WOMEN’S 200 Freestyle – 2014 Austin Grand Prix – reported by Jared Anderson / SwimSwam
In a battle of US Olympians, it was Allison Schmitt who triumphed over Katie Ledecky in the 200 freestyle. Schmitt, making her comeback after a disappointing 2013, touched out Ledecky in the event Schmitt won Olympic gold in a year-and-a-half ago.
The two were shoulder-to-shoulder most of the way, separated by just .02 at the 100-meter turn, but Schmitt had the closing speed to push past Ledecky and win by .05, 1:57.71 to 1:57.76.
Third was a rising star who is more and more joining the ranks of Schmitt and Ledecky as iconic female freestylers – Simone Manuel went a lifetime-best 1:59.33, going out with the top two but running out of gas enough to make a charge late. Manuel, who won the 100 free over Schmitt last night, will be competing for Stanford starting next season.
Kathleen Baker, 16 years old of SwimMAC, took fourth in 2:00.61, and distance and open water specialist Chloe Sutton was fifth, followed by SMU’s Nina Rangelova and Texas’s Quinn Carrozza.
Danish distance star Lotte Friis wound up 8th in 2:02.05 – she’s come to the states to join Schmitt’s training group at NBAC.
