2024 SC Worlds Previews: Gretchen Walsh Puts U.S. Women In Driver’s Seat In Relays

2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 10-15, 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• SCM (25m)
• Meet Central
• Roster Index
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

With Gretchen Walsh making her Short Course Worlds debut and other elite talents such as Regan Smith and Kate Douglass in the mix, the United States is well positioned in the women’s relays heading into Budapest, with the Aussies, China and Canada all missing some key pieces.

The 4×200 free relay is the only one where the Americans might have some trouble, with Australia posing a threat.

Note that 4×50 relays for men and women are no longer on the program at SC Worlds.

WOMEN’S 4X100 FREE RELAY

• World Record: 3:25.43, Australia – 2022
• World Championship Record: 3:25.43, Australia – 2022
• 2022 SC World Champion: Australia, 3:25.43

The Australian women have been the gold standard in the 4×100 free relay for the better part of the last decade in long course, and when they sent their ‘A’ squad to the 2022 SC Worlds at home, they smashed the world record in a time of 3:25.43, with the Americans also fielding an impressive quartet to finish less than a second back in 3:26.29.

This year, neither squad will have the same depth, with the Aussies only returning one swimmer, Meg Harris, from that world record-breaking team, while the U.S. only returns Kate Douglass.

The biggest game-changer in this event this year is the addition of Gretchen Walsh, the fastest swimmer in history in short course yards who could push the Americans over the top.

Douglass holds the 100 free American Record at 50.82, Walsh has never raced this event in SCM but is the fastest American ever in the 50 free (23.10), and there are a few women who can step in and fill out the next two legs.

The leading candidates would likely be Alex Shackell, who has been 54.08 in long course, or Katharine Berkoff and Alex Walsh, who have delivered elite performances in the sprint freestyle relays throughout their collegiate careers in the NCAA (and some individual from Berkoff). Walsh has been dealing with an injury for the past few months, so if she’s not at the top of her game, the Americans could turn to Claire Weinstein or Regan Smith, though Shackell and Berkoff are the top options coming in.

The defending champion Australians will be led by Harris, who isn’t entered to swim the 100 free individually in Budapest but set a best time of 52.11 racing in Melbourne two years ago.

Milla Jansen, who turned 18 in late November, won the 100 free at the Australian SC Championships in late September, clocking 52.31, and then got down to 52.26 at the Incheon stop of the World Cup.

Harris and Jansen give the Aussies a strong 1-2 punch, and then Alexandria Perkins (52.85) and Lani Pallister (52.91) were sub-53 at the Aussie SC Championships, and Leah Neale is the other potential option on the team after she was 53.79 in September.

The Canadian team is thin on sprint freestylers, but could mix and match together a competitive team, led by Penny Oleksiak and Summer McIntosh. Those two should be able to produce 52s in the relay, and Mary-Sophie Harvey went 53.25 last month to give them a strong third option.

The fourth spot could go to Kylie Masse, who hasn’t raced the SCM 100 free since 2020 and owns a best time of 54.05, or fellow backstroker Ingrid Wilm, who has a 53.83 split from the ISL in 2021 on her resume.

The Italians are firmly in the medal hunt with a solid quartet of Sara Curtis, Sofia Morini, Chiara Tarantino and Emma Virginia Menicucci, with Curtis clocking 52.37 last month and Morini and Tarantino both in the 52s last year at Euros. Menicucci was 53.63 at last month’s Nationals.

The French team should be competitive, though Beryl Gastaldello is their only option sub-53, and the Swedes and Chinese could be in the mix, but don’t have the firepower or depth to medal.

There’s also the “Neutral Athletes B” team entered, which is the Russian neutrals. They have a chance to be in the top five with Daria Trofimova and Daria Klepikova both going 52-low at the Russian SC Championships last month.

SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4

WOMEN’S 4X200 FREE RELAY

• World Record: 7:30.87, Australia – 2022
• World Championship Record: 7:30.87, Australia – 2022
• 2022 SC World Champion: Australia, 7:30.87

The 4×200 free relay was looking like it was going to be a see-saw battle between the three medalists from two years ago, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

However, the most recent psych sheets show the Canadians have scratched the event despite having a squad of Summer McIntosh, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Penny Oleksiak and Sydney Pickrem that should’ve been in the medal picture.

At the 2022 SC Worlds in Melbourne, it was a dominant outing for the host Aussies, as they rolled to a new world record of 7:30.87, while the Canadians edged out the Americans for silver.

Returning from that Australian team are Leah Neale and Lani Pallister, who both split 1:52s in 2022, and the additions to the relay in Budapest will likely be Milla Jansen, and then either Elizabeth Dekkers or Bella Grant.

