James Magnussen did his best Cesar Cielo impression and fired off a great in-season time on day 1 of the 2012 South Australian State Championships in Adelaide. He scored a 48.05 to win the 100 freestyle title running-away in what should be the best non-Trials swim in the world this year.
What a difference a year makes: He didn’t have a January meet in 2011 (he competes very lightly, in general), but at that point of his career, his lifetime best was only a relatively pedestrian 48.9. With his sudden surge in the past 12 months, it’s hard to know what the context of this time is. Cielo is also good in-season, so don’t be shocked if he responds soon, but right now Magnussen is all over this 100 free.
Incidentally, this swim was a South Australian All-Comers Record. He swims the 200 free on Saturday.
Matthew Abood, who has never been a hammer in-season, swam a solid 49.85. That’s two-tenths slower than he was last week in Western Australia. I think he probably would have liked to be a bit quicker, but 3rd-place swimmer Eamon Sullivan had to have been looking for better than his 50.63. He’s often slow in-season as well, but that’s the slowest finals swim he’s had in 3 years.
The other lightning-fast swim came from Blair Evans in the women’s 400 IM, where she went a 4:36.21 to take an 11-second win. That’s a lifetime best for her by four seconds and probably puts a huge shift into her plans for the Olympic Trials. That swim for the 20-year old would have placed 7th in the world last year, and is the best time this year by two seconds. This event comes at the beginning of the meet, so she’ll be able to feel out her body’s reaction, but I’d expect her to totally drop the 800 from her schedule to pull full effort into this 400 IM, along with the 200 and 400 freestyles. Evans’ swim was another South Australian All-Comers Record.
In other strong swims, Daniel Tranter of the Sopac swim club in New South Wales slapped three seconds off of the All-Comers Record in the men’s 200 IM with a win in 2:00.41. That’s a new lifetime-best for him, as he’s improved his time by two seconds in the last month. There are a lot of very young swimmers (Kenneth To, Mitchell Larkin, and Tranter are all 20-and-under) and this could be one of the most interesting, though under-the-radar, races of this year’s Australian Olympic Trials.
Jackie Stapels of Norwood, which is the best club in the state, broke a South Australian Record in the 200 fly in 2:12.56. That cleared her own mark set back in 2009, which shows that her training has finally caught up with the rubber suits. There’s too much depth for her to have a shot at the 2012 Olympic Team, but if she trains through 2016 (before which there should be a lot of other butterfly retirements), she’s got a chance at Rio given her recent improvement.
Daniel Arnamnart of Sopac knocked out home-town favorite Hayden Stoeckel in the men’s 50 back handily 25.22-25.81. Arnamnart’s swim was a South Australian All-Comers Record.
In the women’s version, Arnamnart’s teammate Kirstie Meertens did the same with an All-Comers Record of 29.04. She also beat-out a hometown favorite in Whitney Ireland, who was 4th-best in 29.90. No sign of Emily Seebohm yet on day 1 of this meet, as she will kick off on Saturday with the 100 free, followed by a 100 back on Sunday. It seems as though she’s really pared down her Olympic schedule, which may be a sign that she won’t try for the 100 fly/100 back double at Trials.
Live results (as well as live video) available here.
Finally a voice of reason and great analyses, Thank you Majer99!
I also remember that Cielo always busted out really fast times in domestic competitions in Brazil.
Different swimmers react differently to the in season workload… I mean look at the difference between Magnussen and Sullivan in this race alone. A difference of over 2.5 seconds. I highly doubt once both are fully rested that margin stays the same.
Brent Hayden is another one who would appear does not or isn’t required to put up fast times during the year and saves it for when it matters. Based on current form probably only the French, US, Russians and Australians need to really go for it at trials.
Ceilo does seem to be able to pull out some pretty consistent fast times over the year. From memory last year he was busting out quick times from May through… Read more »
PEAK in heavy training is DIFFERENT than normal heavy training.PEAK is when ALL the options are at MAXIMUM intensity(dry land and pool work).No human being can bear months at maximum peak and be injury free.Sprinters suffer when a lot of metrage are done with heavy dry land.
Cielo was in heavy training in december(48.42 in 100 free) but not at the top like right now(8-10K day+ dry land,10 days without a day of rest).
From all reports, Phelps was still in heavy training when swimming 49.14.
Using coach Alberto’s formula (a minimum of 2.5 seconds difference between heavy training and full taper), Phelps will swim 46.50 in London.
Hey Phelps, forget about 400 IM, the 100 free gold is yours already.
Or the other possibility is that Cielo is unique among the sprinters, in that he is so much slower by at least 2.5 seconds per 100 free while in heavy trainings, in the same mould of Lochte.
Here’s what other sprinters have swum while in heavy training this in season:
Matt Targett: 48.71, Pieter Timmers 48.72, Nathan Adrian 48.97, Richard Berens 49.13, Michael Phelps 49.14, Gideon Louw 49.19, Verschureen 49.28, Dieter de Koninck 49.31, agnel 49.44, abood 49.64, McEvoy 49.66, etc.
either they are in heavy trainings or they are not.
If they are in heavy trainings, this means Timmers will swim 46.80 in full taper according to your formula (2.5 seconds difference), etc.
Or, the other possibility: all… Read more »
Australian coaches must do a different aproach in the meaning of heavy training.The difference (in Cielo training) from the heaviest cycle to full taper is over 2.5 seconds!And i believe coach Alberto do that to make a better *mental picture*, like:”the worst is gone!It will get better soon…”
If Magnussen is in top heavy training and only swim 49-50, he can say goodbye to his ambition in breaking the WR. He would be able to swim low 48 or 47high, tops, when swimming rested and tapered.
I am glad he swims 48.0
it is a good sign.
I can t talk about Magnussen training because i dont know coach Best style, but i think i can talk about a bit of Cielo.Cielo change his training style almost every year, but not his training phase.Its always the same:One FULL taper a year, and one extended taper when necessary(Short Course World’s,PanAms…).Because Cielo dont have a very strong competition in Brazil, he is always in the same phase of training.
If Magnussen is in the peak of the training as cielo(Maximum charge weightlifting, and maximum metrage, almost no days of rest), i am glad i will see the first 45(in 100 free) in London.