2013 Santa Clara Grand Prix coverage of women’s 200 backstroke as reported by Braden Keith:
The slower pace in the women’s 200 free seems to have paid off for Missy Franklin in the 200 backstroke, as she looked fresh on back-to-back races winning pretty easily in 2:08.24. She was out in 1:02.8, and came home in 1:05.4. Time-wise, that’s her best performance of the meet so far, and it came on the second half of a double. That shows just how far out ahead of the rest of the world she is in the 200 back.
Meanwhile, in a battle for 2nd, Kendyl Stewart got all of the lead she needed in the first 100 meters, and held of Canadian Hilary Caldwell for 2nd in 2:10.72. Caldwell was 2:11.92 for 3rd, and Short Course World Championship silver-medalist Bonnie Brandon was 4th in 2:12.90.
Australia’s Emily Seebohm was a jump back in 5th with a 2:14.77 – about a second slower than she was in the morning.
Mexican Maria Gonzalez-Ramirez won the B-Final in 2:12.84 as the newest member of the international Gator Swim Club training group, and Australian Mikkayla Sheridan was 11th overall in 2:13.80.
This video was captured by SwimSwam contributor Morgan Priestley.
And Missy laughs, laughs and laughs.
And congrats to Todd Schmitz for the great work he has done with her. It must be hard for him to see Missy leave. I hope he will find very quickly another great young talent to train.