Disclaimer: BlueSeventy Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The BlueSeventy Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks some as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
For someone with an extensive resume through club, high school, college and international swimming, Missy Franklin arrived at the 2015 NCAA meet with a surprising amount to prove.
Despite being on the very short list of the world’s best all-around female swimmers, Franklin still faced questions about her continued improvement going forward, coming off of basically a full calendar year marked with adversity and bad breaks.
There was the 2014 NCAAs, where Franklin’s stellar 200 free was, for some, overshadowed by losses in two other “off” events, including a 500 free where Franklin led with 50 yards to go but was run down in a big way by Georgia’s Brittany MacLean. In addition, though Franklin went lifetime-bests in all three races, her Cal squad was roundly disappointing, an insanely-talented roster underperforming, losing a shot at the national title and being relegated to a surprise battle for second by the final day.
Then there was the summer of 2014, where Franklin was hit with debilitating back spasms and was only able to take home a single bronze medal individually.
The doubters weren’t necessarily many, but they were loud. (Avid SwimSwam commenters will probably remember a few of their screen names). Had Franklin plateaued? Was the move to Berkeley actually a setback in the career of USA Swimming’s rising icon?
Though we’ll have to wait for long course action this summer to really know for sure, Franklin’s performances at NCAAs last week offered a pretty resounding answer. In particular, one 5-digit time serves as a cipher-code for the phrase “Missy’s back!” (It might also mean “She never really went anywhere at all”). That 5-digit code: 1:39.10.
1:39.10, of course, is the earth-shattering time from Franklin’s NCAA championship swim in the 200 free. In a meet full of astounding, record-breaking performances, it’s very easy to argue that this swim is head and shoulders above the rest.
Franklin broke the American record by 1.2 seconds, a gigantic amount in high-level swimming. Since Missy set the record at last year’s NCAAs, it also counts as a 1.2-second drop, a great indicator of Franklin’s improvement as a swimmer over the tough past 12 months.
With that swim, Franklin becomes the fastest 200 freestyler in history by a full second and a half. She won the event by almost two and a half, swimming against another of the fastest freestylers in history, Simone Manuel.
Probably most impressive was the way Franklin vaulted below the 1:40-barrier. There was a lot of speculation that Franklin could go 1:39 this season, but most predictions had her barely cracking the barrier – a prediction of 1:39.10 pre-meet would have probably been labeled some adjective between “very optimistic” and “highly unrealistic.”
Even more important to Franklin, though, was that her swim sparked the Cal Bears to ultimately do as a team what they couldn’t in her freshman season, and the bubbly Olympian got to close out her college career at the top of the NCAA podium.
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All the best Missy!
I bet good money that Missy PRs in the LCM 100 and 200 freestyles this summer. In fact, I think that Missy has found an extra gear for speed and could surprise us in the 100.
Missy’s not one of these huge-hit-the-15M-mark-w/SDKs-off-every-wall type of swimmer. If she was, the naysayers about the SCY to LCM switch might be warranted. But, she’s not. I see no cause for concern about her ability to translate her excellent SCY swims in Greensboro to impressive, world-leading swims in Kazan.
Way to go, Missy!
The proper issue to be raised is not the difference between SCY and LCM, but whether Missy’s decision to focus on the former will adversely impact her at Worlds and Olympics. I don’t think training in SC matters that much, but the lack of competition in the big pool over the last couple years will be somewhat of a problem she will have to overcome. Missy needs to get busy and start entering the grand prix meets, or whatever they call them now. Don’t get me wrong, that 39 was crazy. But enough playing in the Kiddie pool, time for Adult swim. BTW- has Missy announced where she will train yet? Hopefully not Cal..
AMEN! We get it, a meter pool is different than a yards pool!
