Regan Smith sent shockwaves through the swimming community on Sunday, swimming the fourth-fastest 200 fly in history to break the super-suited American Record in a time of 2:03.87.
Smith, who held the world record in the 200 back up until a few months ago, already held the distinction of being the fastest woman in history in terms of the 200 fly + 200 back combo.
Smith’s best time in the 200 back is the 2:03.35 she produced at the 2019 World Championships, which shattered the world record, and her PB in the 200 fly previously stood at 2:05.30, set at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where she won the silver medal.
Those two performances gave the American a 200 fly/200 back combo add-up of 4:08.65, making her the only female sub-4:10. With her relatively big time drop in the 200 fly this past weekend, Smith now has an add-up of 4:07.22, putting her nearly three seconds clear of the next-fastest woman, 400 IM Olympic champion and former world record holder Katinka Hosszu.
Hosszu, the seventh-fastest swimmer of all-time in the 200 fly and the 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the 200 back, has an add-up of 4:10.12. Next up is the newly-minted world record holder in the 400 IM, Summer McIntosh, and behind her is Maya Dirado, who upset Hosszu for gold in the 200 back in Rio.
The rankings are littered with premier 400 IM swimmers, with Smith’s current teammate Hali Flickinger, the 2022 SC world champion and 2021 Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 IM, ranking fifth.
Interestingly enough, Mary Mohler (née Descenza), who held the 200 fly American Record for 14 years before Smith broke it on Sunday, ranks sixth on the list, having gone a PB of 2:10.00 in the 200 back along with her 2:04.14 in the 200 fly. Mohler is the highest ranking non-400 IMer in the top 20 behind Smith.
ALL-TIME WOMEN’S RANKINGS, 200 FLY + 200 BACK (LCM)
| Rank | Swimmer | Country | 200 Fly | 200 Back | Combined |
| 1 | Regan Smith | USA | 2:03.87 | 2:03.35 | 4:07.22 |
| 2 | Katinka Hosszu | HUN | 2:04.27 | 2:05.85 | 4:10.12 |
| 3 | Summer McIntosh | CAN | 2:04.70 | 2:07.15 | 4:11.85 |
| 4 | Maya Dirado | USA | 2:07.42 | 2:05.99 | 4:13.41 |
| 5 | Hali Flickinger | USA | 2:05.65 | 2:08.36 | 4:14.01 |
| 6 | Mary Mohler | USA | 2:04.14 | 2:10.00 | 4:14.14 |
| 7 | Zhu Jiani | CHN | 2:07.89 | 2:08.62 | 4:16.51 |
| 8 | Sharon van Rouwendaal | NED | 2:08.74 | 2:07.78 | 4:16.52 |
| 9 | Elizabeth Beisel | USA | 2:10.72 | 2:06.18 | 4:16.90 |
| 10 | Kathleen Hersey | USA | 2:05.78 | 2:11.20 | 4:16.98 |
| 11 | Krisztina Egerszegi | HUN | 2:10.71 | 2:06.62 | 4:17.33 |
| 12 | Yui Ohashi | JPN | 2:07.03 | 2:10.39 | 4:17.42 |
| 13 | Teresa Crippen | USA | 2:06.93 | 2:10.57 | 4:17.50 |
| 14 | Ye Shiwen | CHN | 2:08.72 | 2:09.12 | 4:17.84 |
| 15 | Zsuzsanna Jakabos | HUN | 2:06.35 | 2:11.53 | 4:17.88 |
| 16 | Asia Seidt | USA | 2:09.61 | 2:08.56 | 4:18.17 |
| 17 | Katie Grimes | USA | 2:08.77 | 2:09.52 | 4:18.29 |
| 18 | Evelyn Verraszto | HUN | 2:08.33 | 2:10.45 | 4:18.78 |
| 19 | Mireia Belmonte | ESP | 2:04.78 | 2:14.37 | 4:19.15 |
| 20 | Miyu Otsuka | JPN | 2:08.91 | 2:10.42 | 4:19.33 |
There are notably 10 Americans ranking inside the top 20, with former 400 IM world record holder and two-time world champion Katie Hoff narrowly missing out in 21st (4:19.76).
