Sydney Pickrem Breaks Own 2-Month-Old 200 IM Canadian Record

FINA CHAMPIONS SWIM SERIES 2019 #3 – INDIANAPOLIS

Recent Texas A&M graduate Sydney Pickrem has had a hold on the Canadian 200m IM record for years now, and she only has continued to lower the mark as a professional.

In April at Canadian Trials, she lowered the mark to 2:08.71, down from 2:09.07 from the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. She dropped another tenth Saturday night in Indianapolis at the final stop of the 2019 FINA Champions Swim Series, going 2:08.61.

Taking second place by just .11 behind world record holder Katinka Hosszu (2:08.50), Pickrem split 28.17/32.65/37.08/30.71.

Pickrem has continually switched up the pacing of her race over the past two years; her most recent swim had the fastest opening split by over her past four attempts, and her second-fastest back leg. However, the record-breaking swim included her slowest breast split by at least two tenths, and her free split tied her 2017 FINA World Championships swim for the fastest of her last four attempts.

PICKREM, 2017 WORLDS PICKREM, 2018 PAN PACS PICKREM, 2019 TRIALS
PICKREM, 2019 CSS
28.65 28.48 28.39 28.17
1:01.58 (32.93) 1:01.47 (32.99) 1:00.83 (32.44) 1:00.82 (32.65)
1:38.46 (36.88) 1:38.33 (36.86) 1:37.66 (36.83) 1:37.90 (37.08)
2:09.17 (30.71) 2:09.07 (30.74) 2:08.71 (31.05) 2:08.61 (30.71)

Pickrem took sixth in the 200 IM in Rio, then bronze in the 400 IM at Worlds and silver in the 200 IM at Pan Pacs. Her newest record keeps her ranked at No. 2 in the world this season, behind Hosszu.

2018-2019 LCM WOMEN 200 IM

KatinkaHUN
HOSSZU
07/21
2.07.02
2Ye
SHIWEN
CHN2.08.6007/22
3Sydney
PICKREM
CAN2.08.6106/01
4Rika
OMOTO
JPN2.08.6405/10
5Yui
OHASHI
JPN2.08.8008/04
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marklewis
4 years ago

Pickrem is a little faster this year in the backstroke. She swam a strong race, and Katinka dug deep to beat her. It was one of the best races of the night.

Ben
Reply to  marklewis
4 years ago

She’s clearly been focusing on her two weaker strokes a lot this past year. That’s probably a good thing in the long run.

petriasfan
4 years ago

Pickrem took bronze in the 400m IM at the 2017 Worlds, not the 200m IM. In the 200m, Pickrem stopped swimming at the completion of the first 50m.

Ben
Reply to  petriasfan
4 years ago

True, but that time shown is from the semi-final, not the final.

About Torrey Hart

Torrey Hart

Torrey is from Oakland, CA, and majored in media studies and American studies at Claremont McKenna College, where she swam distance freestyle for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps team. Outside of SwimSwam, she has bylines at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, SB Nation, and The Student Life newspaper.

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