Ledecky Wins $6,000 In Knoxville, Leads 2019 Pro Swim Series Early

2019 PRO SWIM SERIES- KNOXVILLE

One meet into the 2019 Pro Swim Series and Katie Ledecky leads all money-earners and also sits atop the chase for the $10,000 top swim bonus.

Ledecky won four events (the 200, 400 and 800 frees plus the 400 IM) and took home $6,000 in earnings. She also tied with Regan Smith for the top FINA points swim. On the men’s side, Josh Prenot is the leader at $5,500. Smith and Prenot had the best prelims swims, earning $1500 bonuses. Ledecky and Smith accounted for all of the top 5 FINA point swims on the women’s side. Ryan Murphy is the narrow leader on the men’s side in FINA point swims, edging Prenot’s 200 breast by 2 FINA points.

Meanwhile in the SwimSquad relays, the winning team (Phoebe Bacon/Nic Fink/Gianluca Urlando/Simone Manuel from the DiRadSquad) earned $250 apiece while the team with the fastest reaction time add-up (Kathleen Baker/Kevin Cordes/Kendyl Stewart/Michael Chadwick from the Beisel Bunch) also earned $250 apiece.

Prize Money System

The top 3 in each individual event will earn money. The top prelims swim in an individual Olympic event (based on FINA points) earns a $1500 bonus, one for the men and one for women. The swimmer with the top individual Olympic event swim (based on FINA points) of the entire series will earn a $10,000 bonus.

Individual Events (including stroke 50s)

  • 1st: $1500
  • 2nd: $1000
  • 3rd: $500

Top Prelims Swim (individual Olympic events)

  • $1500

Top Overall Swim for Series (individual Olympic events)

  • $10,000

SwimSquad Relays

  • TBA

Top Swim Series Leaders

The top swims of the entire series will earn $10,000 bonuses – one for the top man and one for the top women. Here are the current leaders.

Women:

Rank Athlete FINA Points Time Event Meet
1 Katie Ledecky* 937 15:45.59 1500 Free Knoxville
1 Regan Smith* 937 59.37 100 Back Knoxville
3 Katie Ledecky 929 1:55.78 200 Free Knoxville
4 Katie Ledecky 924 4:05.53 400 Free Knoxville
5 Regan Smith 920 2:07.53 200 Back Knoxville

*Ledecky wins the current tie-break with Smith by virtue of having the higher points total in her second-best event.

Men:

Rank Athlete FINA Points Time Event Meet
1 Ryan Murphy 927 53.17 100 Back Knoxville
2 Josh Prenot 925 2:09.96 200 Breast Knoxville
3 Chase Kalisz 909 1:57.68 200 IM Knoxville
4 Ryan Murphy 894 1:56.16 200 Back Knoxville
5 Marius Kusch 876 52.06 100 Fly Knoxville

Full Money Lists

Note: the following list tracks “money earned,” though not necessarily “money received.” Athletes maintaining amateurism for high school or NCAA swimming have restrictions on how much prize money they can accept.

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running start to touch backstroke flags
5 years ago

Money List is just so sad. Try giving that money list to a PGA tour stop.

SWIMPOP
5 years ago

Meanwhile Llyod Harris of South Africa earned $75,000 for losing his first round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament 1-6, 2-6 1-6, solidifying his current rank of 119 in the world.

Too sad to look up what last place at the most recent PGA event won.

$6,500, lord.

Yozhik
Reply to  SWIMPOP
5 years ago

What do you think comes first? Swimmers don’t swim well because they don’t get paid well. Or swimmers are not paid well because they don’t swim at the level to make this meet super exiting and extremely profitable.

phelps swims 200 breast rio
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

Neither.

Yozhik
5 years ago

Why was Ledecky participating in this meet? Having the answer would make it easier evaluating her performance. The problem is that we will never know the answer. Katie is a type of person that share her plans in public interviews on the need to know basis only. And it is practically never the case including this meet.
Was she required by her sponsors or USAswimming to be there? Well, if this is the only reason then she performed extremely well. She showed up in all four scheduled events, no scratches, 4 gold medals and all her events brought significant crowd on stands.
Was she doing what pro swimmer is supposed to do: earning money for living? If that… Read more »

PowerPlay
Reply to  Yozhik
5 years ago

TYR might be the answer

STEPHEN WIERHAKE
5 years ago

This is old news, but it’s clear that without corporate sponsorship/endorsements and speaking fees, professional swimmers would not make enough money to support themselves.

Swim Fanatic
5 years ago

Im curious, is Urlando planning on going to the NCAA? What happens to junior age swimmers who win prize money and still want to swim NCAA?

Caeleb Dressel's Bandana
Reply to  Swim Fanatic
5 years ago

They get screwed by the establishment

DRUKSTOP
Reply to  Swim Fanatic
5 years ago

They can use it to reimburse for travel.

Speed Racer
Reply to  DRUKSTOP
5 years ago

Although I am sure the NCAA loved his post race interview of “I was just thinking about the prize money hoping I would get it.” The comment even left Rowdy speechless for a second as he scrabbled to change the subject.

Caeleb Dressel's Bandana
Reply to  Speed Racer
5 years ago

Lol really? I need to see that

Zanna
Reply to  Caeleb Dressel's Bandana
5 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKBlIBjcb68
Urlando’s Interview at the end.

Zanna
Reply to  Speed Racer
5 years ago

He is after all only 16. Am sure he hasn’t studied all the NCAA rules.

Swimming4silver
Reply to  DRUKSTOP
5 years ago

so guys like daniel carr and bryce from cal, can use it for travel too?

Admin
Reply to  Swimming4silver
5 years ago

Correct.

Taa
Reply to  DRUKSTOP
5 years ago

So the definition of travel includes buying a car to get to/from swim practice? He could keep a mileage log to support this I’m sure.

Admin
Reply to  Taa
5 years ago

Taa – the NCAA doesn’t write themselves into a corner with rules, they keep them vague and then interpret them as needed. There’s pros and cons to doing it either way, but the current system keeps the rule book much smaller and gives them wiggle room to err on the side of whomever they’re trying to protect in a given scenario.

kdswim
Reply to  Swim Fanatic
5 years ago

If it works like he was in college then it can be used for any swim related expenses during the year.

SaintJoseph
5 years ago

Do these athletes get their way paid to the events? Just curious as to how much of the prize money actually goes to the athlete. Thanks.

Admin
Reply to  SaintJoseph
5 years ago

SaintJoseph – most National Team athletes get travel paid for, or at least, partially paid for, to attend these meets.

SaintJoseph
Reply to  Braden Keith
5 years ago

Paid for by whom? USS I hope? But the “others” pay their way? What about meals, housing, etc? Very curious.

Swimmer
5 years ago

And people wondered why she left collage early.

Caeleb Dressel's Bandana
Reply to  Swimmer
5 years ago

I don’t remember anybody wondering. It makes sense.

John
Reply to  Swimmer
5 years ago

No one wondered that

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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