Reported by James Sutherland.
2018 US WINTER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- November 28th-December 1st, 2018
- Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Psych Sheets
- Results
- Short Course Time Trial Info
- Live Stream
- Wednesday Finals Heat Sheet
- Prelims/Finals at 9 am / 6 pm ET
- LCM (50m)
WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE TIMED FINAL
- 2020 Olympic Trial Cut: 8:48.09
- Katie Ledecky, NCAP, 8:14.40
- Ashley Twichell, TAC, 8:28.16
- Erica Sullivan, SAND, 8:29.02
To no surprise Katie Ledecky led the first heat of the women’s 800 free wire-to-wire to win by almost 14 seconds in 8:14.40, negative-splitting the race 4:07.27/4:07.13. This is her 20th fastest swim ever, and makes her the first swimmer to hit a 2020 Olympic Trials cut.
Ashley Twichell had the 2nd fastest swim of her career to take 2nd, clocking 8:28.16, and Erica Sullivan had her 3rd fastest performance ever for 3rd in 8:29.02.
Along with those three, Kaersten Meitz (8:37.11), Chase Travis (8:38.84) and Emma Weyant(8:41.30) also made the Trials cut (8:48.09) from heat 1.
15-year-old Paige McKenna (8:46.76) put herself into 8th overall and under the Trials standard from the second fastest heat.
I noticed long time ago that 8:11 is Ledecky’s “high altitude base camp” from where she starts ascending. And she has confirmed it in this interview. 7 of her 21 best times are 8:11. 7 were faster and 7 slower. It took her one and a half year to go under 8:11 and therefore 8:07 in Kazan was even more exciting than her 8:04 in Rio.
Whoever dreams to beat Ledecky counting on the natural aging factor has to target 8:11 as their personal best.