2021 BRITISH SWIMMING SELECTION TRIALS
- Wednesday, April 14th – Sunday, April 18th
- Prelims at 10am local/Finals at 7pm local
- London Aquatics Centre
- British Olympic Selection Policy
- Primary Olympic Selection Meet (not only opportunity)
- Entries
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap/Day 5 Recap
- Live Stream
- Live Results
Pools and keyboards across the UK are still abuzz this morning after Sunday’s electric 200 freestyle final that saw a pair of men go under the National Record.
Duncan Scott swam 1:44.47 to win the race and Tom Dean swam 1:44.58, both times that snuck under the old British Record of 1:44.91 that Scott swam at the last World Championships.
In the video below, which shows the full BBC coverage of the event including race video and post-race interviews, you can see the aggressiveness with which Scott and Dean went out as they swam the two of the four best 200 freestyles we’ve seen since the Rio Olympic Games.
In Tokyo, the battle for gold will be a distinction of two different styles split in pairs (depending on what we see from the Americans, still to swim their Trials event in June).
Scott opened his race in 50.25 and Dean wasn’t far behind in 50.57.
The Lithuanian Danas Rapsys, who had the fastest time at the World Championships before being disqualified by a false start, does not open this aggressively. When he swam his lifetime best of 1:44.38 at a World Cup stop in August of 2019 (just after the World Championships), he opened in 50.99.
When Sun Yang swam 1:44.39 at the 2017 World Championships, he opened even slower – 51.10. That’s unsurprising, as Sun is the World Record holder in the 1500 free and more known for his endurance than his speed.
While Sun’s participation in the Olympics is still up-in-the-air, pending the outcome of a CAS re-trial of his actions during a doping sample collection in 2018, the potential for a come-from-behind win in this race in Tokyo will make it one of the most exciting on the Olympic dockett.
Name a better domestic swimming race… we’ll wait 😜 #BSST21 pic.twitter.com/WLwt3EwgKp
— British Swimming (@britishswimming) April 19, 2021
How did The Swimsuit Guy do?
The theme for this British trials is “balls of steel” (Scott’s 200 free and Guy’s 200 fly)
Dean’s first 50 just epitomises easy speed, dude was stroking like he was off for a leisurely sunday swim. He could definitely improve his pacing and breakouts, so possibly a little more scope than Scott, but both total studs.
Dean looked very good down that first 50 and very strong at the end. However, he was right over on Scott’s Lane line down that last 50, which of course tactically is the right thing to do, but raises some questions about if that closing speed would be there if he was another lane over. I have no doubt he’d hit 1:45 low or maybe even dip under, but I’ll reserve full judgement for now on whether he can go much quicker in the summer. There is also his broken training with covid to account for as well.
In any case, it’s very possible with how many guys are throwing down 1:44s this year that what lane everyone ends… Read more »
I get the point RE drafting, but that could apply to many, many swims. I see nothing surprising about 1.44 from a man who has a LC 48.5 100 and a SC 3.36 400. He looks tailor made for the 200 imo. As you say, we don’t know how his 6 weeks out of the pool impacted him either – He could find it easy get fit quickly, or he could improve for a clean run of training between now and Tokyo. Lots of questions going both ways – We won’t know the answer until July!
‘Buckets of guts” Love it.
Gotta love Andy Jameson’s commentary style
Can we have him over Rowdy please?
Is that pub food?
“Buckets of guts going out so quickly” – nice one
Duncan Scott, well there’s no doubt that he’s tightening up!
Dean is breathing to his right, he can’t see Scott at all!
42… 43… they didn’t break 1:44 but they broke 1:45!
I got heated just reading your satire aha. Such garbage commentary, totally diminishes the accomplishment for the casual viewer.
Please USA Swimming get another announcer. We’re all sick of Rowdy and his patronizing commentary.
Scott has similar versatility as Lochte and Phelps did. I mean who else has been 1:55 in the 2 IM and 1:44 in the 200 free aside from those 2?
Hagino was close in 2014
I agree with you. Hagino at his peak was definitely more versatile than Scott. He was legit world class in 400 IM, 200 IM, 200 back and 200 free. In the IM’s at several points he was the best in the world and in the 200 free and 200 back events had an outside chance at medaling at different points in his career at major events like the Worlds. I remember he also went 3:43 in 400 free. Well Phelps and Lochte are on a different world when it comes to versatility. Scott could very well end up being more versatile than Hagino but we would have to see. Amazing growth from his in the 200 IM though.
Don’t forget Scott and Phelps also have :47 100 free – both are legit sprinters too!
Phelps did not have a 47 without Suits If I recall..
Phelps went 47.1 on a relay split multiple times, which probably is worth 47.8 flat start. He went 48.0 flat start in 2010 after missing months of training too.
Not bad for a guy who also swam the 400IM in the same meet.
I think phelps and lochte have the edge in versatility by a wide margin because they were also gold medalists and world record holders in stroke events. so 1:55, 1:44, and the best in the world at a stroke.
More like 1:54 low
In addition to awesome IM/free:
Phelps: 100/200 fly (countless golds, WR etc.), 100 back (0.03 off WR in 2007), 200 back (a few tenths off WR in 2007, second best behind Piersol in 2003/04).
Lochte: 200 back (golds, WR etc), 100 fly (fastest qualifier to 2013 Worlds finals)
yep. you would literally have to give him adam peaty’s breaststroke to make it close, and even then I’d give the edge to phelps and lochte
Adding all the flat start times they would go a 7:00.8 ish 4×200 relay. And that’s just flat start
Man, did Dean ever draft off Scott on that last 50. Reminds me of Scott drafting off Adrian on the relay at Worlds.
Happens all the time Manuel did it to Campbell in RIO.
and Lezak to Bernard in Beijing.