Kathleen Baker: “First time in a hot second that my freestyle leg was faster than my backstroke” (Video)

2021 PRO SWIM SERIES – SAN ANTONIO

• January 14-17, 2021
• North East ISD Blossom Athletic Complex, San Antonio, Texas
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Info (Both Sites)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Session Timelines
• Live Stream (USA Swimming)
• Start Times (Central Time): Women’s Prelims: 9:00 a.m. / Men’s Prelims: 90 minutes after women’s prelims (between 11:30-12:00) / Finals: 6:00 p.m.
• Sunday Finals Heat Sheet

Reported by James Sutherland.

WOMEN’S 200 IM FINALS

• PSS Record: 2:08.66, Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2015
• U.S. Olympic Trials Cut: 2:17.39

1. Kathleen Baker, TE, 2:10.30
2. Madisyn Cox, TXLA, 2:11.22
3. Beata Nelson, WA, 2:15.21

Kathleen Baker made her move on the backstroke leg of the women’s 200 IM, giving her over a second buffer on Madisyn Cox that she was able to maintain the rest of the way. Looking at the splits, the two were very close on all the other strokes, but Baker’s 32.49 back leg made all the difference.

The 23-year-old Baker finished in a time of 2:10.30, moving past Cox to become the second-fastest swimmer in the world this year, with only Australian Kaylee McKeown (2:08.23) ahead of her. It’s also Baker’s third-fastest performance ever, having been 2:08.32 in the summer of 2018 and 2:08.75 in February of last year.

Cox had a strong swim to finish in 2:11.22, less than a second off her 2:10.49 from the U.S. Open.

In a close race for third, Beata Nelson‘s front-half was just a little bit better than Evie Pfeifer‘s back-half, as Nelson edged her out by a tenth in 2:15.21, her second-fastest swim ever.