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 performance from the Winter Junior Championships was the best:
Question: Which swim would you select as the top performance from Winter Juniors?
RESULTS
- Thomas Heilman, 100 fly (44.67) – 40.1%
- Summer McIntosh, 500 free (4:27.52) – 38.4%
- Katie Grimes, 400 IM (3:57.02) – 11.0%
- Maximus Williamson, 400 IM (3:39.83) – 10.5%
It was an incredibly close poll, but ultimately Thomas Heilman‘s otherworldly National Age Group Record in the 100 butterfly edged out Summer McIntosh‘s jaw-dropping 500 free swim for the top performance from Winter Juniors.
Both racing at the East edition in Greensboro, N.C., Heilman and McIntosh came into Winter Juniors with a lot of anticipation behind what they might do.
For Heilman, he went on a record-breaking tear at the meet in 2021, establishing 14 13-14 NAGs in an 11-day span, and after a long course breakout at Junior Pan Pacs, many were wondering what he had in store after aging up to the 15-16 age group earlier in the year.
For McIntosh, she was coming off of racing at the U.S. Open in long course one week prior and had beaten Katie Ledecky head-to-head with the second-fastest swim in history in the SCM 400 free on the FINA World Cup in late November.
Both swimmers delivered in spades.
Heilman broke three National Age Group Records, but his best swim came in the 100 fly, where at just 15, he not only broke the 15-16 NAG of 45.62 previously held by Luca Urlando, but also went under the existing 17-18 record of 44.75, set by Aiden Hayes at the NCAA Championships in March.
McIntosh, 16, racing her first full meet in short course yards, rocketed to a time of 4:27.52 in the 500 free, making her the second-fastest swimmer ever behind Ledecky (4:24.15).
A Canadian, McIntosh is ineligible to break U.S. National Age Group Records, but her swim was under Ledecky’s 15-16 record of 4:28.71 by over a second.
Katie Grimes and Maximus Williamson had monumental performances of their own at the West edition in Austin, both establishing new 400 IM NAG records in the 15-16 age group.
Grimes’ time of 3:57.02 broke the 14-year-old record by more than three seconds, while Williamson’s 3:39.83 shattered Michael Phelps‘ last remaining NAG record in yards by more than two.
Despite those breakthrough swims, they combined to receive just 21.5 percent of votes, as the vast majority opted for Heilman (40.1) or Grimes (38.4).
We also ran some rapid-fire polls for predictions during the Short Course World Championships. Here are the results (along with the results from Twitter for two of them).
Who are you picking to win the men’s 100 free at Short Course Worlds? (eventual winner in bold)
- Kyle Chalmers – 49.5%
- Jordan Crooks – 23.7%
- David Popovici – 16.1%
- Maxime Grousset – 9.7%
- Alessandro Miressi – 1.1%
- Other – 0.0%
Who’s winning the men’s 100 free final at Short Course Worlds?
— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) December 14, 2022
Who are you picking in the women’s 200 breast at SC Worlds?
- Kate Douglass – 75.8%
- Lilly King – 16.8%
- The Field – 7.4%
Who’s your pick in the men’s 400 IM in Melbourne?
- Carson Foster – 44.4%
- Daiya Seto – 39.5%
- Matt Sates –16.0%
- Other – 0.0%
Matt Sates blew them out of the water in the 200 IM
Daiya Seto is the five-time defending champ and almost broke the 200 BR world record
Carson Foster just had one of the fastest splits ever on the 800 free relay
Who’s winning the 400 IM in Melbourne?
— SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) December 16, 2022
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Who had the top relay leg at SC Worlds?
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Heilman over McIntosh. Rubbish.
Guys go 44 all the time. That’s why I consider McIntosh 500 to be more impressive
Easily
Yeah you see guys 18+ go those times what about a 17 year old? A 16 year old? Let alone a 15 year go a 44 and be just outside the top 25 all time in that event? Who also might go a lot faster and break into the all time top 10 list of guys within the next few months! I get it with McIntosh and she’s an extreme talent who would likely win the 500 and is the #2 in that event. But it’s hard to wrap my head around a high school sophomore guy go a time that very well could make the A final at NCAA‘s in March.
The poll was about the top performance, not the top performance relative to age, and even in the second instance I’d probably go with McIntosh, but at least it would be debatable.
Claiming Heilman swim was better than McIntosh is flat out wrong, I get most voters are Americans but what’s the point in people lying to themselves?
Absolutely insane that a Phelps NAG gets shattered and it’s considered the least electric of the four. What’s even weirder is that it’s true? What the hell is going on
4×200 Sandpipers obliterated standing record…..if you count relays that’s the swim.