2021 SC World’s Picks & Previews: Women’s Distance Freestyle

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 Sheet

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE

Tokyo Olympic Finalists Participating:

• #3 Li Bingjie, China
• #4 Summer McIntosh, Canada
• #6 Isabel Gose, Germany
• #7 Paige Madden, USA

The conversation surrounding the women’s 400 and 800 freestyles at the Tokyo 2020 Games focused on Katie Ledecky vs Ariarne Titmus. In their absence from the Short Course World Championships, the conversation shifts to some of the “minor” characters from the Olympics who will now transition into leading roles in Abu Dhabi.

In the 400 freestyle, Canada’s Summer McIntosh is the top seed with her recent Canadian record-breaking swim of 3:57.75. That time, which she swam as a member of the Toronto Titans, is the only sub-3:58 in the field. McIntosh is only 15 years of age and pulled off a 4th place finish in this event at Tokyo, missing the podium by breakthrough just over a second. As her breakout year comes to a close, she looks like she’s ready for a podium finish here, but will need to fend off some worthy competitors first.

Siobhan Haughey has been around a bit longer than McIntosh has, but certainly had a breakout Olympics of her own when she won double silvers in the 100 and 200 freestyles. While she can hold her own in the sprint pool, her range extends nicely up to the 400. Haughey is technically entered with a time slightly slower than McIntosh (3:58.58), but she has been quicker this season and holds a PB of 3:57.06 from just a few weeks ago.

A deceivingly low entry in these psych sheets is China’s Li Bingjie who sits in 11th place with a 4:01.08. Bingjie has been as fast a 3:57.99, however, with a PB from back in 2018. Her entry time here is actually the long course time she swam in Tokyo to claim Olympic bronze in the event. She is the reigning Short Course Worlds bronze medalist in this event and despite her lack of short course meters racing this fall, is almost a lock to break her seed and make it onto the podium here.

In addition to Bingjie and McIntosh, Paige Madden and Isabel Gose are the other Tokyo finalists who will be racing here. Gose pulled off bronze at the recent Short Course Euros with a 4:01.37, meaning that she’ll need a bit bit of an improvement here to crack the top 3. Madden has a similar season-best to Gose thus far, having hit a 4:01.19 in September while racing for the Tokyo Frog Kings.

Gose was joined on the Short Course Euros podium by the Russian duo of Anastasia Kirpichnikova and Anna Egorova. Of those two, Kirpichnikova looks like a bigger threat, but both will either could make a successful bid here to get back on the podium. Simona Quadarella and Charlotte Bonnet are the last two entrants with sub-4:00 entry times and they, along with Ajna Kesely, Valentine Dumon, Freya Anderson, and Martina Caramignoli round out the top 13 women in the event.

Top 3 Picks:

1. Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong (SB: 3:57.06)
2. Summer McIntosh, Canada (SB: 3:57.75)
3. Li Bingjie, China (SB: NA)

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE

Tokyo Olympic Finalists Participating:

• #3 Simona Quadarella, Italy
• #4 Katie Grimes, USA
• #8 Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, Russia

If you were mad about the Kirpichnikova snub in the 400 freestyle, don’t worry, because she’s easily our top pick here. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova of Russia pulled off a 3-for-3 gold medal performance recently at the European Short Course Championships, including a Championship record and near-world record in the 1500 freestyle. Unfortunately for her, the 1500 freestyle won’t be contested on the women’s side here.

The 800 freestyle, however, represents her best shot at a world title considering the fact that she is entered with a time nearly 6 seconds quicker than anyone else in the field. Kirpichnikova threw down an 8:04.65 Russian record in the event just a few weeks ago to become the 7th fastest woman in the history of the event. Barring a major upset, Kirpichnikova seems to have the gold on lock.

We know, however, that upsets to happen. Among those who will be gunning for the top spot in the 800 freestyle is American junior and near Olympic-medalist Katie Grimes. Grimes raced this event in Tokyo and like McIntosh in the 400, almost became a teenage Olympic bronze medalist but was just over a second slower than 3rd place. Grimes’ momentum has kept up since her time in Tokyo and she recently put on a show at the Winter Junior Championships where she posted a 4:32.97 500 freestyle, along with a 15:34.72 1650.

The woman who managed to out-swim Grimes in the 800 in Tokyo was Italian star Simona Quadarella. Quadarella has been at the top of the distance in Europe for years and recently had a solid performance at Euros where she took silver in both the 800 and 1500 freestyles. She should be sharp here and will be among those fighting to get under 8:10 in order to challenge Kirpichnikova.

Kirpichnikova’s aforementioned compatriot Anna Egorova wasn’t as sharp in the 800 freestyle at Euros, placing 6th overall with an 8:13.75. That time likely won’t be enough to reach the podium in Abu Dhabi, but she’ll be one to watch nonetheless.

Isabel Gose, Martina Caramignoli, and Ajna Kesely are among the top 5 entrants here and placed 3rd, 5th, and 7th, respectively at the Euros earlier this fall. Their fellow finalists Merve Tuncel and Beril Bocekler of Turkey are both entered here, making for a strong European contingent in the event.

In addition to her 400 freestyle bronze at this meet in 2018, Li Bingjie of China claimed 4th place in the women’s 800 with an 8:09.81. If her Tokyo performances are an indicator (where she placed 3rd in the 400 and 10th in the 800), she seems to be more primed for the 400 of late. We won’t count her out just yet, however, as she could still surprise the field here.

Top 3 Picks:

1. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, Russia (SB: 8:04.65)
2. Simona Quadarella, Italy (8:10.54)
3. Katie Grimes, USA (NA)