Hobson Swims Fastest Flying Split in the Field Enroute to WR (SC Worlds Day 1 Relay Analysis)

2024 SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• December 10-15, 2024
• Duna Arena, Budapest, Hungary
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• Prelims Live Recap: Day 1
• Finals Live Recap: Day 1

Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay – Final

• World Record: 3:02.75 – Italy (2022)
• World Championship Record: 3:02.75 – Italy (2022)
• 2022 SC World Champion: Italy, 3:02.75

Podium

1. USA (J. Alexy, L. Hobson, K. Smith, C. Guiliano) – 3:01.66 ***NEW WORLD RECORD***
2. Italy (A. Miressi, L. Deplano, L. Zazzeri, M. Frigo) – 3:03.65
3. Poland (K. Sieradzki, J. Majerski, K. Masiuk, K. Stokowski) – 3:04.46
4. Neutral Athletes B – 3:04.62
5. Brazil – 3:04.84
6. Spain – 3:05.57
7. Croatia – 3:05.68
8. Australia – 3:05.76

You can read more about the World Record here, but for the purposes of this article we are going to be looking at all of the splits and seeing where teams made their moves to get on to the podium.

Leadoff Legs (Flat Start)

The first 25 didn’t reveal much as Alexy and Kornev were separated by just .01 as the American was out in 10.10. But just a 25 later he had expanded what was the smallest of margins into .37 as the Cal Bear hit the halfway point in 21.23. From there on, he continued to build his lead until, at the first exchange, Alexy handed the USA team a lead of .89, and in the process, he collected himself the championship record in the individual 100.

Kornev paid for the early speed as he split 21.60 and 24.34, touching just .01 ahead of Alessandro Miressi who closed in a 23.93 to his the wall in 45.95.

Australian 200 freestyle Maximilian Giuliani had the slowest 100 at 46.62, but the time appears to be a personal best, so the Australians can’t be faulted for their poor performances as they could only work with what they had available.

2nd Legs (Flying Start)

Luke Hobson set himself up very nicely for the 200 free later on in the meet as the Texas product was one of several swimmers out in sub-10 but was one of two to record a split of under 45.5, the other being his teammate Chris Guiliano.

Leonardo Deplano made up the .01 gap between the Italians and the Neutral Athletes and brought his team into 2nd place and they never relinquished it. Deplano actually had a faster first 50 split than Hobson 21.27 to 21.28, but couldn’t hold the back half together like Hobson did.

While not under 46, Jakub Majerski‘s 46.04 built upon his teammate’s lead-off split of 46.33 to help put the Poles in a position to start to take down the Brazilians, who moved from 6th to 4th after Santos posted a 45.79.

3rd Legs (Flying Start)

Kieran Smith, like Hobson, is more suited to the 200 and 400, but from his time at Florida has been called upon to be a sprint freestyler and pulled out a strong 46.01 split. While not the time on this leg of the relay, the US had already built a 1.48-second lead on the Italians, and with Zazzeri managing just a 46.21, the US gained ground on all but the Brazilians and Poles.

At the halfway turn, the team from Brazil was sitting in 4th and led the Polish squad by .14 but Ksawery Masiuk used a 45.64 (the 4th fastest flying start) to put the race in the hands of Kacper Stokowski.

Brazil’s Kaique Alves‘s 45.82 was strong, too, as it pulled the Brazilians past the Neutral Athlete team, but the .18 difference from Masiuk led them to fall out of the medals.

4th Legs (Flying Start)

Brazil had a chance at the medals, but the 46.79 by Santos, the slowest among the anchors, was the last nail in the coffin. Neutral athletes anchor Andrei Minakov nearly brought his team from 5th back into the bronze medal position, but his 45.81 wasn’t fast enough to the close gap, and Stokoswki’s 46.45 was just enough to give the medal, with the team recording a new national record of 3:04.46.

Matthew Temple tried his best and threw down the 3rd fastest split amongst the 24 flying starts, but it was too little too late to make up any differences.

The United States, at this point, leading the Italians by 1.68, went to Chris Guiliano on anchor, and it was him against the clock. Out in 9.72/21.16, Guiliano poured on the gas on the backhalf and, coming home in a 24.26, stopped the clock in 3:01.66 to give the USA the win and the World Record.