SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which individual relay performance from the Short Course World Championships was the best:
Question: Who had the best relay split at the 2022 World SC Championships?
RESULTS
- Emma McKeon – 49.96 100 FR – 56.0%
- Kyle Chalmers – 44.63 100 FR – 17.4%
- Nic Fink – 54.88 100 BR – 8.9%
- Emma McKeon – 53.93 100 FLY – 6.8%
- Emma McKeon – 22.62 50 FR – 4.1%
- Sara Junevik – 24.06 50 FLY – 3.7%
- Kyle Chalmers – 1:40.35 200 FR – 2.0%
- Nicolo Martinenghi – 24.83 50 BR – 1.0%
There was no shortage of standout relay splits at the Short Course World Championships. The event provides plenty of opportunity, with 12 teams events scheduled over the six-day meet, but still, it felt like every time a relay rolled around, at least one swimmer would split under the existing world record in that individual race, if not more.
In fact, of the eight splits included in our latest poll, only one, Kyle Chalmers‘ 200 free leg, wasn’t under the current world record in the event.
Emma McKeon did so three times, but her split of 49.96 on the anchor leg of the Australian women’s 400 free relay was overwhelmingly the top choice as “best split” of the competition.
McKeon’s leg marked the first female split in history under 50 seconds, and nearly three-tenths under the flat start world record of 50.25 set by fellow Aussie Cate Campbell in 2017.
56 percent of votes went McKeon’s way, with her official numbers showing a 0.20 reaction off the blocks and splits of 23.89 on the way out and 26.07 coming home. She went on to win the individual race in 50.77 (0.72/24.41/26.36).
The magnitude of the relay split was punctuated by the fact that the Aussie women broke the world record in the event by more than a second, finishing in a time of 3:25.43.
Trailing McKeon’s 100 free split in the poll was the 100 free leg from Chalmers (17.4%), who anchored the Australian men to an epic comeback in the 400 medley relay, erasing a sizeable deficit to tie with the Americans for gold in world record fashion.
Chalmers’ closed in 44.63, putting him over two-tenths under his 100 free world record of 44.84 while also going over half a second quicker than he did to win the individual race (45.16).
Nic Fink delivered the second-fastest male breaststroke of all-time for the U.S. in the same race, checking in at 54.88 to receive the third-most votes at just under nine percent. Fink was also four-tenths under the flat start world record of 55.28 held by Ilya Shymanovich. Adam Peaty is the only swimmer who has been quicker with a relay exchange at 54.84.
McKeon also went under the world record with her 100 fly split of 53.93 and 50 free leg of 22.62, as did Sweden’s Sara Junevik with a 24.06 women’s 50 fly leg and Nicolo Martinenghi with a 24.83 50 breast leg for the men.
Chalmers’ 1:40.35 split on the 800 free relay was the fastest in history (though nearly a second slower than the world record), but looked less significant than it initially did after Hwang Sunwoo dropped a 1:39.72 to win the individual 200 free at the meet.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Who was the best world record performance this year:
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Everyone is sleeping on Titmus, first person to break a Ledecky WR! Not only that but it’s so far in front of the rest of the world.
Then she’s also on the list a second time in the 4×200 relay with the fastest split in history.
Milak´s record, going out under 52″ is the most impressive swim I´ve seen in a long time. It gave me 200m buttlerfly Melbourne 07 vibes.
I know there is some bias towards dp but I would say that there is an argument for most all of these
I think the relay and Armstrong are obvious no. Milak is a bit hard to argue. But the other you can certainly make arguments for
Armstrong beat the WR by .2 in a 50, I think that’s pretty impressive
He only beat it by 0.09. The previous record was 23.80
Yeah but the real answers would be Popovici 100 free world record .
I think Milak is a victim of his own success – 1:50.3 in a 2fly is nuts
In terms of the margin over the second best performer in history, 1:50.3 is the strongest record set this year no doubt, not to mention that the second best performer in history is the GOAT. If we examine the margin over the third or fourth best performers, it’s even more mind blowing. It’s like a 46.0 in 100 free, 50.9 in 100 back, 2:04.4 in 200 breast, and 3:55 low in women’s 400 free.
Agreed, Milak’s WR was the clear cut best swim of this season with Popovici’s 46.86 as a not that close 2nd, Titmus and Ceccon are in that ballpark too.
While I get the hype around Popovici I think it went a bit our of control…he’s not the best in the world yet, Milak is slightly better as a flyer than he is as a freestyler and on top of that he’s world class in the 100-200 free as well, there’s no shame in being number 2 at 18 vs a guy who’s close to his peak and will probably go down as a top 10 male swimmer ever, in a year or two he’ll take the crown