Kelsi Worrell: That wasn’t what I planned (Video)

Produced by Coleman Hodges.

Reported by Stephen Parsons. 

100 FLY – FINALS

Top 3:

  1. Kelsi Worrell, Louisville – 49.43
  2. Sarah Gibson, Texas A&M – 50.61
  3. Farida Osman, California – 50.76

After rattling her own American record this morning, Louisville senior Kelsi Worrell crushed the mark at night, going 49.43 to push closer to the 49-second barrier than the once-hallowed 50-second mark she shattered for the first time in history last year.

Worrell was unstoppable in the front half of this race, going 23.09 – that’s almost half a second faster than she took out her record-setting race last year.

Texas A&M junior Sarah Gibson earned runner-up honors in 50.61 to complete one of the more unique stories of the year. Purely a distance freestyler for her first two years of college swimming, Gibson exploded in the butterfly this year, winning the SEC title and rising all the way up to #2 in the nation.

Cal’s Farida Osman was 50.76 in pushing Gibson for the second spot. The Egyptian national record-holder, Osman was out a tick faster than Gibson but couldn’t quite hang on for second. Her points will come through big for Cal, though, with her teammates Noemie Thomas (51.39) and Rachel Bootsma (51.40) taking 6th and 7th, respectively.

Stanford’s Janet Hu was 51.03, taking fourth in a nice sophomore year drop. UNC’s Hellen Moffitt (5th in 51.16) and Georgia’s Kylie Stewart (8th in 51.68) surrounded the two Cal teammates at the end of the heat.

Annie Ochitwa, part of a great freshman class for a reloading Arizona team, won the B final in 51.02.

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mikeh
8 years ago

What a marvelous lady, congratulation to Ms. Worrell.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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