The United States’ youngest professional swimmer, Michael Andrew, will enter 5 races at his first Olympic Trials in 2016. This will be his first Trials as a competitor, though he was present for the 2012 meet as a spectator.
While most of the country’s potential Olympic Trials finalists are keeping their schedules a secret (the psych sheets are due out next week, based on the historical timing), adidas Swimming (the new rename of Team Andrew Indie Swimming) was willing to share the schedule for the 17-year old Andrew who has set over 100 National Age Group Records in his career.
Andrew will swim:
- 100 breast
- 100 free
- 100 fly
- 200 IM
- 50 free
That means that of the 6 “disciplines” in swimming, he’s competing in 4 – excluding only distance freestyles and an individual backstroke race. While the distance freestyles have never been Andrew’s forte, he does hold National Age Group Records in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, and in both long course and short course. The 100 back semi-finals would conflict with the 100 breast final, so-scheduled by the USOC because it’s rare to have an overlap between the two, and the 100 breaststroke is his better chance at making an Olympic Team.
The schedule will give Andrew a maximum of 15 swims across the week. He was seeded in the top 10 in four of the five events among Americans in 2015, indicating he should have a few semi-finals swims at least. His 2015 ranks:
- 100 breast (10th)
- 100 free (39th)
- 100 fly (9th)
- 200 IM (9th)
- 50 free (10th)
Among those 5 events, the 50 free is the only event in which Andrew has gone a best time in the 2015-2016 season, which was a 22.33. 2016 so far hasn’t seen the same consistent rise that Andrew has been used to out throughout most of his youth career, which his coach and father Peter said could be an impact of some new things they’re trying in training, including lifting weights for the first time.
Here’s the potential schedule for Andrew at the trials:
Sunday (Day 1):
- AM – 100 breast prelims
- PM – 100 breast semi-finals*
Monday (Day 2):
- AM – Off
- PM – 100 breast finals*
Tuesday (Day 3):
- AM – Off
- PM – Off
Wednesday (Day 4):
- AM – 100 free prelims
- PM – 100 free semi-finals*
Thursday (Day 5):
- AM – 200 IM prelims
- PM – 100 free finals*, (2 events later) 200 IM semi-finals*
Friday (Day 6):
- AM – 50 free prelims, (2 events later) 100 fly prelims
- PM – 50 free semi-finals*, (4 events later) 200 IM finals*, (2 events later) 100 fly semi-finals*
Saturday (Day 7):
- AM – Off
- PM – 100 fly finals*, 50 free finals*
Sunday (Day 8):
- AM – Off
- PM – Off
* – if qualified
I can see a 59. In the breast, a possible 48 in the 100 free, and he is the air apparent in the 200 I’m, but that’s the 2020 Olympics, and that’s gonna be in world record time
‘Excluding distance events’….
Good ol’ USRPT…..
If Michael Andrew does a long taper on weights and we could see some big decreases in times.
I will cheer for Michael to make the team and hope all sacrifices and efforts the Andrews are making will pay off.
man I just don’t understand all the hate and negative comments about MA. I am an avid fan of both the nba and nfl as well as swimming. Michael Andrew is not only favorite swimmer but favorite athlete in general across all sports right now. He is already my second favorite athlete of all time only behind Randy Moss. Really dont know how you could not like this kid and the fact that there is people routing against him and we know its true is disgusting to me.
he is so awesome. This was probably my favorite race of his https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn2s4SZ94Tk the 13-14 100 fly scy nag. Even though it was only like 2 years ago, god when he throws that fist in the air…the nostalgia is there already. I love it.
I think MA is going to have a tough time making the team this year. He just so happens to be talented in most events, but not fast enough for the Olympic team. However, there is no doubt that his speed for his age is incredible. I don’t think MA will make the team, but swimming the 5 events mentioned above will give him some much needed experience racing with the big guys. This is something that the young star will find useful for 2020 when he will make the team.
So is MA doing weights and/or different training to USRPT alone?
He is a sprinter which is a totally different animal than the more distance oriented folks like Thorpe and Phelps whose lighter bodies provided a huge leg up in the water and fatigue wasn’t playing as much a role. It just isn’t physiologically possible for a 16 year old to have developed the strength of a Manadou or Adrian, or any of the guys that are swimming 100 and down. Peaty is also a monster… He will continue to get stronger and faster in his sprint events, and I think he still has a lot of room for growth in the 200 I.M. If he doesn’t qualify in that event in 2020 sans Lochte and Phelps I will be shocked
I stopped reading at “Thorpe had lighter body….”
Also, at the same age as Michael Andrew is now, Thorpe split 48.55 in 4×100 free. In Speedo Briefs.
I’ll let that sink for a while for you.
Kyle Chalmers has bigger and heavier body than Michael Andrew. Yet he scorches 48.0 and 1.47
To be fair, Chalmers is a pure freestyle swimmer whereas MA is just an all around sprinter.
More excuse after another.