Tom Shields on 100 Fly: “Try not to look at Caeleb… I’m not good at it”

2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

Reported by James Sutherland.

MEN’S 100 FLY SEMI-FINALS

  • World Record: Caeleb Dressel (USA) – 49.50 (2019)
  • American Record: Caeleb Dressel – 49.50 (2019)
  • US Open Record: Caeleb Dressel – 50.17 (2021)
  • World Junior Record: Kristof Milak (HUN) – 50.62 (2017)
  • 2016 Olympic Champion: Joseph Schooling (SGP) – 50.39
  • 2016 US Olympic Trials Champion: Michael Phelps – 51.00
  • Wave I Cut: 54.19
  • Wave II Cut: 53.37
  • FINA ‘A’ Cut: 51.96
  1. Caeleb Dressel (GSC), 49.76 US
  2. Tom Shields (CAL), 51.20
  3. Coleman Stewart (WOLF), 51.54
  4. Danny Kovac (UMIZ), 51.61
  5. Trenton Julian (SMSC), 51.70
  6. Luca Urlando (DART), 51.77
  7. Zach Harting (CARD), 51.99
  8. Tyler Sesvold (BAMA), 52.06

Caeleb Dressel torched his hours-old U.S. Open Record in the men’s 100 butterfly, blasting a time of 49.76 in the second semi-final to lower his prelim mark of 50.17.

Dressel’s performance is his fourth under 50 seconds, something that has only been done twice before in history, when Michael Phelps and Milorad Cavic had their epic duel in the 2009 World Championship final.

Dressel, the two-time reigning world champion in this event, also now owns seven of the 10-fastest swims in history.

Dressel led that second semi-final over Tom Shields (51.20) and Coleman Stewart (51.54), both of whom had phenomenal showings based on their personal bests.

Shields’ swim is his fastest since the 2016 Olympic Trials (where he also went 51.20, qualifying for the Olympic team behind Phelps), while Stewart’s lops almost six-tenths off his lifetime best of 52.11 set at the 2019 World University Games.

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PVSFree
3 years ago

Is he kinda confirming that Cal may have missed their taper a little bit? “As the meet goes on my legs get fresher, blah blah”

Tomek
3 years ago

Good luck Tom hope you will make the team

The Original Tim
3 years ago

My two biggest wishes going into Trials were that Lochte had one last Olympic caliber race left in the tank and that Beefy T would make the team again.

First wish didn’t pan out, but Shields looked excellent last night. I’d love it if he not only makes the team tonight but drops below his 51.03 from 2015 Worlds in the process.

CookedLays
3 years ago

I too cannot keep my eyes of off Caeleb

brian
3 years ago

Just HOPING Shields can make the team again

25Backstroke
Reply to  brian
3 years ago

Unfortunate that he’s been behind the GOAT and Caeleb Dressel in the 100 Fly both Olympic cycles, he drops 50.xx relay splits in his sleep and is a solid butterflier in any medley relay

Khachaturian
Reply to  brian
3 years ago

he would wash away my worries of getting a good prelim seed time for the medley relay

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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