COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The star-studded 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series will open with the first of five new stops Jan. 9-12 – the TYR Pro Swim Series at Knoxville at the University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. All-session and single-session tickets to catch the world’s best swimmers in action are on sale now at usaswimming.org.
Expected to headline the standout Knoxville field are multi-time Olympic gold medalists and world-record holders Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Nation’s Capital Swim Club/Alto Swimming) and Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics, as well as follow individual Olympic champions Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics) and Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Alto Swimming/First Colony Swim Team).
Olympic medalist and world champion Chase Kalisz (Bel Air, Md./Athens Bulldog Swim Club) also is expected to compete after winning the men’s TYR Pro Swim Series title in 2018 for the second straight year. Ledecky is the defending women’s series champion.
Kelsi Dahlia (Westampton, N.J./Cardinal Aquatics) and Olivia Smoliga (Glenview, Ill./Athens Bulldog Swim Club), who just won nine and eight medals, respectively, at last week’s FINA World Championships (25m) also are among the large group U.S. Olympians slated to open 2019 in Knoxville.
The four-day, long-course meters competition opens Wednesday, Jan. 9 with the 800-meter freestyle at 6 p.m. EST. Action on Thursday, Jan. 10 through Saturday, Jan. 12 will feature daily prelims at 9 a.m. EST and evening finals at 6 p.m. EST.
The Olympic Channel will air live finals coverage at 6 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 10 and Friday, Jan. 11, followed by a same-day delay broadcast on NBC Sports Network. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage on Saturday, Jan. 12. A live webcast of prelims and the Wednesday, Jan. 9 timed finals session will stream online at usaswimming.org.
Across the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series, swimmers may earn increased awards for top-three finishes in all individual Olympic events. At each meet, $1,500 will be provided for a first-place finish, $1,000 for second and $500 for third. In addition, one athlete per gender with the highest-scoring prelim swim in an individual Olympic event based on FINA power points will win $1,500.
At the conclusion of the 2019 TYR Pro Swim Series, the eligible athlete (male and female) who has the highest-scoring swim in an individual Olympic event based on FINA power points will win a one-year lease of a BMW vehicle. Complete series rules are available at usaswimming.org.
Returning in 2019 is USA Swim Squads, a second-year feature that allows USA Swimming National Team members to compete for team points and a grand prize throughout this year’s events. Four teams, captained by Olympians Cammile Adams, Elizabeth Beisel, Maya DiRado and Connor Jaeger, will feature six active athletes designated across six event categories (one athlete per team per category) who are eligible to score points in a maximum of two events from that category – free, back, breast, fly, IM or flex.
The TYR Pro Swim Series is being brought to Knoxville in partnership with the Visit Knoxville Sports Commission and Tennessee Aquatics.
Keep up with all the latest USA Swimming news by following @usaswimming on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for the sport of swimming in the United States, USA Swimming is a 400,000-member service organization that promotes the culture of swimming by creating opportunities for swimmers and coaches of all backgrounds to participate and advance in the sport through clubs, events and education. Our membership is comprised of swimmers from the age group level to the Olympic Team, as well as coaches and volunteers. USA Swimming is responsible for selecting and training teams for international competition including the Olympic Games, and strives to serve the sport through its core objectives: Build the base, Promote the sport, Achieve competitive success. For more information, visit www.usaswimming.org.
Contact: John Martin (719-362-6422 / [email protected])
Wait so if the person with the highest power point ranking swim wins the BMW then is the series prize just cash?