trials
10. 1:55.95 – 2016 Olympic Games