Katie Ledecky has dropped the 200 free from her lineup individually at the 2022 World Championships. That means she will race the 400, 800, and 1500 meter freestyles individually, and, we presume, still the 800 free relay.
Historically, the 200 free has been the least-successful of Ledecky’s core events internationally. She won Olympic gold in the event in Rio, but placed 5th in Tokyo last summer.
Her 1:54.66 from February ranks her tied with rival Ariarne Titmus in the event globally this season. In spite of very fast times in the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyles, Ledecky was half-a-second slower in the 200 free, in 1:55.15, at Trials last week in Greensboro.
She will be replaced by Leah Smith, who finished 3rd at Trials in 1:57.44. Smith was already on the roster in the 400 and 800 freestyles individually, and also as a member of the American 800 free relay team. She has an Olympic gold medal (2016) and two World Championship gold medals (2015, 2017) on the American 800 free relay, but no individual Olympic medals in the event.
Smith joins teenager Claire Weinstein, who was 2nd at Trials in 1:57.08, as representing the U.S. in that event at the World Championships.
Of note, the 7th-place finisher in the 200 free Erin Gemmell (daughter of Ledecky’s former coach Bruce Gemmell) was not pulled up on to the U.S. roster, even though there was space. We have seen a similar situation at least once before: after the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, 200 freestyle winner Michael Phelps scratched the race individually for the Olympics, but remained as part of the 800 free relay. Davis Tarwater, the 7th-place finisher in the 200 free at Trials, was added to the U.S. roster that year.
Ledecky also dropped the 200 free from her lineup at the 2019 World Championships (because of an illness), and at the 2013 World Championships. At the 2013 World Championships, she finished 2nd to Missy Franklin, and scratched early enough for the U.S. to insert 3rd-place finisher Shannon Vreeland into the slot instead. In 2013, Karlee Bispo, the 7th-place finisher in the 200 free at Trials, was likewise called up to fill the relay slot, just like Tarwater was a year earlier.
USA Swimming also announced who will swim the stroke 50s at Worlds, which you can read more on here.
UPDATED U.S. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER
| 2022 FINA World Championships Roster | [image] | ||||
| Women | |||||
| Name | Age | Event(s) | Hometown | Club | College Affiliation* |
| Phoebe Bacon | 19 | 200 BK | Chevy Chase, Md. | Nation’s Capital Swim Club/Wisconsin Aquatics | Wisconsin, ‘24 |
| Katharine Berkoff | 21 | 50 BK | Missoula, Mont. | Missoula Aquatic Club/NC State | NC State, ‘23 |
| Erika Brown | 23 | 50 FR; 4×100 FR-R | Modesto, Calif. | Tennessee Aquatics | Tennessee, ‘20 |
| Mallory Comerford | 24 | 4×100 FR-R | Kalamazoo, Mich. | Cardinal Aquatics | Louisville, ‘19 |
| Claire Curzan | 17 | 100 FR; 50/100 FL; 100 BK | Cary, N.C. | TAC Titans | ^Stanford, ‘26 |
| Kate Douglass | 20 | 200 BR; 4×100 FR-R | Pelham, N.Y. | University of Virginia | Virginia, ‘23 |
| Hali Flickinger | 27 | 200 FL; 4×200 FR-R | York, Pa. | Sun Devil Swimming | Georgia, ‘17 |
| Katie Grimes | 16 | 1500 FR; 400 IM | Las Vegas, Nev. | Sandpipers of Nevada | N/A |
| Leah Hayes | 16 | 200 IM | Sugar Grove, Ill. | Fox Valley Park District Riptides | N/A |
| Natalie Hinds | 28 | 4×100 FR-R | Midland, Texas | Gator Swim Club | Florida, ‘16 |
