2018 TYR PRO DERBY
- April 28th, 2018
- Louisville, KY
- Meet website
- TYR Pro Derby Instagram
- LCM
- Results on Meet Mobile: “TYR Derby Pro Swim Meet”
- Official Men’s Predictions
- Official Women’s Predictions
Race video courtesy of Coleman Hodges.
The 2018 TYR Pro Derby got underway on Saturday, as some elite pros competed in a three round, shootout style 50 freestyle event. The top six swimmers from the opening round of eight would go on to advance to round two, with the top four making it through to the final. All four finalists won a cash prize based on their position, with the winner taking home $4,000.
PARTICIPANTS:
MEN
Kristian Gkolomeev of Greece aimed to defend his title on the men’s side, as went up against a stacked field full of international talent. 2017 World Championship runner-up Bruno Fratus of Brazil competed alongside countryman Joao De Lucca, while we also saw Andriy Govorov (Ukraine), Shinri Shioura (Japan) and Dylan Carter (Trinidad & Tobago). Michael Chadwick and Michael Andrew were the lone American entrants.
Gkolomeev, Andrew and De Lucca have made it through to the finals each of the past two years, with Andrew and De Lucca trading 3rd and 4th place finishes while Gkolomeev went back and forth at the top with the now retired Josh Schneider.
LIVE STREAM
MEN OPENING ROUND
- Bruno Fratus, 21.74
- Michael Andrew, 22.04
- Andriy Govorov, 22.08
- Kristian Gkolomeev, 22.20
- Shinri Shioura, 22.46
- Michael Chadwick, 22.62
Joao De Lucca, 22.90Dylan Carter (DQ)
Brazilian Bruno Fratus didn’t hold much back in the first heat, posting a sizzling 21.74 to lead the pack and be the only one under 22 seconds. Fratus was 21.35 recently at the Maria Lenk Trophy, so we had to wait and see whether or not he had a lot left in the tank or was going to tire over the next two rounds.
Michael Andrew, who has a lot of experience in this format from both this meet the last two years and the recently added shootout races to the TYR Pro Series, was a solid 22.04 for 2nd. Andriy Govorov was right behind him in 3rd at 22.08, and Kristian Gkolomeev, Shinri Shioura and Michael Chadwick (22.62) were 4th, 5th and 6th.
Former Louisville Cardinal Joao De Lucca was 22.90 for 7th, while Dylan Carter opted to take the DQ and swim the race underwater. If you watch the video, you can see that Carter missed the second ‘take your mark’, making him about a second slow reacting off the blocks. Swimming it underwater was likely decided upon when he realized he missed the start.