2023 SPEEDO WINTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – WEST
- December 6-9, 2023
- FMC Natatorium, Westmont, Illinois
- Prelims: 9:00 am (CST)/ Finals: 5:00 pm (CST)
- Wednesday finals (relays only): 6:00 pm (CST)
- SCY (25 yards)
- Meet Central (USA Swimming)
- How To Watch
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results or on Meet Mobile
In his 2nd swim of the meet in Westmont after a 21.9 50 back (200 medley relay), 17-year-old Maximus Williamson lit the pool on fire with a 1:32.00 200 free (leading off the 800 free relay), the fastest time ever swum by a 17-18. Here are a list of Williamson’s swims since then:
#3: 200 IM Prelim, 1:46.08
#4: 50 Free Prelim, 19.87
#5: 200 IM Final, 1:41.18 (17-18 NAG)
#6: 50 Free Final, 19.57
#7: 400 Medley Relay (Back), 47.17
#8: 200 Free Prelim, 1:37.75
#9: 100 Back Prelim, 47.74
After prelims this morning, Williamson decided to scratch the 100 back and focus on the 200 free, where he qualified 7th. Swimming in lane 1 tonight, Williamson blasted a 1:31.37, crushing the time he had set just 48 hours prior and 7 races earlier.
At the NCAA level (which has the same meet format and event schedule as Winter Jr Champs), we typically see the top times of the meet in the 200 free come from Day 1, when the athletes are fresher and have fewer races under their belts. However, Maximus proved that you can be fast at any time in a meet (plus he’s 17, high schoolers gonna high school).
Any way you slice the bread, this is a sensational swim and bodes very well for Maximus moving into the rest of the meet as well as his junior year.
Swim coaches any analysis of his stroke? Does it translate well to long course? How does he compare to Popovici from a technical standpoint? I heard someone compare him to a young Ryan Lochte too and Heilman to Phelps. Does that hold up?
Yes, they both can swim long course, just look at the times they swam this past summer at Junior Worlds and World Champs. Williamson is more versatile than Popivici, who pretty much only is a 100-200 freestyler (yeah, I know he has swam 400 free and some fly, but he’ll unlikely be world class in any of those events). It’s difficult to compare them to Phelps/Lochte, underwaters weren’t so developed when they were high schoolers and Lochte was a bit of a late bloomer, compared to the others.
Both Williamson and Heilman certainly have the potential to become future olympic gold medallists and world record holders, but it’s going to depend on how well the training at UVA suits… Read more »
I think in terms of their event lineups they are a little like Lochte-Phelps. Technique-wise I don’t see much similarity
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!!?
Or follow his teammates to Texas
Finished the session off with a 19.46 lead off too!
He actually smoked the 200 Final out of Lane 8
19.4 relay leadoff
He’ll probably make the Olympics team next year.
Too bad he’s going to uva. Should’ve gone to Florida or ASU
A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.
There is no guarantee that Williamson will be happy in Florida or ASU. It seems he’s excited for UVA.
Remember how the whole Swimswam community was saying that Dressel made the wrong choice when he decided to stay in state and made the commitment to Florida to train under Gregg Troy?
*Everyone* said Dressell should go to Cal, Texas, etc where they have coaches who can train sprinters.
I honestly doubt he makes it to UVA tbh.
You think pro?
I hopes he changes if he’s a resilient swimmer a program like Cal or Florida is going to be much better for him and if Eddie wasn’t retiring I would’ve said Texas since they’re known for producing great 200 freestylers (but not ASU becomes bob is so invested in his foreign swimmers he wouldn’t get the attention I think he needs)