This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the Short Course European Championships, both East and West Winter Jr Championships, and the US Open that occurred last week.
- 0:00 SwimSwam Breakdown Introduction
- 1:56 Short Course European Champs
- 11:44 East/West Winter Jr Champs
- 20:34 Why Are High School swimmers so fast now?
- 32:22 US Open
SINK or SWIM
- 39:53 Over/Under: Kate Douglass Makes 2024 Olympic Team in 2.5 Events
- 43:10 Who is the #1 Recruit in Class of 2025 now: Thomas Heilman or Maximus Williamson?
- 48:09 Will Daniel Wiffen win gold in Paris?
A correction, Michelle Colemam made finals at a major long course meet already back in 2016, namely the 200 free at the Rio Olympics.
Did you guys fire Braden or just put a gag order on him?
Place your bets. Finalists in Paris for the men’s 200 breast, in no particular order:
Qin
ZSC
Dong
Arno
Caspar
Marchand
Then two spaces available for two of the following:
McKee
Fallon / Foster / Matheny
Sato
Watanabe
Savickas
Mattsson
Persson
Wilby
Cho
Gonna take 2.07 low to final.
Brutal.
Mckee and Fallon the other 2 that will make the final imo assuming Marchand swims it. I don’t even know if Wilby’s still committing to the 200.
KD has a shot in 6 events: 50FR, 100FR, 100FL, 100/200BR, and 200IM. I agree with the obvious 3 (100FR, 200BR, and 200IM), but I expect she will continue to experiment with programs and different swims. It will be fun to watch.
Not sure I buy the 100 breast. Her PB is 2 full seconds off the second American this year. That’s like saying someone with a 55 has a shot at the individual 100 free.
Fair point but she is a relatively new elite swimmer in BR. She really jumped out at the 2021 Cavalier Invitational with a 200BR time trial and has been experimenting since (even with less experience in the 100BR). You’re likely correct, but I could see her refining the stroke and making a decision when she has to.
It’s clearly the 6th best out of those 6 events, sorta doesn’t make sense for her to try to put in the work there to get it up to snuff right now while she’s still got so many others.
It feels like more of a thing you’d do to start off a quad – after Paris, make the 100 breast a training focus and see if you can get it to pop.
Place your bets now.
Paris men’s 200 breast finals qualifiers, in no particular order:
1 – Qin
2 – ZSC
3 – Marchand
4 – Caspar
5 – Arno
6 – McKee
7 – Dong
That leaves one place for:
Cho
Persson
Mattsson
Sato
Watanabe
Matheny
Fallon
Foster
Wilby
Savickas
Prigoda if allowed
Chupkov if allowed
Sink or Swims ?
Douglas: Swim. Pursuing 4 or more individual races, along with maybe 3 relays, is probably a recipe for trouble but 3 events is viable both Paris dchedule wise and qualifying top 2 at Trials
Wiffen: Sink. Were the wuestion worded “can he” then my answer would be different; likewise for “could he medal” but I don’t currently/yet see him as being top dog in either 800 or 1500 LCM.
39:53 Over/Under: Kate Douglass Makes 2024 Olympic Team in 2.5 Events
Over. Same events as this year 100 free, 200 breast, 200 IM. No way she risks doing the 50 free when the semi is immediately before 200 IM final. If the 200 IM field were weaker she might have been able to do both but it’s gonna be the all time fastest field.
48:09 Will Daniel Wiffen win gold in Paris?
He’ll win a medal but not gold.
Idk I would love to see Wiffen in the mix, with his trajectory I can see him joining the top three going sub-WR in the 1500 that I’ve heard others play at happening, and at that point, any one of them would have a shot.
I, personally, feel the tangent was nine minutes too long