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
RESULTS
Question: Would you rather break a U.S. Open record or win an NCAA event title?
- NCAA title – 84.7%
- U.S. Open record – 15.3%
A huge majority of voters would rather win an NCAA event title than set a U.S. Open record, according to our latest poll.
That tracks with our previous poll, in which 81% would rather win an Olympic gold than set a world record. Winning an event at a high-level meet clearly carries a huge amount of prestige among fans, with times and records holding a lesser allure.
The U.S. Open record probably doesn’t have the name value of something like a world record or even an NCAA record. But a U.S. Open record should, in theory, be the most prestigious of the three major short course yards records – U.S. Open records track the fastest time swum by a swimmer of any nationality on American soil. As short course yards meets are extremely rare outside of U.S. soil, the U.S. Open record is often effectively a world record for yards swims.
(Compare that to an American record, which tracks the fastest swim by an American but factors out a huge number of internationals who swim in the NCAA, or an NCAA record, which includes all college swimmers, but doesn’t include standout high schooler national record-breakers like Regan Smith or Katie Ledecky, or post-grad swimmers who set national yards marks like Zane Grothe.)
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters which supersuited men’s world record will fall first:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Duh….
the 400 im is old, held by Michael since 2002
Swim nerds know Robert Finke is faster than Chris Swanson, but at this point in their careers, Swanson has the better memory.
I choose the 400 IM a few competitor’s have started getting decently close to it.
Lochte was 4:05.18 in 2012, Since then Kalisz was 4:05.90 in 2017, Hagino was 4:06.05 in 2016, and the main reason I think this one could fall was the ridiculous form Seto was in earlier this year, going 4:06.09 in January, and if Kalisz can also summon his absolute best if they get the chance to showdown next year I think that could be the catalyst that brings a new world record.
In the 400 free, the fastest textile time not by Thorpe or a man whose tested positive for a banned substance is Mack Horton’s 3:41.55 from 2016. The trajectory of this event has… Read more »
Yeah, Seto was on fire this spring. If he can keep his form to next year, a 4:03 is definitely possible.
My traditional judgement says 400 IM. Of course Seto is on a good streak and none of the 200 backstrokers look like they are on the same track and the 400 IM record isn’t as insane as the free records. But who knows? A new breakout star could emerge anytime and start swimming crazy times in anything. It’s overstated but predicting the future is practically impossible.
With how Seto was looking leading into the Olympic year, and early 2020, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he broke the 400 IM. He already took down Lochte’s SCM record, and put up a surprisingly quiet, but great, 200 Fly performance. Given Yang’s ban, I don’t see any freestylers coming close to Biedermann. Maybe Rapsys. No backstrokers have been swimming well enough to cut under that historic 1:52. Maybe Murphy? That Pro Swim 1:55 was pretty great considering no rest/shave presumably.
Looking at the textile next best for each WR:
200 back: Lochte with 1:52 high; Irie, Larkin, Rylov, Clary with 1:53 low
200 free: Agnel with 1:43 low, Phelps 1:43 high.
400 free: Thorpe, Sun 3:40 low; Park, Horton on 3:41
800 free: lol no-one under 7:38, only Sun, Hackett, Thorpe, Paltrinieri even under 7:40
400 IM: Lochte and Kalisz 4:05; Hagino and Seto 4:06
I’d have added 200 IM to this list as well: not sure anyone in the post-Phelps/Lochte era will be going 1:54 too soon.
I think the 400 IM is at most immediate risk, because Seto’s running so hot (or was recently).
If he doesn’t get that one, I think the 400 free is most at risk from the wider field.
I love the new poll, I’m personally leaning toward 4 free or 2 back, but could be 400 I.M as well