The Canadian women have been building some depth in their butterfly group; perhaps not quite the depth that their breaststroke group has seen, but a solid rank none-the-less.
On the final day of the 2013 Fran Crippen Memorial Swim Meet of Champions, they made big moves in the night’s first final by taking 1st and 2nd in the form of Katerine Savard and Noemie Thomas.
Savard’s time of 57.40 ranks her 2nd in the world this year, and Thomas’ 57.96 puts her 6th. Those are solid lifetime bests for both swimmers, and Savard’s swim breaks her own National Record that had stood at 57.80 since 2011.
Australia’s Brittany Elmslie took 3rd in 59.80, and Cal’s Caitlin Leverenz was the top-finishing American in 5th with a 1:00.71.
American Tom Shields kept the swimming fast in the second event, posting a season-best of 52.53 to win the men’s 100 fly. He was followed by Minnesota undergrad/U.S. World University Games swimmer Kyler van Swol, who took 2nd in a season best of his own at 53.07.
Chloe Sutton, after a great 400 earlier in the meet, looked solid in the longest event on the schedule, the 1500, winning in 16:14.71 ahead of Minnesota’s Ashley Steenvoorden who went 16:16.79. Sutton won’t swim this race at the World Championship Trials, sticking to the Olympic 200, 400, and 800 meter races.
In the next event, the internationals got back into the win column as Australian Emily Seebohm had the best swim we’ve seen from her in two weeks of racing in California, posting a 1:00.05 to win the women’s 100 backstroke. Canada’s Hilary Caldwell took 2nd in 1:02.04, and 16-year old Aussie Lauren Rettie placed 3rd in 1:02.20.
Seebohm would add a 2nd win for the night with a 2:12.74 – her best time outside of Australia’s National Championship meet in April. What’s really encouraging is that on the breaststroke leg, she was only a second behind runner-up Caitlin Leverenz (2:12.86), who is renowned for her breaststroke legs on these IM’s.
Stina Gardell was 2nd in 2:13.32, and Yuliya Efimova was 4th in 2:15.46.
Jacob Pebley took the men’s race in 55.94. That’s a second 55-second swim in two weeks of racing. Canada’s Russell Wood was 2nd in 56.47.
Canada’s Ryan Cochrane won the 1500 earlier in this meet, but prefers not to over-race the distance events in season, and so hedidn’t swim the men’s 800 on the final day of this meet. That left Australia’s Mack Horton to win in 8:03.71 ahead of Canadian Jeremy Bagshaw in 8:08.65. Horton’s margin was a fairly even build throughout the race: he was splitting 30-mids, whereas Bagshaw was fairly consistent 31-lows.
In the women’s 100 breaststroke, there was another very international field at the top. Russian Yuliya Efimova paced her first 50 meters, and roared home to a win in 1:07.24. As compared to her two second split-spread, Australian Samantha Marshall went out very fast (31.94), but had over a four second spread as she took 2nd in 1:08.94.
The top Irish breaststroker Fiona Doyle, who trains in Canada, was 3rd in 1:09.06, and the top 5 was rounded out by Americans Kasey Carlson (1:09.51) and Caitlin Leverenz (1:10.23). Unlike last year, Carlson seems to be entering Trials this year healthy and upbeat about her chances as she tries to make her first World Championship roster since 2009.
Trojan’s Azad Al-Barazi, a Syrian native, won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 1:02.50. He’s really having a good few weeks of racing, beating his previous lifetime best a few times.
Jason Block from the University of Calgary was 2nd in 1:03.27.
And finally, in the men’s 200 IM, Cal sophomore Josh Prenot won in 2:02.48. That’s only three-tenths of a second away from his best time at last summer’s Olympic Trials.
Nikita Denisyako took 2nd in 2:03.02.
Impressive Canadians in the women’s 100 fly!
I also wanted to watch Ella Eastin in long course after her great SCY accomplishments last month but it’s tough for her. 2.18 in the 200 IM isn’t a good time. 2 remarks :
1. I wonder how many weeks a swimmer like her, who has the high school championships in May, has spent in long course in training since last September. The transition to long course seems very hard.
2. And if she was fully tapered for her 1.55 in the 200 IM last month, it’s unlikely she will shine in Indianapolis at the end June. Perhaps her LCM best times will come in August. We’ll see.
Jason Block swim for University of Calgary Swim Club not UC-Santa Cruz
Also a new Canadian record by Savard in the 100 fly!