I wish I could give you a million upvotes! 🙂 🙂
Food for thought, Franklin being 1.5s faster than the next fastest, and the next fastest swimmer being a 156mid equivalently doesn’t necessarily mean much other than the fact that Franklin has captured her best LC form during the NCAA. Until she shows that she can go 154low or lower, this swim doesn’t shouldnt elicit any wild drop in expectation from her in the freestyle
Why is every great short course swim met with comments about whether or not it can be repeated in long course? The swim was amazing. Let’s just celebrate it. Additionally, I think that most people that have watched Missy swim over the years would agree that she is better in long course.
when arguing how SCY transfers to LCM, one name comes to mind who has the NCAA record of 100 fly but yet never cracked into Olympics. Austin Staab. His underwaters were amazing, he was basicly Tom shields clone, or it should be the other way around cause Tom is younger. But you get the picture. He owns the NCAA record, 44.1 100 fly, but never could beat Ian, or Michael. In fact i’m going to look it up but I don’t think he ever cracked top 8 at trials… maybe i’m not sure i’ma look it up.
Oh and because SCY is more turns, more time for underwaters, LCM you have to have much better technique in the swimming part.
So I looked it up, I didn’t see him crack the top 8. in 08 or 12, and he wasn’t on the results in 04.
To be fair, many more have done the reverse.
The reason why there’s a need to temper enthusiasm (and this is not about Missy because we all know she’s great in LCM) is because many would get over-excited and claimed so-and-so swimmer would swim ridiculous LCM after a very fast SCY swims.
For example, many did predict Cordes would crush 2:04 LCM.
And even just few days ago some here predicted Weitzel would go 52 LCM based on her (former) AR SCY.
Quite frankly, considering the number of swimmers have have made significant drops from 2.10 (or 2.13 in some cases) to 2.07 in a year & the number of 2:07s since London (7 by my count), I would not be surprised to see a sudden break out to 2:06 or 2:05. I just don’t have my money on it being Cordes 😉
Re: 206low/2:05high
Did not get to see the race, is there any video?
Nothing on youtube so far (thanks to the copyright watchdogs).
ESPNU will broadcast an edited version of the Women’s NCAA’s on the 31st. So there’s a chance we’ll get to see some of these historic races online after then…
Please yes! If an American can post the ESPNU video replays on youtube…. It would be so nice for people outside of USA! 🙂
When you break a record from Missy Franklin by one second, it means that you’ve done something very special.
Missy will perhaps rebreak her own record in the future (if she swims again in yards fully tapered one day, which is unlikely), but her NCAA record will stand at least one century.
And once again, I want to watch that race!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the other records too!!!!!!!!!!!
bobo are you kidding me?? It’s a fast swim but nowhere as special as you’re trying to make it out to be.
I guarantee you it’ll only last a year if not less! 2 young student-athletes from Stanford will break this record easily very soon.
Fact. Simone was only 0.06 behind Franklin at Pac 12’s. Just 0.01 at NCAA’s in the morning.
Another fact. Have you forgotten the greatest swimmer in the world? I’m referring to Katie Ledecky of course!
Both these superstars are already breathing down Franklin’s neck in an event which is not within their typical range.
They are younger and have a much bigger upside than Franklin who had already hit her peak back in 2011.
SwimNerd, you say that Simone was close by at Pac12’s and NCAA prelims. But what do the final times show? that Missy is TWO FULL SECONDS ahead of Simone and Katie right now. Those earlier races may have looked close on paper, but MIssy knew how to throw down where it counted, at the NCAA finals.
Simone isn’t breathing down her neck in the 200 free, she’s breathing two body lengths behind MIssy’s wake.
Ledecky is the only one that could possibly take it down before she’s done with serious SCY swimming, and even then it probably won’t be her freshman or sophomore years. She has 2.5 seconds to drop to catch MIssy’s time.
Now granted, Bobo may have… Read more »
You’re saying Missy Franklin hit her peak in 2011??? I’m sorry but no way. Missy has not hit her peak.
How DARE you say a negative comment about our deity Mrs Franklin. Down votes!!! Down votes!!! The only correct answer is Missy is the first and only every person ever created in the whole of man kind!!!!! Repent!!!!
I’m a huge Ledecky fan, but I don’t think she has the speed (right now) to touch that record. Missy took it out about a half second faster than Ledecky’s best 100 time, and though Ledecky might have a monster back half, Missy’s was still pretty solid.