Pallister (1:52.73) and Neale (1:53.60) are the fastest two Aussies this season, and Jansen went a PB of 1:54.98 at the World Cup in October. Dekkers and Grant have both been 1:56s this year, and will likely determine who swims the final of this relay in the prelims.

The American lineup figures to be a strong one with Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden and Alex Shackell all likely to be in the final. Gretchen Walsh could push this relay over the top if she were to swim it, given her 1:40-point yards swim last season, but she’s got a busy schedule so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her sit out. Alex Walsh and Katie Grimes are capable options with similar LCM best times, so it will likely be down to who performs in the prelims.

This race could be razor-thin given that the Aussies might have the best trio with Pallister, Neale and Jansen, but the Americans likely have the highest quality top-four depth. With the U.S. lacking firepower at the top (unless G. Walsh swims), the Aussies seem to have the edge here, especially since they’ve been racing SCM more this year than the rest.

With Canada out, the third spot on the podium seems to be wide open.

On paper, the Italians appear to be the frontrunners with a quartet of Sofia Morini, Giulia D’Innocenzo, Matilde Biagiotti and Anna Chiara Mascolo all having been between 1:54.2 and 1:56.1 this year, while two other squads icing complete rosters are Hungary and Neutral Athletes ‘B’ team of Russian swimmers.

The Hungarians are led by Nikolett Padar and budding NCAA star Minna Abraham, while the Neutral ‘B’ team has Daria Klepikova and Daria Trofimova both having been 1:54 last month.

China is seeded third based on their long course time from the Paris Olympics, but they’re missing the entire lineup from that final and will be leaning on Gong Zhenqi and Kong Yaqi to be competitive in Budapest.

SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4

WOMEN’S 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY

• World Record: 3:44.35, United States – 2022
• World Championship Record: 3:44.35, United States – 2022
• 2022 SC World Champion: United States, 3:44.35

The United States ousted Australia in world record-breaking fashion at the 2022 Short Course Worlds in the women’s 4×100 medley relay, and after winning Olympic gold this summer in dominant fashion, there’s no stopping the Americans in Budapest.

With 100 back world record holder Regan Smith on the lead-off leg, long course world record holder Lilly King on breast, current long course world record holder Gretchen Walsh on fly and American Record holder Kate Douglass on free, the U.S. team is bullet proof.

On paper, this team should have no trouble obliterating the 3:44.35 world record set in Melbourne. If we take Smith (54.27), King (1:02.50) and Douglass (50.82) at their flat-start best times in short course meters, and then throw in Walsh’s 100 fly long course time (55.18), it checks out with a time of 3:42.77. King might not be on her 2020 PB form but Walsh will likely be in the 53s given every time she touches the water recently it’s one of the fastest performances ever.

Australia lost Kaylee McKeown after her withdrawal, but still has a strong lead-off in Iona Anderson (55.79), and Alexandria Perkins (55.45) was impressive in the 100 fly in September. Tara Kinder was 1:05.2 in the 100 breast last year, and Meg Harris or Milla Jansen can provide a quick free split, so silver is well within reach for the Aussies.

The Canadians can use who is performing better between Ingrid Wilm and Kylie Masse on back (both have been sub-56), but will have to piece together the rest of the roster, with Summer McIntosh likely on fly and Penny Oleksiak on free. Breaststroke has three options in Sophie Angus, Sydney Pickrem and Alexanne Lepage, all owning similar best times in the 1:04.7 to 1:05.3 range.

From there, diving into the numbers, China checks out with a strong group, which is not the case in the free relays. They’ve got Qian Xinan (56.68), Tang Qianting (1:02.31), Chen Luying (56.38) and Liu Shuhan (52.47) giving them four elite legs, with Tang’s breaststroke truly a difference-maker compared to the other nations.

Their add-up of 3:47.84 pushes them ahead of Canada, which has no certainties beyond backstroke.

Sweden is another team that might be lacking in the free relays but is well equipped here with Hanna Rosvall, Sophie Hansson, Louise Hansson and Sara Junevik, while both Italy and the Neutral Athletes ‘B’ (Russian) team both have add-ups in the 3:50 range.

The U.S. is #1 with a bullet, but from there it gets murky and any one of Australia, China or Sweden could snag silver, with Italy, Canada and the Neutrals all realistically able to crack the podium.

Canada might be the biggest wildcard of all—what can Summer McIntosh do in the 100 fly? What type of form will Penny Oleksiak be on? Those are two of the big questions with Oleksiak having not raced since the Olympics and McIntosh only doing one yards meet in November.

SwimSwam’s Picks – Top 4