After 2Free/4IM AM Double, Malia Rausch Explains 200 Free Finals Prep

2021 U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS

Reported by Spencer Penland.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – FINALS

  • World Record: 1:52.08  — Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
  • American Record: 1:53.61 — Allison Schmitt, 2012
  • U.S. Open Record: 1:54.40 — Allison Schmitt, 2012
  • World Junior Record: 1:55.43 — Junxuan Yang (CHN), 2019
  • 2016 Olympic Champion: Katie Ledecky (USA) — 1:53.73
  • 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Katie Ledecky – 1:54.88
  • Wave I Cut: 2:01.69
  • Wave II Cut: 2:00.24

Podium:

  1. Malia Rausch (ASC) – 2:00.93
  2. Autumn Haebig (HUSK) – 2:00.94
  3. Jillian Barczyk (COLA) – 2:01.35

In a display of outside smoke, ASC’s Malia Rausch, swimming in lane 8, flipped 2nd at the 50 mark before taking over the lead on the 2nd 50. The 18-year-old maintained her lead through the 3rd 50, then it looked like she was fading on the final 50, but with a final burst of speed on the last 20 meters, she managed to get her hand on the wall first. Autumn Haebig picked up her 2nd Wave II qualification by swimming to a 2nd place finish tonight.

Haebig had incredible closing speed yet again, flipping 8th at the 100 mark, and moving all the way up to 2nd by the 150 turn. She actually split the race closer tonight than she did this morning, splitting 1:00.19 on the first 100, and 1:00.75 on the 2nd 100.

Rausch scratched finals of the 400 IM to focus on the 200 free, and that decision seems to have paid off.

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About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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