To see all of our 2017 Swammy Awards presented by TYR, click here.
FEMALE BREAKOUT SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: KYLIE MASSE
Canadian backstroke star Kylie Masse has made huge strides over the past couple of seasons, but 2017 saw her make a major breakthrough. After establishing herself as a top contender with an Olympic medal in 2016, Masse began to tow the World Record line in 2017. In April, she posted a blistering 58.21 to set a new Canadian Record and the 3rd fastest performance of all time in the event. She was just hundredths shy of the World Record, which stood at a 58.12 at the time, and would only get faster from there.
At the 2017 FINA World Championships, Masse stepped up to take another swing at the record. She came extremely close with a 58.18 in the semifinals. In the final, she finally hit the mark to win gold in 58.10, taking down the longest standing women’s World Record. With that, she became the first Canadian female to win a World Championships gold medal. She also became the first Canadian to win a Worlds gold in any discipline since Brent Hayden tied for 100 free gold in 2007.
That wasn’t Masse’s only record-breaking swim of the meet, however, as she broke the Canadian 200 back record with a 2:05.97 in the semis before going on to place 5th in the final. She clipped her own Canadian Record in the 50 back semifinals to place 10th. Masse picked up a bronze medal as a member of Canada’s mixed 4×100 medley relay.
HONORABLE MENTION
- Mallory Comerford (USA)- 2017 saw Comerford’s big breakthrough in the long course pool and continued improvements in the short course pool. During the NCAA season, Comerford turned heads when she ran down Ledecky in the 200 free to tie for the national collegiate (NCAA) title, becoming the 2nd fastest swimmer ever in the event. She also became the 7th fastest swimmer ever in the 100 yard free. During the long course season, she qualified for her first World Championships team, breaking the American Record in the 100 free (though it was later broken again by Manuel) as she lead off the American women’s 400 free relay that broke the American Record. She won gold in that relay, the women’s 800 free relay, and the mixed 400 free relay. Individually, she placed 4th in the 100 free and missed the Worlds podium by hundredths.
Congrats to Kylie and Linda Kiefer.
All this from someone who wasn’t even fast enough to make the pan-American team in 2015.
World record and world title mean a lot and I have nothings with awarding of Kylie Masse. But if we are talking about breaking through then we have probably measure by the “size of break” or how hard was it to get “through”.
Read back swimswam’s articles and comments of most respectful analyst here. In May this year nobody would even suggest that Mallory with her surprising break through into 53.91 will get on American 4×100 free relay. Then she have not lost at 200y nether to 100 Olympic champion nor to 200 Olympic champion. And still it was considered just her lucky day when fighting Grands just missed her very uneven race. And then just in a few… Read more »
I’m sorry what?
There is nothing to be sorry about (English is not even my second language)? What exactly was your question about? About Kylie Masse or Mallory Comerford or Missy Franklin or Katie Ledecky? Or all together ? 🙂
Nothing to be sorry about, for English not even being your 2nd language it was a great effort. I suppose I’m most confused about Katie ledecky being brought in at the end of your post. I understood most of what was being said about comerford and masse and their results this year
Good. I would give this reward to Kylie regardless anything else just because another rubber-suit record was erased. I really got frustrated of how little has been said about four 52 sec races this season by Mallory Comerford – the swimmer whos personal best before this season was pedestrian 54.46 sec (rank #51) Only Campbell sisters and Sarah Sjostrom were able to do so in the history of this race.
Such an unfairness or blindness from media and experts (including beloved Bobo who has not even found the place for Mallory in the nearest future of American swimming) reminded me the situation with Ledecky who was in shadow of MF for almost three years. I can provide supporting facts… Read more »
I don’t think the 100bk WR was set in a Jaked – It was the other one, the 50% poly suit of which the name I can’t recall. Still a rubber suit indeed – But not ‘the one’ the real storm was caused by.
“More times than any Americans in the history of this race. She showed the time that will win her a gold medal at any Olympics and any world championships, but not this one”
Nope.
Her PB of 52.59 she swam in Budapest would not have won 2013 and 2015 World Championships.
Hint: Campbell sisters. Look it up.
If you said so then so it is. Thanks.
Canada’s first WC gold medal and a WR on top of that is kind of historic.
She broke the 100 back record that Franklin, Seebohm, and Hosszu could not break. Here’s the race where she did it.
http://www.nbcsports.com/video/kylie-masse-sets-world-record-womens-100m-backstroke-worlds
Minor clarification …. First female WC gold medal … Graham Smith gold in the 200 IM in 1978, Victor Davis gold in the 200m breaststroke in 1982 and Brent Hayden gold in the 100m free in 2009.
By my estimate … Masse joins Davis, Alex Baumann, Smith and George Hodgson (from 1912) as the only Canadians with an Olympic or World gold and a long-course WR on the resume. (You can also asterix-in Nancy Garapick to this list, who briefly held the world 100m back record in the 1970s and was denied a World or Olympic gold by the cheater-head East Germans).
You’re right, the first female WC gold medal for Masse. When you watch her swim her WR, you see how Kylie is just a little smoother than the girls next to her. And she swam right down the middle of her lane on both laps. Baker and Seebohm didn’t swim as straight a line as Masse on the second lap.
Masse was an Olympic medallist in 2016 – Not sure 2017 was really her breakout. Comerford perhaps a bigger 2017 breakout… A mention to Li Bingjie too, she came from nothing to 3 world medals and as close to Ledecky as we’ve seen anyone basically ever.
Dee – we had that same discussion editorially – that’s always what’s hard on these breakouts. Who had the better year, vs. who had the better breakout. You’ll notice a similar conversation on the men’s award.
What we decided on Masse was that going from bronze in Rio all the way up to a World Record in Budapest, not to mention a World Record that was 8 years old, super-suited, and wasn’t broken by the likes of superstars like Missy Franklin or Emily Seebohm, was enough to warrant the honor. If she just went from bronze to gold, we probably would’ve given it to Comerford.
That’s fair – Thanks for the explanation!
Hopefully Taylor Ruck makes a case for this award next year
Comerford is going to be super good in the next few years. She’s also very good at 100 fly as well!