Luke Hobson Rips 3:35.67 400 Free to Scare American Record (US@Australian Champs)

2022 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, August 24th – Saturday, August 27th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center
• Short Course World Championships Selection Meet
• Australian SC World Championships Selection Criteria
• SCM (25m)
• Entry List
• Day 1 Recap
• Live Results
• Race Replay Videos

After winning the 2022 Duel in the Pool, a handful of American swimmers stuck around Sydney to compete in the Australian Short Course Championships. Here is  what they got up to on the penultimate day of competition on Friday.

Luke Hobson won the men’s 400m freestyle, roaring to 3:35.67. That swim makes the rising University of Texas sophomore the second-fastest American performer of all-time. After just his second time swimming the event in short course meters (the first time being in prelims), he now finds himself less than a second off Peter Vanderkaay‘s 3:34.81 American record, which has stood since 2009.

Hobson has had an incredible run in Australia: he set a massive–but unofficial–personal best of 1:45.59 in the LCM 200 freestyle at Duel in the Pool, then became the fifth-fastest American in the SCM version of the race earlier in the meet with a 1:41.69.

Beata Nelson took control of the women’s 200 IM, posting 2:05.38 to win by over four seconds ahead of Kayla Hardy. That’s a new lifetime best for Nelson, as she shaves .44 seconds off her previous best of 2:05.82, which she swam at an ISL meet last fall.

With the drop, she also moves past Kathleen Baker to take over as the fifth-fastest female American performer. She led the race from the start, opening with a 26.39 butterfly. She split 31.64 on backstroke and 36.47 on breaststroke before coming home in 30.88.

Grant House took on a 100 fly/200 IM double this session. In the 100 fly, he clocked 50.47 and finishing fifth. That’s almost a second and a half drop from the 51.83 he swam in prelims. It also moves him into a tie with Tyler McGill for 10th fastest American man all-time.

He also vaulted into the all-time rankings in the 200 IM. He blasted 1:53.05, taking over tenth place on that list ahead of Abraham Devine and Chase Kalisz, who are tied at 1:53.28. House was chasing down Clyde Lewis on the final 50, but ultimately ran out of room, settling for second .04 seconds behind Lewis.

Also taking on the 100 fly/200 IM double was Trenton Julian. His results are the opposite of House, as he finished second in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 IM. After winning the 200 fly on day 2, Julian took second in the 100 fly behind Matthew Temple. He touched in 50.22, a new personal best. Though Julian has raced the 200 fly in short course meters many times, this meet seems to be the first time he’s taken on the SCM version of the 100 fly. With this time, he becomes the ninth-fastest American man in history, .01 ahead of Zach Harting. 

Julian was third after the butterfly leg of the 200 IM, but couldn’t keep pace on backstroke. At the 100m mark, he turned in fifth and stayed there for the entire race. Ultimately, he posted 1:54.11, a new best time which puts him 15th on the all-time American performers list.