Katie Grimes Takes Down Meet Record in 400 IM

by Emma Edmund 7

December 10th, 2021 News, Records

2021 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS WEST

GIRLS 400 IM

  1. Katie Grimes (SAND), 15 – 4:00.66
  2. Justina Kozan (Una SET), 17 – 4:06.74
  3. Lucy Bell (Fort Collins), 17 – 4:10.78

Katie Grimes kicked off the Friday finals at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships Meet (West) by shattering the overall 400 IM SCY meet record with her time of 4:00.66. Grimes also easily defeated the West record, which was set at 4:05.25 by Ella Eastin in 2013.

Grimes’ splits:

Butterfly 25.79/28.99
Backstroke 29.47/29.25
Breaststroke 36.27/36.25
Freestyle 27.76/26.88

Grimes, who is just 15, broke Brooke Forde’s meet record of 4:02.51, but missed the 15-16 National Age Group record by 0.04 seconds. Grimes now sits as the No. 2 all-time in the age group, and the fastest 15-year-old by five seconds.

Top 15-16 Performers in the 400 IM (SCY)

  1. Dagny Knutson, Minot YMCA Swim Club, 2008: 4:00.62
  2. Katie Grimes, Sandpipers of Nevada, 2021: 4:00.66
  3. Katie Hoff, North Baltimore Aquatic Club, 2005: 4:03.46
  4. Meghan Small, York YMCA, 2015: 4:03.96
  5. Elizabeth Beisel, Bluefish Swim Club, 2008: 4:04.59

Grimes’ time also would have won the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships last season. The actual winner was senior Brooke Forde – whose meet record Grimes just broke – who swam the event in 4:01.57 for Stanford.

Among the other swimmers in the final, USC commit Justina Kozan took second with a time of 4:06.74, followed by Stanford commit Lucy Bell, who swam the event in 4:10.78. Kozan’s time makes her the eleventh-fastest 17-year-old of all time in the event.

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zdhamme86
2 years ago

4:00 with a 1:12+ breast split 😳

Watch out if she can knock a few (or even a couple) seconds off that split

PVSFree
2 years ago

Sandpipers have been on a roll this last year. They’re doing some incredible work with their high schoolers, including kids like Ilya Kharun who’s come out of NOWHERE in the last 4 months

Last edited 2 years ago by PVSFree
Marklewis
2 years ago

Faster than Beisel and Hoff.

More records to come for Katie Grimes.

Pacific Whirl
2 years ago

She’s gunning for the top spot in this event in long course version next year.

thezwimmer
2 years ago

I’m more impressed with her going from an average breaststroke split to as fast or faster than what almost all the girls did on their last 50. Considering the first freestyle split clocks from the hand hit at the end of breaststroke to the feet hit at the flip turn, and the second split is vice versa.

Ledecky will go 3:55 in Paris
2 years ago

Her final 50 in a 26??? wow

PK Doesn't Like His Long Name
2 years ago

This swim is pretty insane and is going to get lost in all of the NAGs going on but sheesh.

Katie finding herself a replica of the Greg Troy “Teach a Primarily Long Axis Swimmer a Super Functional Breaststroke” System (TM) would instantly make her a contender on the world stage in this event.