Gianluca Urlando Goes Another Lifetime Best in 100 Fly Finals at Zajac

2019 MEL ZAJAC JR. INTERNATIONAL MEET

American 17-year old Gianluca Urlando shaved another few hundredths off his personal best time in the 100 meter fly on Saturday evening in Vancouver. He swam a 52.04, which bettered his 52.12 from prelims as the 2nd-best time in 17-18 age group history.

Only the legendary swimmer Michael Phelps has been better as an 18 & under thanks to a 51.10 that he swam in 2003 – which at the time was good for silver at the World Championships.

Urlando opened in 24.59 and closed in 27.45 – that’s effectively the same splitting as in prelims (24.59/27.57). He’s now won all 3 finals that he’s swum at this meet, and posted lifetime bests in each of those events. On Friday, he won the 200 free (1:47.56 in prelims) and the 50 fly (24.15). On Saturday, he was the top qualifier in the 200 IM in prelims (2:00.94 – not a best time) but scratched the final. 18-year old Finlay Knox won that 200 IM in his absence in 2:02.19. That’s the fastest he’s been in a non-national/international championship meet.

In the women’s 100 fly, American 16-year old Torri Huske won in 59.33. That came within a few hundredths of her lifetime best that was done at Winter Nationals in 59.27. Fellow American Olivia Bray took 2nd in 59.48. She’s already been 58.3 this year.

Huske later doubled up with a win in the 50 free in 25.45 (her best time is 25.42). She tied with Canadian Sarah Fournier (best time 25.33) for the win. That time by Fournier matches her top result from the Canadian World Championship Trials in April.

Other Day 2 Winners:

  • Danica Ludlow from the University of Calgary won the women’s 400 free in 4:12.69. That’s about 2 seconds slower than she was at Canada’s World Championship Trials in April. 16-year old Emma O’Croinin was the only competitive swimmer in that final: she took 2nd in 4:12.80.
  • 27-year old Canadian National Teamer Jeremy Bagshaw won the men’s 400 free in 3:55.99, beating out Calgary’s Tristan Cote (3:57.09).
  • Canadian 17-year old Jade Hannah won the women’s 50 back in 28.24, beating-out UBC’s Ingrid Wilm (28.66). That’s a new personal best for Hannah in a primary backstroke event. She hadn’t been a lifetime best in any backstroke race since 2017. In fact, she’s only been a best time in the 100 short course fly in the last 2 seasons, until Saturday night.
  • Markus Thormeyer won the men’s 50 back in 25.56, just squeezing past runner-up Cameron Auchinachie, who was 2nd in 25.62. Thormeyer’s best time is a 25.50 from 2018.
  • Kelsey Wog won the women’s 200 IM in 2:13.34. 15-year old American Charlotte Hook crushed her personal best with a 2:13.67 for 2nd place. Her previous best time was a 2:15.85 from last summer. That makes Hook the first American 15-16 to go under 2:15 so far this season, and moves her into 15th-place all-time in the event in American 15-16 history: jumping ahead of the legendary Tracy Caulkins on that list.
  • Wog later won the women’s 200 breaststroke as well in 2:29.21
  • The aforementioned Cameron Auchinachie of Denver University won the men’s 50 free in 22.73, beating American junior David Curtiss (22.78). That’s a new lifetime best for Auchinachie, improving the 22.81 he swam in a time trial at the Tennessee Invitational in December.
  • American-trained Caspar Corbeau, a Texas commit and member of the Dutch National Team program, won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:15.34. He ran away from American 16-year old Josh Matheny, the runner-up, who took 2nd in 2:18.22.

 

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nuotofan
5 years ago

Meanwhile Urlando keeps his strong swimming at Mel Zajac showing that he can easily changing pace: 1.58.37 in the 200 fly heats with a 28.69 in the last 50 and a 50.59 in the following 100 free heats nearly even-splitted (25.19 at 50m, 25.40 in the back-half).

PrairieFast
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

1:54.3. Fantastic swim in the 200 tonight!

Brownish
Reply to  PrairieFast
5 years ago

Yes, good swim.

Brownish
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

I really don’t understand why the last 50 with 28 is outstanding or simply important in a 1:56-1:58 2fly. As I’ve already wrote it swim that after two 29 lows.

on jah
5 years ago

luca is the zion of swimming

DEAN IS GOD
Reply to  on jah
5 years ago

Too true.

Does that make Carson Foster Ja Morant?

mills
5 years ago

“when he’s tapered” / 2020 team / Phelps comparison / Ungodly high standards… whaaaahh?

Luca, if you read this: keeping training your nuts off, listen to your coach, trust your coach, trust the process, support your teammates, and have fun smashing challenging sets with your friends

Teddy
5 years ago

The 51.47 phelps went in semis was a world record, but then crocker beat him in finals while he did the 51.1–so it wasn’t a WR

Alec
5 years ago

At this point he’s a contender for 200 Fly gold in Tokyo imo.

Milak is the presumptive favorite, but I feel like Urlando is right there.

1:53 will definitely be in the mix, at his rate of improvement I can’t see him being slower than 1:53 come 2020.

Brownish
Reply to  Alec
5 years ago

1:53 might be enough for a minor medal, but the for gold he would need 1:51. Kenderesi, Le Clos, Japaneses, Burdisso, etc. for silver and bronze, too.

dude
Reply to  Brownish
5 years ago

1:51 is an aggressive prediction.

Brownish
Reply to  dude
5 years ago

I would rather say optimistic.

Riez
Reply to  dude
5 years ago

It’s rather realistic for Milak. Who else could chase that record if not him?

SwimGeek
Reply to  Brownish
5 years ago

Has LeClos gone 1:52 since London 2012? After 8 yrs he’s going to suddenly go 1:51? I don’t see it.

Ol’ Longhorn
Reply to  SwimGeek
5 years ago

Well, if he’d learn to not swim three rounds of 200 free b’s-out from the first 50 like he did in Rio, he might be able to do a1:51 fly.

dude
Reply to  Ol’ Longhorn
5 years ago

perhaps, but it sure is glorious to watch

Brownish
Reply to  Ol’ Longhorn
5 years ago

He won’t.

Brownish
Reply to  SwimGeek
5 years ago

Milák will go 1:51.

Togger
Reply to  Alec
5 years ago

Whilst his improvements are phenomenal, I don’t think we should put expectation on him to keep dropping at the same rate.

Look at someone like Seli, in 2015 we would probably all have said he’s a rapidly improving Olympic shot, but his next big breakthrough came in Junior year of college.

Chas
Reply to  Togger
5 years ago

Wait a minute, I’ll go find an 8-under’s parent who knows how to graph time improvements and draw a straight line showing how fast his little Susie will be by the time she’s 18. Maybe he’ll be willing to do this with Urlando’s times.

Togger
Reply to  Chas
5 years ago

True expertise. Amazing that little Susie always seems to end up as Olympic champion and world record holder, not a solid conference swimmer.

Unrelated, I recently got back in the pool to get ready for an open water event and have dropped from a 1:04 to 56 since Xmas. As you can tell from that drop, my upcoming 40 point in Tokyo will be hella impressive.

bear drinks beer
Reply to  Alec
5 years ago

Have to remind everyone Milak did a 50.6 100 fly at 17.

Jeff
Reply to  Alec
5 years ago

I think winning gold is a little unrealistic. I think he will easily qualify for the 200 fly for the olympics and probably final. But, I don’t see a medal opportunity

collegeswimmer
5 years ago

At this rate he’s looking good for the Olympics. Can’t wait to see what he does when he’s tapered.

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