2018 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, December 11th- Sunday, December 16th
- Hangzhou, China
- Tennis Centre, Hangzhou Olympic & International Expo Center
- SCM (25m)
- Prelims: 9:30 am local, 8:30 pm ET / Finals: 7:00 pm* local, 6:00* am ET
- *The final night of finals will be one hour earlier, starting at 6:00 pm local and 5:00 am ET
- Live Results (Omega)
Yesterday, American sprint star Caeleb Dressel unified the three American records in the men’s 100 free (yards, 25m, and 50m) by taking the SCM American Record with a 45.66 leadoff on the USA world record-setting 4×100 free relay.
Today, he led off the mixed medley relay in 20.43 to unofficially lay claim to all three American Records in the 50 free. While that time is 0.42s faster than Anthony Ervin‘s American record from the 2012 World Cup circuit, Dressel’s time will not officially count because it was done leading off a mixed relay.
Rules from both FINA and USA Swimming specify that leadoff legs from mixed gender relays are not eligible for world/American records. USA Swimming rule 104.2 C (1):
Lead-off legs/initial distances of mixed gender relays shall not count for American or U.S. Open records.
The presumed rationale for the rule is essentially that a man leading off in a field of women would encounter quite different water conditions than if he was swimming against seven other men. However, every single team had a man leading off, so while it may not officially count, Dressel’s swim was done in the same conditions he’d encounter in an individual 50 free, or leading off a men’s relay.
The good news for Dressel is that he won’t have to wait long to get another chance. With both the individual 50 free and the men’s 4×50 free relay coming later in the week, it would appear to be only a matter of time before Dressel replicates tonight’s performance and does officially unify all three USA men’s records in the 50 free.
A 20.43 in SCM converts to roughly a 18.3 or 18.4 in yards, suggesting that Dressel could be even faster as he gets more comfortable swimming in a 25m pool, after he lit up the swimming world (or least, domestic swim fans) with a 17.63 at the NCAA championships in March.
Per the USA Swimming Data Hub, only three men in history have been faster than Dressel’s 20.43 from tonight:
- Florent Manaudou – 20.26 – 2014
- Roland Schoeman – 20.30 – 2010
- Vladimir Morozov – 20.31 – 2017
Morozov has another three times where he’s been 20.4, and no one else has been under 20.5 more than once. While Morozov was “only” 20.75 leading off Russia’s relay tonight, he went 20.48 at the Singapore World Cup stop last month, and we should be in for a great battle between Morozov and Dressel later this week.
Prelims and semifinals of the 50 free will be tomorrow (Thursday), with finals coming Friday.
We’re now in a unique spot with Adrian’s rubber 100 where neither the American record in the 50 or 100 are actually the fastest time done by an american…
Only 20.4 ? What a bum, clearly slacking off ! Lol
Poor guy sets another best time ever by an American but yet gets little credit!
Ryan Held is having a fantastic meet.
What is the difference between hypothetically: (a) Dressel leading off against a field of 7 other women, all of whom go 24s and (b) Dressel showing up to some random meet that just doesn’t have world-class competition and leading off the *men*’s 4x50m free against a field of 7 other *men*, all of whom go 24s? If (b) would still count as a record, why not (a)?
This rule appears to be more for women than men. Imagine a woman between two men that are slightly faster and she is able to draft the whole way which is a Legitimate concern. But no way you could have a rule that only applied to the women of a mixed relay and not the men.
The rule for women makes perfect sense. I’m asking specifically about the rule for men.
I don’t think FINA or US Swimming either one wants to open the can of worms that would result if they ruled that only men were eligible to set records during a mixed relay. Only thing that might make sense is to specify that in order to be considered for a record then lane on both sides must have same gender swimmer.
Agreed. Trying to argue the million different hypotheticals of this situation would be a massive waste of FINA and USA Swimming’s time. Best to just put it out there in black and white.
Also: if you can’t break the record in prelims, semifinals, or finals of your individual event and you can’t break it leading off your single-gender relay, you don’t get a fifth try. Go faster when it counts.
Clean water. That’s a lot of big dudes making a big wave going into the turn.
Another reason that NCAA/SCY and/or SCM/LCM records shouldn’t count in time trials (which they currently allow) – all that clean water around you! Do it in a race where you have swimmers all around you and you have to deal with the pressure, the stress, the nerves and the of course the turbulence.
But u can’t make a rule that u must have competition around u or Katie ledecky wouldn’t be able to set records
So where do you draw the line? What if you’re in lane 8 of a ten lane pool (0 and 9 are empty like most finals) and lane 7 no-shows? That’s clean water. Yes, there are still swimmers to race, just not as close, but I would argue that that is an advantage. I guarantee you, turbulence or not, I will go faster when I have someone to race than if I have to swim alone, and I’d bet the majority of swimmers are the same way.
So the swimmer in lane 8 has clean water on either side while still having competition to push him, and just generally has conditions that are optimally conducive to speed… Is he… Read more »
I would prefer to see Ryan Held lead off the 4×50 relay instead of Caleb. I know Caleb was faster, but he has the individual and Ryan doesn’t. 20.6 is serious speed. Want to see what he can do.
Why should coaches make decisions based upon what fans want?
The problem is that a lot of times Dressel swims a 2-4 spot with a slower split than his flat start…
Um, no. CD has an absurdly good flat start that is too good to pass up for the leadoff.
The really question was were is Andrew???
Probably waiting for his individuals. I could see why they wouldn’t put him on a relay and put a guy like held on there who has a lot of expirence in the ncaa with relays.
And that minor experience thing of THE OLYMPIC FINALS.
I understand that desire, but the coaches have to do what’s best for the team. Dressel is usually very close to his relay splits off of a flat start, so putting him third isn’t giving him much of an advantage. Best to lead him off and give the flying start to someone who has a history of splitting much faster than their flat times. Sucks that Held doesn’t have the individual as he’s looking very good right now, but each country gets to enter two swimmers so that’s how it is.
I don’t see why a few more words related to the rule couldn’t hurt. something like, “Leadoff legs of mixed gender relays will not count, UNLESS the rest of the competition is the same gender of the swimmer who breaks the record.” This would actually solve the problem if it were only females leading off all 8 relays also. How hard is that to do?
If you want to succeed at SCM, race and train SCY in the USA.
NCAA*
Too many names to list who trained SCY without swimming NCAA.
You said race AND train, few do both and were not in the NCAA. I am assuming by “succeed” you also mean a high level, not many short course competition circuits out there better than the NCAA.. The list is quite short, Michael Andrew?
I think just as important he beat Vlad head to head swimming next to him in this race, so that may work in his favor later in the meet.