Leah Hayes is slated to make her international relay debut for the U.S. at the World Junior Championships next week, which could be a precursor for her aspirations at the senior level next summer.
The 17-year-old IM specialist has been training more 200 freestyle recently with her sights set on making the 4×200 free relay at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Hayes barely missed the roster for this year’s World Championships with a 3rd-place finish in the 400 IM (4:38.45) and 4th-place finish in the 200 IM (2:10.42) after winning bronze in the 200 IM at the 2022 World Championships in a then-world junior record of 2:08.91.
“I am training heavily for the 200 free, not as heavily as the IMs,” Hayes said in a recent World Aquatics feature. “My training is mainly IM but we definitely throw a lot of freestyle in there. I am really excited to be on the 4×2. This will be my first international relay but I am hoping with more training and more time I can snag a spot on the relay next year at Olympic Trials.”
Hayes’ best 200 free time is a 1:58.27 from April’s Pro Swim Series stop in her home state of Illinois. She couldn’t quite replicate that mark at U.S. Nationals a couple months later with a 1:58.86, so World Juniors should serve as a benchmark for her post-meet progress. It took sub-1:57 to make the top 6 in the 200 free at U.S. Nationals this year, so she’ll likely need to drop another couple seconds to make the squad in that event.
“After Nationals, I decided to go to Florida for a few days for a fresh restart and just relax a little bit,” said Hayes, who is slated to begin her collegiate career at Virginia in the fall of 2024. “I wasn’t too happy with my performance (at Nationals) so my coach and I went back to the drawing board and made some new plans and things have been going really well.”
Individually, Hayes is a heavy favorite at Junior Worlds in both the 200 IM and 400 IM while she’s seeded 3rd in the 200 free behind Canada’s Ella Jansen and Israel’s Daria Golovaty.
On relays, she’ll link up with No. 6 seed Addison Sauickie (1:58.66) to try to take down the Australian 4×200 free relay led by No. 4 seed Amelia Weber (1:58.42) and No. 7 seed Hannah Casey (1:59.11). In the 4×100 free relay, Hayes is expected to join Anna Moesch (54.36) and Erika Pelaez (54.98) against the Australian quartet headlined by Olivia Wunsch (54.05) and Milla Jansen (54.54).
“I find that I am usually able to give more in relays when I am swimming not only for myself but my teammates and my team,” Hayes said. “When there is a bigger meaning to the race and more people depend on you, I find I have even more to give. With these relays coming up, I am super excited to potentially be a part of them and to represent the United States with a relay.”
Overall, Hayes heads into World Juniors brimming with confidence as the only competitor who has already claimed an individual Worlds medal at the senior level.
“As a Christian, I heavily believe in God’s plan,” Hayes said. “With every step of the way, there’s things that I may not understand at the time but later it will all come together. With the World Championships, I felt there were many things that prepared me well that I felt God had put into my plan to help prepare me for the World Championships and that’s why I had so much confidence going into that.
“So I feel like I am meant to be at the World Juniors with not qualifying for Worlds so I am pretty confident with the more training I had this past few weeks and months I am definitely a little more confident going into World Juniors,” she added.
Where can I find the viewing schedule?
Has anyone seen an entry list for world juniors?
I came here to ask the same question. 🙂
Nothing yet.
There one somewhere. Another writer on another site talked about various 1st seeds, top 3 seeds, etc.
Smart – she knows that the Douglass-Walsh combo will be almost impossible to disrupt at Olympic trials in the 2IM so if she wants to make the olympic team she’ll have a better chance in the 800FR Relay.
Does UVA have much of a pro team? I remember Conger swam there a little after 2016, but I can’t think of anyone current. I don’t think Leah Smith stuck around for very long once she graduated, but the team was very different then. I am curious to see what Kate and DeSorbo end up doing.
Having a pro team can put extra strain on a head coach as they need to go to the pro events while leaving the college team with the rest of the staff. Especially when a head coach has a combined team it can be a tough ask.
i think kate might train for short course worlds and go for the 2 IM world record. Then, it needs to be all long course from there. Not sure how that works with UVA unless she gets a separate elite long course program exclusively with a few pros. i’m sure todd and blair make enough money to do both.
i do think she has the pedigree to challenge Alex in the 2 IM if she further improves.
She already beat her at Sc worlds and LC worlds, I believe she will win in Paris by at least a second. Unless Alex figures out how to close that last 50. Kaylee will be there too obviously, without a DQ 😉
Oops I’m guessing you meant Leah, but I agree on that also, but idk don’t see her beating Alex next summer in 200 IM.
TeamLeah! Just more evidence that makes Leah shine as a person as well as an elite athlete. Perspective, dedication to team goals, forward-thinking. Have a wonderful World Junior Championships!