We’ve also got the three most recent 400 IM Olympic champions ranking 13th or better with Yui Ohashi, Hosszu and Ye Shiwen, while 2008 champion Stephanie Rice (4:21.70) and runner-up Kirsty Coventry (4:21.02) narrowly miss out on the top 20.
Per our research, there are only 10 women in history who have been sub-2:10 in both races, which was almost a requirement to crack the top 10, though Mohler, Elizabeth Beisel and Kathleen Hersey managed to rank sixth, ninth and 10th with supremely-elite times in one of the events.
One swimmer you may be wondering about, 200 back world record holder Kaylee McKeown, doesn’t have a 200 fly swim on record.
what is RS like in the 4 IM?
If she goes 1:55 in 200 free I think she can go 4:29 in the 400 IM
Blows my mind that McIntosh is #3 on this list already. I bet most people aren’t aware she has a solid 200BK in her.
That margin for Regan is also quite insane. I would say she’ll only extend it moving forward, but McIntosh will certainly challenge that!
She’s the WR holder in the 4 IM. That pretty much means you can swim all 4 strokes pretty well.
2023 Phillips 66 National Championships previews, please!
At least post one per day.
One very important name is missing.
The legendary Krisztina Egerszegi went 2:06.62 200back (1991) and 2:10.71 200fly (1993) for a combined time of 4:17.33. The incredible thing is that she did so in the early 1990s, way before any of the ladies on this list.
Great catch, thank you! The database I was using was missing her 200 fly time!
I’m surprised Stephanie Rice didn’t make the list. She was a 61 sec swimmer in the 100m back, potential there for a 2:09-2:11 200m back. Her best in the 200m was a 2:15.
I just don’t think Rice swam the 200 back enough, let alone at or near peak. Outside the IMs she seemed to focus on racing the fly and free. But she had some solid splits on her IMs. So it’s kind of an open question re: her potential. But no doubt she would likely make it into this list comfortably.
Yeah yeah, thats cool, but have you considered if the times were set in an indoor or outdoor pool?
That doesn’t matter. Any decent swimmer knows there’s no real difference.
It was a joke my dude.
Not everyone is as sophisticated as the jokesters here; they may think SwimSwam is a place for serious observations and comments about the sport, not questionable humor.
Hilarious.
Who has the fastest add up of all 4 strokes in the 200s? Katinka? Maybe Ye Shiwen?
Ye is a good guess, I think her breaststroke was significantly better than everyone else in that echelon.
There was an article about it here a couple of months ago.
Mary-Sophie Harvey i’d assume would be on there.
2:10.60 (back) and 2:11.68 (fly). 4:22.28
https://swimswam.com/which-female-swimmer-has-the-fastest-4-stroke-800-meter-im-add-up/
I am really interested in what she can throw down in a rested 200 free. The US relay is on the move right now with the fast-rising Sandpipers + Ledecky. I feel Regan is in the kind of shape to possibly flat start sub-1:56.
1:56 would be my guess, maybe even 1:55
I highly doubt Regan Smith swims the W 200 FR at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships since the W 200 FR precedes the W 200 BK on Day 2 of the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2023-nationals-event-order.pdf
Hope for 155
I’d hope 1:55 but not expect it. I am super curious if she’d actually do it. Even more curious on if they’d throw her in the relay for sh*ts n gigs if she does a 1:55 in that training camp thing they always do.
Feels like that relay could sub like 8-10 different girls on the worlds team for the 2 finals spots that aren’t Sims n Ledecky and get the same result either way.
It’s whoever has the hot hand that week! You know, with the season she’s been having, I would have said 1:56. But after this totally unexpected pre-trials 200 fly AR, a 1:55:9 may be a possibility.
Yes. I don’t get the people pushing for her to do 4×200. Yes, she could go fast enough to just barely take a spot from Gemmell / L Smith / Weinstein / Sims, but unless she can make the finals relay significantly faster that’s just hogging more swims for herself.
Since when is wanting to have THE four fastest athletes on a relay “hogging swims”?
