World Leader Bailey Andison Subbed in for Sydney Pickrem in 400 IM at SC Worlds

2021 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, December 16th – Tuesday, December 21st
• Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• SCM (25m)
• Prize Money
• Meet Site
• Psych Sheets

World #1 Bailey Andison has been subbed in to the entries in the 400 IM in place of her countrymate Sydney Pickrem after Tuesday’s technical meeting.

The technical meeting was the last chance for countries to change its entries (albeit only with athletes already on the roster). On Canada’s original roster, Pickrem and Tessa Cieplucha were entered in the event, but when the ranked psych sheets were posted on Wednesday, Pickrem was out and Andison was in.

Andison is the #2 seed and Cieplucha was the #3 seed, but Andison has been the world’s fastest swimmer in the event in the post-Olympic season.

The #1 seed is American Melanie Margalis, who has only raced once, in yards, and without an event over a 100, since June’s Olympic Trials. Margalis has been 4:25 in the race three times and 4:24 in the race three times, all of which would be probable winning times, but none have been since October 2020 (and most were from 2019 and 2018).

The 24-year old Andison swam the event 8 times for the DC Trident during the 2021 ISL season. Her best time of 4:26.31, and the fastest time in the league throughout the season, came in the 2nd week of the regular season. She swam 4:26 two more times, though her last swim of the event, in the Titans’ Playoff finale, was just 4:31.

That short course breakthrough, which included a total of 3.2 seconds of improvement on her lifetime best and eight out of the best nine times in her career, followed a long course breakout over the summer. Her best time entering the Olympic year was a 4:45.20 from April 2019. In March 2021 in Indianapolis, she swam 4:39.54. That was followed by a 4:38.66 at Canada’s Olympic Trials on June 23 in Toronto.

She was 3rd in that race, behind Pickrem (4:37.03) and Cieplucha (4:37.26).

Pickrem ultimately wound up no-showing prelims of the 400 IM at the Olympics for undisclosed “medical reasons,” though even if she had scratched earlier, Canada couldn’t have subbed in Andison: her best time was a few tenths short of the FINA “A” standard, and for Canada to enter two swimmers in the event, both were required to meet that “A” standard.

Pickrem left an empty lane in the 400 IM once during the ISL season for the London Roar in Match #9, which resulted in penalty points for the team. In Match #3, she left an empty lane in the 200 IM.

Pickrem wound up swimming the event four times in the 2021 ISL season, all during the ISL Playoffs and the finale. Her best time was 4:29.21 and in the most recent meet, the final in Eindhoven, she swam 4:33.87.

Her best time, a 4:23.68, came during the 2020 ISL season. 4:23 form would make her the favorite for gold in the event.

With Margalis’ form uncertain, and Great Britain’s Abbie Wood pulling out of the meet with mono, Andison now becomes one of the strongest favorites to medal, alongside American Emma Weyant, who was the Olympic silver medalist in the event in long course.

Kayla Sanchez also replaced Pickrem in the 100 IM, where she now becomes the #6 seed.

Pickrem still has an individual entry in the 200 IM (#1 seed) and will likely have relay duties as well. Andison will also race the 100 IM (#13 seed) and 200 IM (#4 seed).