SwimSwam Pulse: 33.8% Picked Women’s 200 BR As Most Likely Suited WR To Fall At Worlds

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which super-suited world record was most likely to fall at this week’s Short Course World Championships:

Question: Which pre-2010 world record is most at risk at the Short Course World Championships?

RESULTS

• Women’s 200 breast (2:14.57) – 33.8%
• Men’s 200 free (1:39.37) – 32.8%
• Women’s 50 fly (24.38) – 24.9%
• Men’s 800 free (7:23.42) – 8.6%

Four individual short course meter world records remain on the books from the super-suit era, all of which appeared to be at risk coming into this week’s World Championships in Melbourne.

Voters were clearly split across three of the events when asked which mark was most likely to fall, as the women’s 200 breast and men’s 200 free were separated by a single-digit number of votes and the women’s 50 fly wasn’t too far behind.

Through four days in Melbourne, two of the races listed above have concluded, and neither produced a new world record.

The women’s 200 breast led the poll with just under 34 percent of votes, with many predicting Kate Douglass to knock off the record of 2:14.57 set by Rebecca Soni in 2009.

Douglass was coming in riding a ton of momentum after breaking the U.S. Open Record in the SCY 200 breast in November, and it looked like her chances improved after she took a run at Katinka Hosszu‘s 200 IM world record at the beginning of the competition.

Despite handily beating 100 breast winner Lilly King for gold and breaking the Championship Record, Douglass fell well shy of the world record, finishing in a time of 2:15.77.

Douglass has been on unbelievable form in Melbourne, nearing the fastest relay splits of all-time in the 50 free (22.77) and 50 fly (24.09) to go along with her 200 IM swim (second-fastest all-time in 2:02.12), which speaks to just how fast Soni’s world record is.

Taking second in the poll was the men’s 200 free, one of the vaunted records set by German Paul Biedermann that has gone largely unchallenged for the last 13 years.

Biedermann’s mark of 1:39.37 has only been approached by Frenchman Yannick Agnel (1:39.70), but nearly a third of the votes went to the event, likely due to David Popovici being in the field.

Popovici became the first swimmer since 2009 to break 1:43 in the long course version of the event in August at the European Championships. Based on his performance in the 100 free here in Melbourne, where he finished fourth in 45.64, he’ll have a good chance to win the 200 free and be in the 1:40-range, but 1:39.3 looks like a daunting task.

Kyle Chalmers, who won the 100 free, had the fastest split (with a takeover) on the 800 free relay on Friday in 1:40.35. Hwang Sunwoo (1:40.99) and Kieran Smith (1:41.04) were the fastest swimmers on the lead-off leg.

The women’s 50 fly picked up nearly a quarter of the votes, and Therese Alshammar‘s mark of 24.38 was somewhat challenged by Maggie MacNeil and Torri Huske, though they were still nearly three-tenths shy as they tied for gold in 24.64.

The men’s 800 free will be contested at SC Worlds for the first time on Saturday, and if there was a stacked field of distance swimmers in Melbourne, the record of 7:23.42 set by Grant Hackett in 2008 would have a good chance of falling.

However, Gregorio Paltrinieri is likely the lone swimmer in the field who has a chance at it, and he’s not quite at his best after adding eight seconds in the 1500. His split at the 800 was 7:35.98, so he’ll need to find another gear and then some if that mark is to go down.

We’ve been updating the poll daily this week looking at predictions at Short Course Worlds. Our most recent comes in the men’s 400 IM, which will feature five-time defending champion Daiya Seto, 200 IM winner Matt Sates and 2021 runner-up Carson Foster.

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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.