2024 NOVA SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE
- May 24-26, 2024
- William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center Pool, Irvine, California
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 CA NOVA-Speedo Grand Challenge”
- Psych Sheets
- Preview
- Live Stream
In what is likely his last tune-up before France’s Olympic Trials next month, Leon Marchand got off to a sizzling start at the Speedo Grand Challenge on Friday in Irvine, California.
The versatile 22-year-old began his day with a meet record in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke prelims (personal-best 1:00.62), taking down the previous standard held by four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima (1:00.63) since 2010. Marchand dropped almost half a second off his previous-best 1:01.02 from the French Elite Championships last June.
Marchand will have to hold off Michael Andrew (1:01.41) in tonight’s 100 breast final. The 25-year-old American owns a season-best time of 59.52 from the U.S. Open last November. Andrew returned toward the end of the session in the 50 freestyle, qualifying 3rd in 22.96 behind Romanian UNLV graduate George Ratiu (22.83) and 2022 world champion Justin Ress (22.66).
Marchand also qualified 1st in the 200 IM prelims later in the session with a time of 1:59.53. He blasted a personal-best 1:54.82 to win last year’s world title, so he appears set to challenge Thiago Pereira‘s meet record from 2010 in tonight’s final. The 200 IM final is stacked this evening with former college teammate Hubert Kos (2:00.44), reigning 400 IM Olympic champion Chase Kalisz (2:00.98), and Trenton Julian (2:01.97), also in the mix.
Regan Smith boasted the best women’s 200 IM time in prelims this morning at 2:11.01, nearly breaking the meet record of 2:10.87 set by Katinka Hosszu in 2018. The 22-year-old American owns a season-best 2:09.50 from the U.S. Open last November. Smith reached the wall more than five seconds ahead of 23-year-old Isabelle Odgers (2:16.45) and 18-year-old Katie Grimes (2:16.67).
Drew Kibler dominated the men’s 200 freestyle prelims with the top qualifying time of 1:49.85. The 24-year-old is the second-fastest American in the event this season (1:46.02 in March) behind Luke Hobson (1:45.26). Kibler has been as fast as 1:45.01 in 2022. The meet record stands at 1:47.33 by Ous Mellouli from 2009.
Simone Manuel cruised to the top seed in the women’s 50 free heats at 24.94, within a tenth of Jessica Hardy’s meet record (24.85) from 2008. The 27-year-old American lowered her season best to 24.34 last month, with her lifetime best at 23.97 from 2017.
The women’s 100 breaststroke final is shaping up to be a fun race tonight. Odgers led the way during prelims in 1:09.55 — a few seconds shy of Hardy’s meet record (1:06.39) — after qualifying 2nd in the 200 IM earlier in the session. The USC graduate has been as fast as 1:08.17 last July.
The other swimmer under 2:10 in the 100 breast heats was rising Fresno State sophomore Aliz Kalmar at 1:09.83, about half a second shy of her personal-best 1:09.31 from 2022. Rising UCSD junior Chloe Braun, who hails from Marchand’s home of Toulouse, France, knocked almost a second off her previous-best 1:11.22 as the No. 3 seed in 1:10.27.
Kaitlyn Nguyen, a 16-year-old USC commit (’25), qualified 4th in 1:10.46. She was only about half a second away from her best time of 1:09.92 from last July.
Right behind Nguyen was former NCAA record holder Breeja Larson, twice the age of Nguyen at 32 years old, who went 1:10.54 in prelims for the 5th qualifying spot. Gabby Rose, three decades older than Nguyen at 46 years old, was close behind at 1:10.63, within a second of her season-best 1:09.68 from last month. However, the veterans will not advance to the four-swimmer super final tonight.
In the women’s 400 free prelims, 25-year-old Paige Madden (4:05.37) led Sandpiper of Nevada duo Katie Grimes (4:12.72) and Claire Weinstein (4:10.23). Madden broke Jeanne Jackson‘s meet record of 4:07.96 from 2005 in the process. Madden’s best time is 4:03.09 from 2021, Weinstein’s is 4:04.54 from March, and Grimes’ is 4:05.18 from last March.
The final event of the morning featured a battle between Michael Brinegar, David Johnston, and Marwan Elkamash in the men’s 1500 free. The 24-year-old Brinegar touched first in 15:21.66, with the 22-year-old Johnston (15:25.84) and 30-year-old Elkamash (15:30.08) trailing close behind. Brinegar has been as fast as 14:59.54 last July while Johnston owns a lifetime best of 15:02.37 from 2022 and Elkamash boasts a personal-best 14:55.19 from last July.
In the age 7-12 prelims, Sammy Walseth cruised the top qualifying spot in the girls’ 100 free at 1:02.01. The Rancho San Dieguito 12-year-old dropped more than a second off her previous-best 1:03.40 from last month.
Mission Viejo Nadadores 12-year-old Ben Yang led the boys’ 100 free in 59.08, close to his personal-best 58.86 from last August.
Irvine Novaquatics 12-year-old Anna Heumann paced the girls’ 50 breast in 36.29, taking a tenth off her previous-best 36.39 from last August.
Aquazot Swim Club 12-year-old Raymond Jew ripped a personal-best 33.89 in the boys’ 50 breast, shaving more than a second off his previous-best 34.91 from earlier this month.
Fellow 12-year-olds Olivia Chi (1:12.20) and Liam Chung (1:08.50) clocked the top qualifying times in the girls’ and boys’ 100 back, respectively.
Was expecting something a bit faster tbh.
It’s prelims. Plus he is already faster than he was tapered at French trials.
He didn’t swim the 100 at French trials. His previous PB was the front half of his 200 PB.
Can anyone tell me what time finals start
5PM PT
4:45pm California time i think
Thanks bud
Prelims: Heats begin at 8:30AM every morning
Finals: Begin at 5PM every evening
Is this the meet with a four person Superfinal? If so SS writers will be surprised. 🙂
What time are finals?
5PM PT
Crazy that Kamminga and Qin go out in 1:00. I think marchand may have to if hes gonna win.
Considering that it’s likely going to take 2:04 or 2:05-low to get the gold in Paris, I think Leon might need a 59 split if he does his usually fly-and-die strategy like in the 200 SCY. A 1:00 is only good if he’s holding back in the first 100 in my opinion, since ZSC looks to be in great form and is gonna run him down
Marchand does not fly and die in LCM.
To the folks downvoting this, please show me a LCM race where Marchand died.
Here’s the 2023 world champs 200 fly final with first 100 split, second 100 split, and second 100 as a percent of total time:
Marchand 53.59 58.84 52.33%
Chmielewski 54.33 59.29 52.18%
Honda 54.29 59.37 52.23%
Heilman 54.38 59.44 52.22%
Kharun 54.94 58.88 51.73%
Foster 53.99 60.75 52.95%
Marton 53.93 61.09 53.11%
Wang 54.59 60.84 52.71%
Marchand took it out fastest, but he also came home fastest, and his second 100 as a percent of total time was 5th out of everyone.
I dont think it will be that fast, Qin hasnt gone near 2.05 since and he said he was injured
FYI his old 100m PB was from the first 100m of his 200m breast PB lol
Madden’s 400 time is lights out for prelims. Shoes very much in the conversation for the 2nd spot in that event again
Kiblers only 24 man why does it feel like he’s like 29
Probably because he’s been on senior international teams since 2019 (if you count Pan Americans) and junior international teams since 2016 for the U.S.