Isn’t it more selfish to turn down a spot if it’s going to be a tight race and you know your participation could make a difference?
There will be a number of women in the 1:55-1:56 range. I wouldn’t want Regan to take a spot in the 4×200 after the 200 fly (same session!) just because she went 1:56.2 at trials and some girl who could focus exclusively on the relay went 1:56.3.
Consider Zach Apple: basically interchangeable with other 4×200 freestylers, except he had 2-3 other strong events that week. The coaches deciding to pad his medal count, but it probably ended up costing everyone a medal.
I’m pretty sure they used Apple because he dropped a 46.6 anchor in the 4×1, not to pad his medal count.
He also dropped an anchor in that 4×2
Does anyone even bother to research the schedule? Regan Smith is somehow going to swim the final of the W 4 x 200 FR-R after swimming in the final of the W 50 BK and the final of the W 200 FL during the same session. Good luck with that.
Is she gonna do 50 back? I see both sides. Obv she’s great at it, but Bob seems anti non olympic events. Or is that just cus Phelps sucked at 50s?
Personally unless she breaks the 50 WR at trials I’m sinkin it cus I want Gretch and Berkoff to swim it.
I’d way rather see Regan get a bronze in 2 IM than silver in 50 back. Sweeping the backs would be sick tho ngl.
Regan Smith swam the final of the W 200 FL and W 50 BK at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
Ok? She has a new coach. Things happening last year don’t mean that they will for sure happen this year.
McIntosh will be doing the 200 FL Final / 200 FR Relay double.
USA Swimming has much greater depth in the W 200 FR:
W 200 FR
Personal Best Times
Gemmell, Erin – 1:56.14 (07/27/2022)
Weinstein, Claire – 1:56.71 (06/22/2022)
Peplowski, Anna – 1:57.02 (05/18/2023)
Sims, Bella – 1:57.53 (06/15/2021)
Walsh, Alex – 1:57.82 (04/27/2022)
Grimes, Katie – 1:57.85 (04/15/2023)
.
.
.
.
.
Smith, Regan – 1:58.14
I didn’t even bother to mention Paige Madden (1:56.44 06/15/2021), Leah Smith (1:57.44 04/27/2022), or Hali Flickinger (1:57.53 04/27/2022).
Yes you did.
Does anyone even bother to research the schedule?
2023 Phillips 66 National Championships
Day 2
200 FR
200 BR
200 BK
50 FL
https://www.usaswimming.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2023-nationals-event-order.pdf
I see u but I’m all for hogging swims I’m tryna see Americans with the biggest medal tallies so we can flex on the h8rs down unda 😉
Gemmell (1:56.14), Weinstein (1:56.71), Sims (1:57:53) have faster personal best times than Regan Smith (1:58.14) in the W 200 FR. In addition, Leah Smith posted a faster time (1:57.44) in the W 200 FR at the 2022 USA Swimming International Team Trials.
I totally agree with putting the fastest swimmers at the time of the relay onto the relay, but if Regan did a fire 200 in the training camp, what would happen to the 5th or 6th place finisher from the 200 free? They’d be there, but potentially only for the relay swims. Would they just end up not swimming? Is that even a possibility?
We’ve done just a solo sub in the past esp with Phelps, Lochte, Ledecky. So u only bring the fastest from the am in. A bit risky depending on whats up cus u have to have confidence in 3 swimmers to not need to see what form theyre in in the am.
…. Sandpipers + Gemmell + Ledecky.
You must have completely forgotten the 1:54.86 relay split in the final of the W 4 x 200 FR-R at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
In addition, Erin Gemmell posted a time of 1:56.14 in the final of the W 200 FR at the 2022 Phillips 66 National Championships and a time of 1:56.15 in the final of the W 200 FR at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
I did forget holy smokes. Dude women’s swimming is insane rn
wow I did forget about that too, 1:54.8 is crazy wtf, sub 7:40 sounds easily doable then if last years swims weren’t one off events
Hopefully, Erin Gemmell hits her taper at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
I’d be surprised if she didn’t. Bruce is her dad and she grew up round KL. Think she knows somethin we don’t.