| Torri Huske | 19 | 50/100 FR; 50 FL/100 FL | Arlington, Va. | Stanford University | Stanford, ‘25 |
| Lilly King | 25 | 50/100/200 BR | Evansville, Ind. | Newburgh Sea Creatures/Greater Evansville Aquatic Team | Indiana, ‘19 |
| Annie Lazor | 27 | 100 BR | Beverly Hills, Mich. | Indiana Swim Club/Mission Viejo Nadadores | Ohio State/Auburn, ‘16 |
| Katie Ledecky | 25 | 400/800/1500 FR | Bethesda, Md. | Nation’s Captial/Gator Swim Club | Stanford, ‘20 |
| Bella Sims | 17 | 4×200 FR-R | Las Vegas, Nev. | Sandpipers of Nevada | N/A |
| Leah Smith | 27 | 200/400/800 FR; 4×200 FR-R | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Longhorn Aquatics | Virginia, ‘17 |
| Regan Smith | 20 | 50/100 BK; 200 FL | Lakeville, Minn. | Stanford University | Stanford, ‘25 |
| Alex Walsh | 20 | 200 IM; 4×200 FR-R | Nashville, Tenn. | Nashville Aquatic Club/University of Virginia | Virginia, ‘24 |
| Claire Weinstein | 15 | 200 FR | White Plains, N.Y. | Sandpipers of Nevada | N/A |
| Emma Weyant | 20 | 400 IM | Sarasota, Fla. | Sarasota Sharks | Virginia, ‘25 |
| Rhyan White | 22 | 200 BK | Herriman, Utah | University of Alabama/WFFM | Alabama, ‘22 |
| Men | |||||
| Name | Age | Event(s) | Hometown | Club | College Affiliation* |
| Michael Andrew | 23 | 50 FR; 50/100 BR; 50/100 FL | Encinitas, Calif. | MA Swim Academy | N/A |
| Hunter Armstrong | 21 | 50/100 BK; 4×100 FR-R | Dover, Ohio | The Ohio State University | Ohio State, ‘24 |
| Coby Carrozza | 21 | 4×200 FR-R | Austin, Texas | University of Texas | Texas, ‘24 |
| Shaine Casas | 22 | 200 BK | McAllen, Texas | Longhorn Aquatics | N/A |
| Charlie Clark | 20 | 800/1500 FR | Sandusky, Ohio | The Ohio State University/Vacationland Swim Club | Ohio State, ‘24 |
| Brooks Curry | 21 | 100 FR | Atlanta, Ga. | Louisiana State University | LSU, ‘23 |
| Caeleb Dressel | 25 | 50/100 FR; 50/100 FL | Green Cove Springs, Fla. | Gator Swim Club | Florida, ‘18 |
| Nic Fink | 28 | 50/100/200 BR | Morristown, N.J. | Metro Atlantic Aquatic Club | Georgia, ‘15 |
| Bobby Finke | 22 | 800/1500 FR | Clearwater, Fla. | Gator Swim Club | Florida, ‘22 |
| Carson Foster | 20 | 200/400 IM; 4×200 FR-R | Cincinnati, Ohio | University of Texas/Mason Manta Rays | Texas, ‘24 |
| Trey Freeman | 22 | 400 FR; 4×200 FR-R | Emigration Canyon, Utah | University of Florida/Baylor Swim Club | Florida, ‘23 |
| Ryan Held | 26 | 4×100 FR-R | Springfield, Ill. | NYAC/Sun Devil Swimming | NC State, ‘18 |
| Trenton Julian | 23 | 200 FL; 4×200 FR-R | Glendale, Calif. | Rose Bowl Aquatics | Cal-Berkeley, ‘21 |
| Chase Kalisz | 28 | 200/400 IM | Baltimore, Md. | Athens Bulldog Swim Club | Georgia, ‘17 |
| Drew Kibler | 22 | 200 FR; 4×100 FR-R | Carmel, Ind. | University of Texas | Texas, ‘22 |
| Ryan Murphy | 26 | 100/200 BK | Ponte Vedra Beach, Calif. | California Aquatics | Cal-Berkeley, ‘17 |
| Justin Ress | 24 | 50 BK; 4×100 FR-R | Cary, N.C. | Wolfpack Elite | NC State, ‘15 |
| Kieran Smith | 22 | 200/400 FR | Ridgefield, Conn. | Ridgefield Aquatic Club/University of Florida | Florida, ‘22 |
| Charlie Swanson | 24 | 200 BR | Richmond, Va. | Club Wolverine | Michigan, ‘21 |
| Luca Urlando | 20 | 200 FL | Sacramento, Calif. | University of Georgia/DART Swimming – Davis | Georgia, ‘24 |
| * Future year marks anticipated graduation date | |||||
| ^ Verbally committed | |||||
|
NOTES: Age at the opening of the 2022 FINA World Championships on June 18, 2022; Relay line-ups will be determined by the coaching staff.
