Leah Hayes Swims #3 American Time in 17-18 200 IM (Even Without a Best Time)

2023 PRO SWIM SERIES – WESTMONT

• April 12-15, 2023
• FMC Aquatic Center, Westmont, Illinois
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Event Central
• Pre-Scratch timeline
• Psych Sheets
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap

Leah Hayes didn’t swim a best time in the 200 IM on Saturday night in Westmont, Illinois, but she did swim her best time since her birthday, and she now ranks as the #3 American 17-18 swimmer in the history of the event.

This is just Hayes’ second long course meet since her birthday in mid October. At the US Open in December, she swam 2:10.67.

Splits Comparison:

Hayes’ 15-16 record of 2:08.91 from the 2022 World Championships, which earned a bronze medal, ‘jumped’ the classes, and is actually faster than the 17-18 record, so in light of that, this #3 ranking isn’t super important, it is a good opportunity to reset the field for the two American roster spots in this event.

Hayes is now the fastest American in the 200 IM this season, surpassing Regan Smith’s 2:10.40 from the US Open in December. While Smith is swimming exceedingly-well right now (she broke the US Open Record in the 200 back on Saturday), she has a lot of events to chase already and probably won’t swim the 200 IM at Worlds.

The two biggest competitors, though, haven’t yet raced the event in long course this year, as they’re coming out of the NCAA season. Virginia teammates Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh, the top two swimmers at NCAAs (and two fastest-ever in yards) are both massive threats in this race.

Walsh is the defending World Champion who swam 2:07.13 in Budapest. Douglass, meanwhile, has a personal best of 2:09.04, just over a tenth behind Smith, and won the World Short Course and NCAA titles in the event in the last few months.

Douglass has a lot of events that she’s good at, and all of those events have lots of competition. So if this is a three swimmer race, that might actually be a relatively-straightforward pathway to the team for her.

Contenders Comparison:

Hayes’ biggest advantage over Douglass right now is the backstroke leg – and she outsplit her PB on that backstroke leg on Saturday.

She needs to build a lead ahead of Douglass on that backstroke leg if she wants to have a chance to hold off Douglass on the breaststroke leg.

Hayes’ last two swims are her fastest outside of last year’s World Championship Trials and World Championships, so while she hasn’t been racing much long course, that still shows that she’s on track for another big summer.