2022 FINA WORLD CUP – TORONTO
- Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30, 2022
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC), Toronto, Canada
- SCM (25 meters)
- Start Times
- Prelims: 9:30 am local (ET)
- Finals: 6:00 pm local (ET)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results (Omega)
- Live Stream (FINA YouTube)
On night two of the 2022 Toronto World Cup, Beata Nelson overtook the women’s 100 backstroke field, winning the event in a 55.75. Nelson also won this event at the Berlin stop of the World Cup one week earlier, hitting a 56.03. If Nelson wins the 100 backstroke at stop #3 in Indianapolis, she will be entitled to the $10,000 bonus that FINA is paying athletes who one event at all three meets.
After her gold medal performance in Toronto, Nelson discussed USA Swimming’s Short Course World Championships selection procedures. The criteria for Short Course Worlds are largely based on long course meters time, favoring athletes who perform well at meets like the long course World Championships and the Olympic Games.
“I’m obviously a little bummed I won’t be going to World’s this year. Have to work with my federation to figure out a way to hopefully get some of the more specialized short-course athletes a part of because, you know, they are sending a great team but there are spots open that people would love to have” said Nelson.
She went on to say that “there’s definitely ways we can improve upon that but I’ll work with USA Swimming to kind of find the best solution possible. But they are just doing what they think is best for our country to be represented well so I’m just trying to do the best that I can here. Take every opportunity that I can to swim fast.”
For two straight years, 2021 and 2022, Nelson has been left off the Short Course Championships roster despite being one of the USA’s highest-ranked short course swimmers. 31 swimmers will represent the USA in Melbourne for Short Course Worlds this year. The women’s backstroke entrants include Claire Curzan (50 and 100), Rhyan White (50, 100, and 200), and Isabelle Stadden (200). Only one of the two spots for the 200 IM has been taken on the roster (by Olympic medalist Alex Walsh), meaning there is one spot currently open for that event. Additionally, no swimmer is currently listed to race the 100 IM for the USA.
Looking at the September 2021 – October 2022 time period, Nelson is the fastest American woman in both the 100 IM and 200 backstroke and the second fastest in the 100 backstroke. She set a new American record last year in the 100 IM when she hit a 57.72 in the event during the International Swimming League season. Nelson is the 9th fastest woman in the history of the event.
Two months into the 2022 – 2023 short-course swimming season, Nelson is ranked #1 worldwide in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes and she is #2 worldwide in the 100 and 200 IMs.
2022-2023 SCM Women 100 Back
Wilm
55.36
| 2 | Kaylee McKeown | AUS | 55.49 | 12/14 |
| 3 | Mollie O' Callagan | AUS | 55.62 | 12/14 |
| 4 | Claire Curzan | USA | 55.74 | 12/14 |
| 5 | Bella Sims | USA | 55.75 WJR | 11/04 |
2022-2023 SCM Women 200 Back
McKeown
1:59.26
| 2 | Beata Nelson | USA | 2:00.50 | 10/30 |
| 3 | Claire Curzan | USA | 2:00.53 | 12/18 |
| 4 | Kylie Masse | CAN | 2:01.26 | 12/18 |
| 5 | Bella Sims | USA | 2:01.64 | 11/05 |
2022-2023 SCM Women 100 IM
Steenberger
57.53
| 2 | Beryl Gastaldello | FRA | 57.63 | 12/16 |
| 3 | Beata Nelson | USA | 57.81 | 11/03 |
| 4 | Louise Hansson | SWE | 57.68 | 12/16 |
| 5 | Sydney Pickrem | CAN | 58.26 | 12/16 |
2022-2023 SCM Women 200 IM
Douglass
2:02.12
| 2 | Alex Walsh | USA | 2:03.37 | 12/13 |
| 3 | Kaylee McKeown | AUS | 2:03.57 | 12/13 |
| 4 | Beata Nelson | USA | 2:04.92 | 11/05 |
| 5 | Marrit Steenbergen | NED | 2:04.94 | 12/13 |
Nelson will race in Indianapolis for the third and final World Cup stop this year where she’s excited to race in front of a US crowd. She added that she would like to do another fast meet some time in November or December and is considering her the US Open as a potential next step for her short course season.
When she says she wants to talk and work with her federation to figure something out, it shows a level of politeness and optimism that USA Swimming doesn’t deserve. Tom Shields has been trying to push them on this for a decade plus. Mintenko and the rest of the powers that be simply don’t care about all but a few athletes that are at the peak of this sport in LC.
I think this could change with consistent pressure from athletes and coaches, but it can’t just be a select few making noise.
She is being too polite. Just say it like it is they are incompetent
There seems to be so many simple solutions to this. It’s like USA swimminf just doesn’t care about their performance lmao
It would be nice if USA Swimming would just hold 1 – just one – SCM meet a year. Make it selection meet for SC Worlds. Pick the team off that for the following SC World Champs. If they can fill the meet (with maybe World qualifying standards) then that’s the team. If they don’t, then pick up the LCM swimmers at the top (if they want to go).
Plus it would be fun to see how WR’s hold up when the US gives SCM an honest try – even if once a year.
I don’t understand why this can’t be done….just seems like this is still an attempt to safe guard Yards swimming – even though I… Read more »
She needs to never be in a yards pool training. Who is letting her do this? She needs to be training full time with all pro swimmers if she wants to make a US National team.
Here this whole time, the likes of DeSorbo has been doing it all wrong when he should be listening to anonymous people like you!
Clearly he is doing something right as he has several members on the National team and can translate their SCY success to LCM. Beata is amazing at short course and her underwater work is amazing. My point is she needs to stay out of a yards pool
as there are more opportunities with LCM success.
She is on the US National Team
The criteria should really be something along the lines of, once spots are accepted following the current criteria, if any openings remain. Offers should go to the highest ranked athlete(s) who is within the top 7 world rankings in that event.
I think there are a lot of cool and interesting ways to find compromises here, even if you don’t want to do a SCM selection meet (which I don’t think USA Swimming wants to do).
You could say, first priority goes to #1 LCM swimmer in each event. After that, #1 SCM swimmer goes. Then 2-3 LCM.
Or you could World Ranking protect it. If your top SCM is WR’ed top 3 over the trailing 18 months, then they get a first priority. Fill in the rest with LCM swimmers.
GET BETTER AT LONG COURSE! THAT IS THE REAL SPORT!
Obviously LC is where all the glory is (Olympics) and SC worlds is not as climactic, but they could at least select the people who swim it the fastest. Especially considering several of the selected athletes don’t have interest in it.
The selection criteria seems really silly, and it’s a shame a swimmer like Nelson won’t get on the team. Short course meters really does offer a particular kind of athlete the chance to make some money off swimming. USA Swimming is shutting some of that out for swimmers like her.