|
|||||
| Women’s Team Head Coach: Todd DeSorbo (University of Virginia) | |||||
| Men’s Team Head Coach: Anthony Nesty (University of Florida) | |||||
|
Assistant Coaching Staff: Ron Aiken (Sandpipers of Nevada), Carol Capitani (University of Texas), Bill Dorenkott (The Ohio State University), Bruce Marchionda (TAC Titans), Greg Meehan (Alto Swim Club), Eddie Reese (University of Texas)
|
|||||
|
Events are subject to change. Athletes, coaches and events are updated as of May 3,, 2022.
|
Very smart move!
She had no gold medal chance in the 200 free.
Good for her! This is just tackling a new challenge. We’ve seen what she can do in a meet where she swims 200-400-800-1500… she can win them all, it’s amazing. Now let’s see how fast she can go in a tapered 1500 when she doesn’t have to double.
One can only speculate. At the age of 25, it was time to lighten the load.
I don’t mind this. This may be her last best chance at a 1500 WR. Has she ever swum 1500 on a full taper without the 200 free conflicting?
Meanwhile, she should have plenty of chances to hone her 200 during the back half of her career. She will even swim it at Worlds, and if it’s like 2021 she may go faster in the relay than she would individually.
From a purely historical perspective, Katie Ledecky’s greatest race was the women’s 1500 meter freestyle at the 2013 FINA World Aquatics Championships. Katie Ledecky and Lotte Friis broke Kate Ziegler’s world record.
https://youtu.be/bgNTzvz2hOk
Katie Ledecky dropped the individual women’s 200 meter freestyle from her program at the 2013 FINA World Aquatics Championships.
>Has she ever swum 1500 on a full taper without the 200 free conflicting?
Yes. 2013 Worlds in Barcelona.
In swimming, it is not common, as you get older, to focus on the longer end of your best distances. Quite the opposite. She is an outlier in that respect, too. This must have to do with what mr Hardt said: she has been an “imposter” in the 200 free all along.
I never thought I would see the end of her dominance in the 400 free, by the way.
On the flip side, there has been case when a female athlete did not swim the individual women’s 200 meter freestyle at trials, yet swam the final of the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay at a major international competition.
Nathalie Coughlin, Libby Trickett. They swam fastest split in the relay as well
For the Americans, the last female swimmer was Maya DiRado.
Katie can swim any event she wants to, she’s earned that right and then some. Best of luck to her!
Wonder if this says anything about what her training focus will be. Without the individual 200, will she focus more on the distance events? Could it affect her performance in the relay?
At least Katie Ledecky will be more rested for the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay.
I would be more worried about the other three swimmers especially without Paige Madden and Katie McLaughlin on the women’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay.
The 200 semis are right before the 1500 final. I don’t blame her for dropping the 200. I believe after her performance at trials, she believes she has something special in store for the 1500.
The 200 semi is the later.
Not from what I saw on the Fina site. But regardless, who would want to sprint a 200 after a mile final?
The women’s 1500 meter freestyle final precedes the women’s 200 meter freestyle semifinal.
https://www.fina.org/news/2510322/fina-announces-the-competition-schedule-for-the-fina-world-championships-budapest-2022
Bet this post made you feel real good for me mistaking the M for a W. Lmao