Day 5 Relay Lineups: Cox, Flickinger Added To Women’s 4×200 Prelims

2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

With only ten teams and one heat in the prelims of the women’s 4×200, it shapes up to be a tactical and possibly slow morning in the event. Teams who aren’t in the back fighting for a spot in the final may not give it everything they have, unless of course the particular swimmer(s) is fighting to earn a spot in the final themselves.

The Americans will use Hali Flickinger and Madisyn Cox on the morning relay, two swimmers who weren’t top-6 at U.S. Trials, in order to rest Mallory Comerford and Simone Manuel who both have 100 free prelims and semi-finals today as well. They’ll join Melanie Margalis and Cierra Runge, with Comerford and Manuel potentially swimming the final with Katie Ledecky and Leah Smith.

Most of the other teams have left room to insert their top swimmers tonight, including Australia with Emma McKeon, Canada with Penny Oleksiak, Russia with Veronika Popova and Hungary with Katinka Hosszu.

Heat 1

0. Italy (Mizzau, Pirozzi, Mascolo, Quadarella)

  1. Netherlands (Neumann, Heemskerk, Vermeulen, Delino)
  2. Russia (Ustinova, Andreeva, Guzhenkova, Openysheva)
  3. Canada (Savard, Harvey, Smith, Sanchez)
  4. USA (Margalis, Runge, Flickinger, Cox)
  5. Australia (Wilson, Ngawati, Jack, Neale)
  6. China (Zhang, Liu, Wang, Shen)
  7. Hungary (Kesely, Verraszto, Jakabos, Gyurinovics)
  8. Japan (Igarashi, Ikee, Aoki, Takano)
  9. Denmark (Bro, Hansen, Howardsen, Lund)

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straightblackline
6 years ago

It’s almost farcical that we had one heat of 9 teams to decide which 8 go into the final. Is there a law of nature which says that you cannot have a straight-out final with 9 lanes used? But then if we didn’t have preliminaries we wouldn’t have the opportunity to endlessly chatter about such things as: who should be rested for the final? who should be in the prelims? who in the prelims did well enough to earn selection for the final?

Tm71
6 years ago

Margalis 15658
Runge 15917
Flickinger 15846
Cox 15952

AvidSwimFan
6 years ago

Flickinger is now guaranteed a medal. I’m bummed she missed the 200 fly final. She hasn’t been swimming well in Budapest. Maybe she missed her taper?

Wallaby
Reply to  AvidSwimFan
6 years ago

With safe relay exchanges

Prickle
6 years ago

Americans may have eight gold medalists using two completely different teams in prelim and final races.

Pau Hana
Reply to  Prickle
6 years ago

I’m sure they will. 🙂

commonwombat
6 years ago

Will win comfortably, CHN may be within 2-3 seconds but they lack a real “weapon”.Hard to see anyone else being much south of 7,49.
Not sure JAP has mega improvement on what we saw in heats.
AUS will bring in McKeon which could lift them by maybe 5sec but thats only to 7.49.
CAN bring in Oleksiak which may lift them around 4-5sec but that still leaves them around 7.50ish.
If anything HUN potentially has the most scope as their slowest swimmer was 2.00. Bring in Hosszu who’ll lift them at least 4sec. Add Kapas who should be at least 2 sec on whom they replace. Add the hometown crowd ….. and I think we may… Read more »

Pombear
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

Will Aus bring in Titmus as well or is she around the same speed as the heat swimmers? Presumably they will swap out Neale who had the slowest swim?

commonwombat
Reply to  Pombear
6 years ago

Titmus PB is something like 1.57.9 and she only swam 1.58 in 200 heats here; essentially no appreciable enhancement on this morning’s performers. Think she will come in (most likely for Ngawati) and McKeon.

Am almost tempted to say to McKeon; if we’re already way out of it when you hit the water DON’T “bust yourself” on a forlorn hope. She’s still got other events that may pay higher dividends.

Pombear
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

Yep, not sure what their medal chances are without Barratt this year.

commonwombat
Reply to  Pombear
6 years ago

Barratt had already flagged that she was retiring after Rio so that was a known “hit”. What has also happened is that Cook who swam a 1.56 split in Rio (and finalled 400) is on a “year out”. All that leaves you with is McKeon in terms of quality and hope that someone (hopefully young) will really step up

Peter L
6 years ago

I like their lineup as it basically was “throw everyone who can swim a decent 200 free” in for a medal ?2 IMers, a 200flyer and 1 freestyler

SwimmerTX
Reply to  Peter L
6 years ago

I mean, you’re not wrong. But you have to admit that their ind. splits were fairly good for them depending on their stroke specialty and the overall outcome was great

Prickle
Reply to  Peter L
6 years ago

Should it be two teams less in competition then anybody could swim in prelim: four breaststrokers , for instance.

Prickle
6 years ago

Melanie Margalis swam her personal best at leadoff leg 1:56.58. Very good time. I think she deserved to be in final tonight. Who will be the fourth: Comerford or Manuel?

Peter L
Reply to  Prickle
6 years ago

Comerford, she finished 4th at trials. But again, we never know.

OldWahooVA
Reply to  Prickle
6 years ago

Comerford – much better at 200.

Prickle
Reply to  OldWahooVA
6 years ago

The difference in personal bests shown at trials is 0.16sec.
The question is if any of these girls agree to miss gold medal in relay. So we may see both of them in final. On the other hand they have some thoughts of staying fresh for tomorrow 100 final if they both advance.

Pau Hana
Reply to  Prickle
6 years ago

I think it will be a fresh set of 4 tonight, unless the coaches see something in one of Ledecky/Smith/Manuel/Comerford that we don’t see, or one of them passes on the relay.

Anonymous
Reply to  Pau Hana
6 years ago

I don’t think they’ll pass up Margalis, she was third at trials and did about a half second PB today.

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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